Consul to Emperor:
“By the time he became emperor, and had further successful military victories and conquests abroad, Napoleon had become increasingly authoritarian. Any legislative bodies were marginalised, censorship was tightened, and the press became highly enthusiastic about Napoleon and his policies. There was no more popular sovereignty – as he stated on one occasion: “I am the representative of the people”. There was little or no serious opposition to his rule in France, however. He took great care to ensure that law and order were maintained, and that the country retained what the French people saw were the benefits of the revolution. He seems to have modelled himself on the ‘enlightened despots’ of the Ancien Regimes in Europe, where autocratic leaders ruled wisely.” (textbook p. 39)