system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Napoleon: Good or bad?
gpt
He was both. Napoleon did end the French democracy established through the French Revolution and he did turn France into a military dictatorship. On the other hand, he kept a few things from the Revolution, most notably the concept that merit matters more than being from the right family. After all, Napoleon himself wouldn't have amounted to anything if it weren't for that change.

While Napoleon was a dictator, the countries who opposed him weren't fighting for democracy. They were monarchies who thought France was still too radical and wanted to make sure the old ways would never be challenged by the peasants. At the same time, you shouldn't think that Napoleon was fighting to spread freedom. Where he conquered, Napoleon spread progressive (for his time) ideas, but he was still fighting primarily for his own glory.