Hello! This is a great question. It really stems more from our modern understanding (in the West) of what an "ideal" government is, along with a misunderstanding of the origins of the French Revolution!

Briefly before diving in, let's touch on those two misconceptions.

1. Republics or Democracies are the most liberal, democratic, best forms of government

This actually is very much a modern idea! Unfortunately it's an anachronism that we don't even realize is an anachronism. I touch on the French Revolution specifically in my answer below, but suffice it to say that during the Enlightenment, men such as Voltaire actually came to the conclusion that "Enlightended Despotism" was the ideal form of government. Of course this has roots all the way back to Plato's "Philosopher King" so it wasn't anything new, but in the West we have essentially been taught that Republics and Democracies are the best form of government, and were thought of as the best form of government in the past as well, which is not true. I highly recommend Aristotle's Politics for anyone interested more in this subject, as he goes over different types of government and it's awesome. As for the French Revolution as I touch on in my answer, the French were essentially backed into a Republic after other, more preferrable governmental methods failed.

2. Misunderstanding of the origins of the French Revolution

I go into this more in my answer below, but the French Revolution was NOT about the peasants or the lower classes, or even the 'enlightened' classes, rising up to institute a democracy. Virtually everyone in France was perfectly fine with being ruled by one man. The French didn't want to radically alter their government, they wanted better government! This could be achieved by a constitutional monarchy, their preferred method. The Republic, as I mentioned above, was essentially backed into after the King's flight to Varennes. Even men we identify with the Republic of Virtue such as Robespierre did not champion a Republic until it was in place and their only option. When you mention an anti-monarchical surge in 1793-1793, it's important to know that this wasn't targeted at monarchy in general, but at the "ministirial despotism" of the Boubrons specifically. Since about the 1750s voices had been growing louder that the ministers of the Bourbon monarchs held a despotic stranglehold over their people. Often the Kings (Louis XV and Louis XVI) were portrayed as little more than impotent puppets, sitting useless on their throne while a small band of debauched and greedy ministers swirled around them, bleeding their people dry. The French more than anything else demanded that this system be reformed, but they did not as their core principle find fault with the institution of monarchy.

Okay now on to my answer! I have actually answered the same quesiton here! Please note that my writing above is merely an introduction to this specific post, but the following constitutes my full answer: Considering that one of the reasons why the French Revolution happened was to end the French Oligarchy, how come the French later accepted Napoleon as their new emperor of France?

Please let me know if you have any further questions!

Additional Reading:

Interested in the political thoughts of the early Revolutionaries?

Read Timothy Tackett's Becoming a Revolutionary. This book relies on primary sources, in the forms of the National Assembly's archives, letters home from delegates, and personal journals of delegates, to show what the Revolutionaries were really thinking at the beginning of the Revolution! Highly recommend for anyone who perhaps wants to dig deeper into my statements about the early Revolution being about better government, rather than radically different government.

Interested in public opinion during the pre-Revolution?

Read Robert Darnton's The Forbidden Best-Sellers of Pre-Revolutionary France. While this is a literary history, it's the best book I've encountered that touches on public opinion before the French Revolution, which is an oft overlooked area of study. What were the French actually thinking before the Revolution? It's a question this book seeks to answer through looking at literature, journals, gossip, etc.

Interested in an overview of the Revolution?

Read Peter McPhee's Liberty or Death, the hands-down best summary of the Revolution I've read. I find his reading style very engaging, which is important for how long this book is! It also has the merit of doing justice to post-Thermidorian France, which is crucial to understanding the question of Napoleon's rise. Often we skip from the Fall of Robespierre to the Coup of Napoleon as if those were events that happened in quick succession, but there were five years in between these events. Not to mention it wasn't until 1804 that Napoleon was crowned Emperor, putting ten years from the fall of Robespierre. To put that into perspective, the whole entirity of the rest of the Revolution was only five years (1789-1794). McPhee does a great job of giving this often disregarded period its just dues, and certainly helps give a much fuller picture of the Revolution through doing so.

Edit: I have gotten feedback that in this answer it seems as though I'm discounting the period after 1792, when the French generally embraced the Republic, and those who supported it viciously denounced the monarchists. I certainly do not mean for my statement to read this way, and I write extensively on the period from 1793-1794 if anyone is interested in my further answers there (link to my profile). The reason I focus on the mentality at the beginning of the Revolution is to highlight the fact that the French did not approach the Revolution with the intent of ridding themselves of a monarch. This focus is necessary to answer the question at hand, which is why the French were then able to stomach a single man rule once more. I dive more into this in a comment below (Comment can be found here), but I definitely do not discount the radical surge of republican fervor that peaked from 1793-1794. I do think it's important to point out (Peter McPhee does a great job of this in his Liberty or Death) that after the Thermidorian reaction, the Directory slowly eroded the enthusiasm for the republic. The Terror had already gone a long way towards this disenchantment, but after 5+ years of the Directory losing love from both sides of the political spectrum, the people of France were generally not opposed to seeing it go. The reason that I highlight the beginning of the Revolution so much in my post is because when they do see the Directory fall, there isn't an ingrained philosophy that rule by one man is inherently evil, which is the crux of the question at hand. The French are (generally) willing to accept Napoleon because they did not go into the Revolution with the mindset that a Republic was the only viable form of government. Hopefully this clears up the misconception that I'm dismissing the radicalism of the Revolution, as I certainly did not wish to give that impression. The Revolution is a large subject, and it's difficult to answer a question without letting the scope explode.

If I could follow up, was Napoléon and his regime ever that popular with Republicans, Jacobins and the Left?

Even someone like Fouche, who was an architect of Thermidor and Minister of Napoléon’s government was deeply concerned by Napoleon’s anti-Republican shift and worked to overthrow him.

I have to imagine that Napoléon was loathed by the surviving Jacobins, the Sans Coulette street leaders, etc.

Great Question and a really Great Answer , Thank you

I agree with these words, I honestly don't feel comfortable answering that question in the depth of knowledge that is worthy of this sub, and I hate to give the wrong impression based on the lack of comprehensive understanding, decent talent! While I had good knowledge of the Revolution until 1799, my special base went down to the restoration of Bourbon. I think that's a fantastic question to ask yourself because we certainly have some Napoleon experts on this sub! anda if you don't mind, please visit my website which tells about the latest Judi slot online that has helped many people in various countries📷 thank you!