ABSTRACT
Thomas Nipperdey began his acclaimed history of nineteenth-century Germany with the words, ‘In the beginning was Napoleon’ (Nipperdey, 1996: 1). A similar statement might be made with reference to nineteenthcentury Italy. Napoleon dominated continental Europe for over a decade; he understood the new system of mass, conscript armies and how to use them, while his principal German opponents for a long time hung back, reluctant to face up to the new style of war. Across those territories that were directly subject to his will, he introduced similar reforms and established the administrative and government structures that he had overseen in France. He required his satellites, and persuaded his allies, to introduce similar changes. Some of these changes were supported by subject peoples and allies, especially by non-French princes and bureaucrats imbued with Enlightenment ideas for the rational reform of government and administration, as well as by others who saw the reforms working to their advantage. But Napoleon’s presence, that of his armies, his constant demands for conscripts and money, and his determination to pursue an economic policy that meant ruin for many areas of his Empire as well as for some of his allies, also fostered unrest, law-breaking and elements of anti-French feeling, especially among the popular classes.
