Napoleon and Europe

No one is more responsible for dragging Europe kicking and screaming into the modern era than Napoleon. The Napoleonic Empire was not just an adjunct of the French revolution, it was a conflict over the future shape of Europe in which social, economic, political and even intellectual interests were at stake. It was a struggle between modernity and the Ancien Regime, between the old conservative Europe and the new progressive Europe. Napoleon and Europe places the period within the larger context of French and European history. Written in an accessible manner, the book contains comprehensive treatments of major areas of interest, including:

* Napoleon's youth and rise to power* The military culture of Napoleonic France* French society under Napoleon* Resistance and repression in the Empire * French foreign policy* Recent debates about the nature of the Empire and Napoleonic imperialism Providing students with an up-to-date synthesis of the impact of the Napoleonic Empire on France an Europe, Napoleon and Europe is a major contribution to the history of the period.  Philip Dwyer is a Lecturer in the History Department, University of Newcastle, Australia. He is the editor of The Rise of Prussia, 1700-1830 (Longman, 2000) and Modern Prussian History, 1830-1945 (Longman, 2001) as well as a number of articles on Prussian foreign policy during the Napoleonic era.

"well-written and stimulating" Contemporary Review

"a formidable team of contributors...have produced a series of essays on a variety of themes indispensible for both students and scholars of Napoleonic Europe." History

"...required reading for any academics interested in the period."

"an outstanding volume that will be of ernormous service to speacialist and student alike."

Malcolm Crook, Keele University, Modern & Contemporary France

Two hundred years ago, Napoleon was at the apogee of his power in Europe. This broad ranging reassessment explores the key themes presented by his extraordinary career: from his rise to power and the foundation of the imperial state, to the final defeat of his grand vision following the doomed invasion of Russia. It was a period of almost uninterrupted war in Europe, the consquences of victory or failure repeatedly transforming the political map. But Napoleon¿s impact reached much deeper than this, achieving the ultimate destruction of the ancien regime and feudalism in Europe, and leaving a political and juridical legacy that persists today.

Philip Dwyer teaches History at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales.

Preface.

About the Contributors.

List of Tables and Maps.

Introduction Philip G. Dwyer.

PART I NAPOLEON AND FRENCH SOCIETY.

1. Napoleon's Youth and Rise to Power Harold T. Parker.

2. The Military Culture of Napoleonic France Alan Forrest.

3. The Napoleonic Regime and French Society Isser Woloch.

4. The Napoleonic Police State Michael Sibalis.

PART II THE NATURE OF THE EMPIRE.

5. The Nature of Napoleonic Imperialism Geoffrey Ellis

6. Napoleon and the Drive for Glory: Reflections on the Making of French Foreign Policy Philip G. Dwyer.

7. Popular Resistance to the Napoleonic Empire Charles J. Esdaile.

8. Policing the Empire: Napoleon and the Pacification of Europe Michael Broers.

9. State, Society and Tax Policy in Napoleonic Europe Alexander Grab.

PART III NAPOLEON AND EUROPE

10. Britain and Napoleon Brendan Simms.

11.  Napoleon and State Formation in Central Europe Michael Row.

12. The Peninsular War John Lawrence Tone.

13. The Russian Empire and the Napoleonic Wars Alexander M. Martin.

Suggestions for Further Reading.

Notes.

Index.