Objectives for Section 4
• Explain Napoleon’s tactical and political mistakes.
• Summarize Napoleon’s defeat, comeback, and final
downfall.
Discussion
• How emotionally attached to you feel towards your
city, state, or nation or to various groups.
• Note: The concept of nationalism is relatively new.
Napoleon’s Costly Mistakes
• Napoleon’s personality proved to be the greatest
problem for the future of the French Empire.
• Again that desire for power would be the end of his
leadership.
• Napoleon made three mistakes:
– 1. The Continental System:
• November, 1806-Blockade-force closing of ports –prevents all
trade and communication between Great Britain and
European nations.
• Continental System: Napoleon policy which was to make
Europe more self-sufficient. Napoleon intended to destroy
Great Britain’s commercial and industrial economy. The
blockade was an inconvenience to Britain, but did not destroy
•
– Britain started it’s own blockade. Britain stopped neutral
ships and forced them to British ports to search and tax.
• American ships were stopped by British navy, this angered
the U.S. Congress and declared war on Britain in 1812. The
War of 1812 lasted two years and was only a minor
inconvenience to Britain as it struggled with Napoleon.
• The Peninsular War: called this because Spain is located on
the Iberian Peninsula. In 1808 Napoleon made the mistake of
invading Portugal and Spain to implement the Continental
System. He removed the king of Spain and put his brother
Joseph on the throne. This angered the Spanish who did not
want the same outcome as the French and not have the
Catholic Church.
– Guerillas: peasant fighters who ambushed French troops and
not an organized army. Other countries such as Italy and
Germany also turned on the French.
Invasion of Russia
• June 1812: This event was another downfall for
Napoleon. Alexander I the czar of Russia refused to
stop selling grain to Britain. Also both leaders
thought each were eyeing the take over of Poland.
This is when Napoleon decided to invade Russia
and Alexander retreated using
• Scorched-earth policy: Many countries practiced
this policy when leaving they would burn grain fields
and slaughter livestock so nothing would be left to
eat.
• September 7, 1812: Battle of Borodino-indecisive
fighting, Russian fell back as Napoleon advanced
• Into Moscow the Russians set the “holy city”
(Moscow) on fire. Napoleon sat in the ruined city
until October and decided to return to France.
• The temperature started to drop and the snows
began, the Russian military attacked Napoleon
many in the Grand Army died from the attacks,
hunger, cold, and exhaustion. Finally by December
Napoleon struggled out of Russia. Napoleon was
only left with 10,000 soldiers..
Napoleon’s Downfall
• With Napoleon being down the enemies took
advantage. Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Sweden
declared war against him, along with Austria even
though he was married to Marie Louise.
• Napoleon Suffers Defeat: Napoleon worked to
raise an army, even though his troops were
untrained and lacked preparedness for battle.
• October, 1813: Leipzig the German city where
Napoleon was up against allied forces. France was
defeated and by January, 1814 the enemy forces
marched towards Paris.
• April, 1814: Napoleon wanted to fight but his
generals refused. Napoleon accepted the terms of
surrender and gave up the throne.
• The victors: gave Napoleon a small pension and
exiled him to the island of Elba off the coast of Italy.
The victors thought that was the end of Napoleon,
they were wrong. His second wife and son went to
Austria, he would not see them again.
• The Hundred Days: Louis XVIII assumed the
throne ( his nephew Louis XVII died in prison in
1795). He was unpopular among the people,
especially the peasants. They suspected that he
would undo the land reforms from the Revolution.
• March 1, 1815: Napoleon heard that the people
hated Louis XVIII, this was his chance to regain
power. He escaped from Elba and landed in France
to supportive crowds and was able to regain power.
• Waterloo: in Belgium. Britain military was led by
Duke of Wellington.
• June 18, 1815: Napoleon attacked the British and
later the Prussian military showed up to support the
British. Two days later the French gave in and were
chased from the field. This was Napoleon last bid for
power.
• Hundred Days: The British shipped Napoleon to a
island in the South Atlantic called St. Helena. He
lived a lonely life in exile and wrote his memoirs. He
died in 1821 of a possible stomach ailment, some
think cancer.
• Outcomes: Napoleon was a brilliant military genius
and administrator. Millions of lives were lost in the
wars that he fought.
• “He was as great as a man can be without
virtue.” French writer Alexis de Tocqueville
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