would only come with the preservation of order and the consolidation of the triumphs of the revolution. Therefore, liberty was sacrificed. While liberty could not be guaranteed Napoleon would instead assure the French of their rights, in the Napoleonic Code. Albert Mathiez wrote that Napoleon would keep most of the revolutionary institutions while at times amalgamating them with those of the Old Regime, which were restored but adapted. His work would prove so solid that it made any total restoration of the past impossible. Therefore it seems clear that Napoleon was leading France firmly down a path (the foundations of which were laid during the Revolution) that had elements of the ancien regime in its construction for support. Ever the pragmatist, Napoleon recognised that unless his was a balanced system the triumphs of the Revolution would be lost. Napoleon Bonaparte was certainly a man of the revolution. He was not its betrayer but in fact its heir and preserver. This is evident in his policies. In France his Code Napoleon embodied the principles of the revolution and provided France with the administrative framework necessary for building institutions founded on the ideals of the revolution. He unified a country which had been torn apart by political, religious and social strife for over a decade. He ensured religious tolerance. He opened careers to talent and rewarded those who served the state regardless of traditional social status. It is abroad that we truly see Bonaparte for the revolutionary man he was. Trying to spread the ideals of equality, liberty and fraternity to other nations eventually cost Napoleon his power. He was building a fragmented empire, one that was increasingly difficult to administer. However, his determination to revolutionize Europe blinded him to this fact, eventually leading to his downfall. Above all Bonaparte was a pragmatist. He recognised the need to be practical and was willing to sacrifice certa...
