Taking Liberties

The transition from the French Revolution to Napoleon is a period often described in terms of social chaos, ineffectual government and democratic disappointment. This book explores the ambiguities and continuities of the period from 1794 to 1814 and offers insights into the problems of a post-revolutionary order where high ideals confronted harsh realities. An overview of the decade between the Terror and the Empire provides the background to eight substantial essays with archival evidence and methodological innovation. Essays cover an eclectic range of concerns, from gender to economics, from human rights to high culture and explore emigration and female citizenship, currency crises and contested property rights, scientific practices in imperial expansion, the cultural economy of luxury and pleasure, social contours of military meritocracy, representations of Jewish (non-)conformity, collusion in the Napoleonic police state and the exigencies of making art for the Emperor.