Napoleon took power in 1799 in a coup d'etat. This ended the chaos that had engulfed France following the Revolution and the Reign of Terror. Within a few years, Napoleon had declared himself emperor and suspended free speech and political freedoms. These acts went against the goals of the revolution but Napoleon kept other parts of the revolution: including religious toleration, secular education, and access to government jobs based on merit. So therefore, Napoleon embraced some of the concepts in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens but he also resembled absolute monarchs like Louis XIV.…
