ToestablishsomesortofcompromisebetweentheancienregimeandthenewidealswasthemostdifficultoftheproblemswhichBonapartehadtoresolve。HehadtodiscoverinstitutionswhichwouldsuitthetwomentalitiesintowhichFrancewasdivided。Hesucceeded，aswehaveseen，byconciliatorymeasures，andalsobydressingveryancientthingsinnewnames。
HisreignwasoneofthoserareperiodsofFrenchhistoryduringwhichthementalunityofFrancewascomplete。
Thisunitycouldnotoutlivehim。Onthemorrowofhisfallalltheoldpartiesreappeared，andhavesurviveduntilthepresentday。Someattachthemselvestotraditionalinfluences；othersviolentlyrejectthem。
Ifthislongconflicthadbeenbetweenbelieversandtheindifferent，itcouldnothavelasted，forindifferenceisalwaystolerant；butthestrugglewasreallybetweentwodifferentbeliefs。ThelayChurchverysoonassumedareligiousaspect，anditspretendedrationalismhasbecome，especiallyinrecentyears，abarelyattenuatedformofthenarrowestclericalspirit。Now，wehaveshownthatnoconciliationispossiblebetweendissimilarreligiousbeliefs。Theclericalswheninpowercouldnotthereforeshowthemselvesmoretoleranttowardsfreethinkersthantheselatterareto—daytowardtheclericals。
Thesedivisions，determinedbydifferencesofbelief，werecomplicatedbytheadditionofthepoliticalconceptionsderivedfromthosebeliefs。