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Did Napoleon preserve or pervert the gains of the Revolution Napoleon was indirectly responsible for spreading many of the ideals of the French Revolution throughout Europe. Although he never openly espoused revolutionary tenets his Empire and government was in many ways the living embodiment of those ideals. The three main areas that he had a significant impact were individualism, secularism, and nationalism. Prior to the French Revolution, class or social status was more important in …

…his talents, would have been no more than an obscure provincial military officer. He unified a country torn apart by ten years of political and religious strife. While liberty languished, he promoted equality and opened all careers to those with talent. A proletarian king, he humiliated kings and nobles in his antechamber. He leveled ranks not by lowering but by raising them. He insured religious tolerance. He consolidated and preserved the gains of the Revolution.