A very similar question was asked [three days ago] (http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/27j5kl/why_werent_the_french_more_disturbed_by_napoleon/) , so I'm going to repost my answer here.

'It's worth nothing that Napoleon chose the title of Emperor as an alternative to calling himself King - it's a bit ironic given the implications that Emperor has now, but it's on record that Napoleon chose the 'Emperor' title because he felt that it had less monarchical implications. He was thinking of the Roman Imperators and the connotations of election and military service that came with it. Bear in mind France had never had an Emperor before, so in a sense he was distinguishing himself from the monarchs of the ancien regime.'