Final answer:
The French Revolution's strides towards rights and freedoms were undermined by the Napoleonic Code, which reestablished male dominion, particularly by legally subjugating women and limiting their participation in public life. Stricter censorship and a less democratic society also marked a rollback from revolutionary principles of freedom of expression and political engagement.
Step-by-step explanation:
The French Revolution brought forth significant advances in the realm of human rights, most notably through documents such as the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which proclaimed equality before the law and asserted freedoms such as religion and fair taxation. However, during the Napoleonic era, the French people saw a retraction of some of the rights they gained during the Revolution under the Napoleonic Code.
Under the Code, women were denied the right to participate politically and were made the legal subjects of their fathers and husbands, effectively reducing them to the status of minors in the legal sphere. Their right to own property, while nominally acknowledged, was overshadowed by the overarching power granted to men over household decisions.