ABSTRACT
For ten years the personality of Napoleon dominated the life and thoughts of Europe as they had never before been dominated by one man. For any parallel we should have to go back to the careers of Julius Caesar or of Charlemagne, and they can not, for obvious reasons, have exercised the same universal influence that Napoleon did. From 1795 to 1807 it is difficult to take sufficient notice of the internal affairs of other countries. But after 1807 the condition of Europe changes. Napoleon is still the central figure in the drama, and will remain so until his public life is done; but his armies and his policy no longer monopolise attention. A little below the surface we can see other forces rising up which make even his greatest victories fruitless. The ultimate catastrophe seems already in sight.
