Napoleon's Defeat in the Russian Federation in 1812
In examining a variety of factors that resulted in Napoleon 's defeat in Russia in 1812, judge the most significant of those factors.
The Patriotic War of 1812, or more commonly known as the Russian Campaign, significantly altered the course of European history as Napoleon Bonaparte, a French military leader and adversary of Russia faced a notable downfall of his military rule and career. Czar Alexander I’s fueled France’s campaign in Russia through his withdraw of participation in the Continental Blockade, which was originally established by Napoleon in order to dominate Great Britain through repressing its economic connections with other European nations. Due to the fact that Britain’s ports were the center of commercial trade and exports all across Europe, countries signed under the Continental Blockade faced a dramatic economic downfall; therefore, Russia’s response to this blockade was to openly trade with Britain through black markets, and even “introduced a new trade tariff that discriminated against France and favoured Great Britain”. During the earlier stages of the Napoleonic era which lasted from 1799 through to 1815, the French military leader’s talent commonly allowed him to win quick and decisive battles during domestic and international conflicts. Napoleon’s defeat during the Russian campaign proved to European nations that his tactics in warfare were immensely flawed; and his failure to overpower this vast, Eastern European country was due to three significant factors: tactics employed by the Russian troops, the environment, and the Grande Armee’s weaknesses within itself.
Mikhail Kutuzov, was the leading of the Russian army against the Grande Armee, was well versed with Napoleon’s most victorious method of winning a quick and decisive battle: living off of the land. Tactics that General Kutuzov employed contributed greatly to the failure of the French army in her campaign. Bonaparte relied on his troops to scavenge for resources along the
The Patriotic War of 1812, or more commonly known as the Russian Campaign, significantly altered the course of European history as Napoleon Bonaparte, a French military leader and adversary of Russia faced a notable downfall of his military rule and career. Czar Alexander I’s fueled France’s campaign in Russia through his withdraw of participation in the Continental Blockade, which was originally established by Napoleon in order to dominate Great Britain through repressing its economic connections with other European nations. Due to the fact that Britain’s ports were the center of commercial trade and exports all across Europe, countries signed under the Continental Blockade faced a dramatic economic downfall; therefore, Russia’s response to this blockade was to openly trade with Britain through black markets, and even “introduced a new trade tariff that discriminated against France and favoured Great Britain”. During the earlier stages of the Napoleonic era which lasted from 1799 through to 1815, the French military leader’s talent commonly allowed him to win quick and decisive battles during domestic and international conflicts. Napoleon’s defeat during the Russian campaign proved to European nations that his tactics in warfare were immensely flawed; and his failure to overpower this vast, Eastern European country was due to three significant factors: tactics employed by the Russian troops, the environment, and the Grande Armee’s weaknesses within itself.
Mikhail Kutuzov, was the leading of the Russian army against the Grande Armee, was well versed with Napoleon’s most victorious method of winning a quick and decisive battle: living off of the land. Tactics that General Kutuzov employed contributed greatly to the failure of the French army in her campaign. Bonaparte relied on his troops to scavenge for resources along the
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