A history of the coup of 18 Brumaire, which brought Napoleon to power after the fall of the Directory, reconsidered from the perspective of the revolutionaries themselves. It traces how people who could no longer control democracy came to choose authoritarian rule in order to preserve the achievements of the Revolution, through factions, constitutions, elections, and local administration.

How was Napoleon elevated to power? A reconsideration of 18 Brumaire through the fears and desires of the revolutionaries.