This claim would be hard to justify. Napoleon borrowed
little from the ancien regime other than the re-establishment of the Catholic Church.
Even so, the Concordat which he signed with Pope Pius VII gave him
the right to nominate bishops and pay clergy. The Revolution had attempted to remove the
influence of the church entirely. He did guarantee equality before the law as under the
Revolutionary governments, and the security of wealth and
property.
Under Napoleon, women lost nearly all the rights
they had gained under the Revolution. They lost the right to contract or have bank
accounts in their own names, and the father was established as absolute ruler of his
household. Free speech and freedom of the press were virtually abolished, and the number
of newspapers was reduced to four; they were primarily papers which would glorify
Napoleon.
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