Napoleon: From 18 Brumaire to Tilsit 1799-1807

This book, the first of two volumes, describes and relates the political and intellectual currents of the era dominated by Napoleon. Dealing with the period between 18 Brumaire, when Napoleon seized power, and 1807, when the Treaty of Tilsit was signed, the work provides a detailed perspective of the life, politics, and strategy of Napoleonic France.

The author examines the essential features of the collective life of the French people and those who were subjugated by the Emperor. He outlines the spread of French ideas across the Continent, emphasizing the impact of the fundamental principles of the modern state and society.

Beyond this, Lefebvre details the operation of forces independent of the will of Napoleon, and the distinguishing characteristics of nations which escaped his domination, including England and her Allies. the nineteenth century, so shifting and varied in its character, is revealed beneath the apparent uniformity which Napoleon’s genius tried to impose.