Two hundred years ago, Napoleon was at the apogee of his power in Europe. This broad ranging reassessment explores the key themes presented by his extraordinary career: from his rise to power and the foundation of the imperial state, to the final defeat of his grand vision following the doomed invasion of Russia. It was a period of almost uninterrupted war in Europe, the consquences of victory or failure repeatedly transforming the political map. But Napoleon's impact reached much deeper than this, achieving the ultimate destruction of the ancien regime and feudalism in Europe, and leaving a political and juridical legacy that persists today.
Preface. About the Contributors. List of Tables and Maps. Introduction Philip G. Dwyer. PART I NAPOLEON AND FRENCH SOCIETY. 1. Napoleon's Youth and Rise to Power Harold T. Parker. 2. The Military Culture of Napoleonic France Alan Forrest. 3. The Napoleonic Regime and French Society Isser Woloch. 4. The Napoleonic Police State Michael Sibalis. PART II THE NATURE OF THE EMPIRE. 5. The Nature of Napoleonic Imperialism Geoffrey Ellis. 6. Napoleon and the Drive for Glory: Reflections on the Making of French Foreign Policy Philip G. Dwyer. 7. Popular Resistance to the Napoleonic Empire Charles J. Esdaile. 8. Policing the Empire: Napoleon and the Pacification of Europe Michael Broers. 9. State, Society and Tax Policy in Napoleonic Europe Alexander Grab. PART III NAPOLEON AND EUROPE. 10. Britain and Napoleon Brendan Simms. 11. Napoleon and State Formation in Central Europe Michael Row. 12. The Peninsular War John Lawrence Tone. 13. The Russian Empire and the Napoleonic Wars Alexander M. Martin. Suggestions for Further Reading. Notes. Index.
