Napoleon and His Collaborators: The Making of a Dictatorship Book

This is an impressive history. It is tightly argued and replete with facts.
I began reading it with limited knowledge of the history of the post-revolutionary period. It might not be the best introductory commentary for a person with my level of ignorance. I found that there was an assumption of some significant foundation knowledge and, when this was lacking, it was difficult to follow the fast-moving events and, particularly, the names.
So my reticence over the book derives entirely from my own shortcomings. On the basis of this book, I regard Woloch as an impressive historian; I just wish I had known more about the context so as to gain full benefit from reading his work.
Despite the confusion I felt, mainly from the large cast of characters, I thought the Book provided an invaluable insight into how Napoleon, a man who achieved some significant outcomes from France, developed into a tyrant as a result of his charisma, his bullying, his supreme self-confidence, and his gradual usurpation of all power. This was yet another warning of the dangers of monocracies.