In 1804 napoleon promulgated a revised body of civil law, which also stabilize french society. the code affirmed the political and legal equality of all adult men and established a merit-based society in which individuals qualified for education and employment because of talent rather than birth or social standing. the code protected private property, and napoleon allowed aristocratic opponents of the revolution to return to france and reclaim some of their lost property. the code confirmed many of the moderate revolutionary policies of the national assembly but retracted measures passed by the more radical convention. the code restored patriarchal authority in the family, for example, by making women and children subservient to male heads of households.