Was Napoleon a child of the French Revolution or the absolute antithesis of it?

Indeed,
Napoleon was a "child" of the Revolution. For one, he benefited tremendously from the
meritocratic principles it embodied and the social disruption it created. An artillery officer
in the French Army, he rose the ranks rapidly in the early Revolutionary era and became a
general at a very young age. And yet, as much as his career was born out of the spirit of the
Revolution, he also came to represent principles antithetical to it.

This
first became apparent in the decisive street battle of the 13 Vend©miaire, where he used
artillery to diminish the threat of a radical armed Revolutionary force on behalf of the more
conservative (and even royalist) forces who would come to form the Directory. It is said he
wiped out the Revolutionary threat with a "whiff of grapeshot."

After this Napoleon's power only increased. He led an expeditionary and military campaign to
Egypt in 1798 and finally seized power from the Directory in 1799, becoming emperor or first
consul for life in 1802....