Essay: A number of questions answered on Napoleon

World History
Due 9/7/17
Section 3, Question 5
Once Napoleon had given up on the New World (North America), he set his focus on Europe. Napoleon had already taken control of the Austrian Netherlands and he had set up a puppet government in Switzerland. In fear of Napoleon, Britain got Russia, Austria, and Sweden to join them in the fight against France. Napoleon refused to back down and went in to this fight with his usual boldness. After a series of epic battles, Napoleon and his troops had destroyed the competition. In 1805, the Battle of Austerlitz took place. In less then four hours out of 100,00 men commanded by the Austrian and Russian emperors, Napoleon and his troops had taken 20 generals and over 30,000 soldiers prisoners, also they captured 120 pieces of artillery. Because of Napoleon’s success on the battlefield, the rulers of Russia, Prussia, and Austria were forced to sign peace treaties.
Napoleon was able build the largest European empire since the Romans because of his success on the battlefield. France had one major enemy that was left undefeated; Britain, possibly the strongest naval power in Europe.
On his quest for the European empire, Napoleon only lost one major battle. This was a naval fight called the Battle of Trafalgar. Although the French lost this battle it was still more important than Napoleon’s victories on land. It took place of the coast of Spain in 1805. The great British commander, Horatio Nelson was the Napoleon of the British navy. He was able to split the French navy apart and capture many ships.
This loss had two major results, it ensured that British would have that most powerful navy in Europe for the next hundred years. It also forced Napoleon to search for another way to control his major enemy across the English Channel. Napoleon’s efforts the crush the British would eventually lead to his own downfall.
From 1800-1810 Napoleon had gained power over the majority of Europe because of his success on the battlefield. In 1812 there were only four nations free from Napoleon’s rule; Britain, Sweden, Portugal, and the Ottoman Empire. In addition to the French Empire, Napoleon controlled Spain, Grand Duchy of Warsaw and many German kingdoms in Central Europe. These countries were so easily controlled by Napoleon because of the fact that some of their rulers were Napoleon’s family members. More powerful countries such as Russia, Prussia, and Austria were connected through alliances to the French Empire. Nonetheless, these countries were easily controlled by Napoleon because of threats of military action.
Section 3, Question 6
In my opinion Napoleon was the creation of his times, not the creator of his time. There are many facts to back up the claim. Napoleon was only sixteen when he became a lieutenant in the military. It only took him four years (1795-1799) to rise from being an officer in the French army to ruling France.
In 1795 Napoleon got his shot at glory. He was told to defend the delegates by a government official as royalist rebels marched on the National Convention. Napoleon did not disappoint, the attackers were fleeing in panic and confusion within minutes. As you could say, Napoleon won over the people, becoming the savior of the French Republic. Napoleon was appointed by the Directory to become the leader of a French army in 1796. Napoleon lead his troops against Austria and the Kingdom of Sardinia. Then they crossed the Alps and took many impressive victories in Italy. Trying to harm the trade from Britain to India, Napoleon lead his troops south to Egypt. Although the French were not successful, Napoleon luckily kept this news away from the common people of France. Because of the word not spreading, Napoleon was still a hero to the people of France.
Napoleon returned home in 1799 and the people of France were losing hope in the Directory. Because of this, Napoleon’s friends urged him to take political power, and that is exactly what he did. In November, Napoleon and his troops seized the national legislature and forced many of its members out.
Soon it was voted on to dissolve the Directory. In 1800, the people of France voted to approve a new constitution. The people heavily favored this because they were in need of strong leadership. What this actually did was give all real power to Napoleon.
After the revolution Napoleon started to try and restore order in France. Many changes were kept that came with the revolution. Most laws that he supported were laws that would strengthen the central government but also they would help achieve some of the goals of the revolution. Napoleon wanted to get the economy back together. He set up a national banking system and a method of tax collection. Napoleon dismissed the officials that were not doing the best and to find better officials he set up lycées. Lycées were government run public schools. They excepted all males no matter their background. Graduates were appointed to public office.
Another area Napoleon changed was France’s relations with the church. Napoleon signed an agreement with Pope Pius VII. It stated that France would recognize the influence of the church, but would have total control dealing with national affairs.
Napoleon thought one of his greatest works was the Napoleonic Code. This gave the country a set of uniformed laws but it also limited liberty. It also promoted order and authority over individual rights. One downside was that it limited free speech and press. The code also made slavery in the French colonies in the Caribbean legal again.
Section 3, Question 7
In my opinion Napoleon should have been more focused on the forces inside the French Empire rather than the forces outside the French Empire. To build a strong empire you need to have control over your people. If the forces inside your empire are acting against you, your empire will crumble because it is weak from the inside. The outside forces will always be up against so, that is what a strong army is for.
Napoleon was smart because some of the nations he had control over were basically his puppets. He was so able to do this because of the fact that he had family members rule them. That would guarantee that those countries would be loyal to him because of this. If the people of the empire are not loyal and they are willing to rebel, they might have enough fight in them to take back their land.
On the other hand it is important to control the forces and threats outside the empire if the emperor is wanting more land and power, which Napoleon did and it also lead to his downfall. But first and foremost you should have a stable interior of the empire. It is kind of like a human, people can function if there is something wrong with the outside of their body, but if their is something wrong with their organs and insides, it’s a whole other story.
Napoleon already controlled most of Europe, such as Spain, Italy, Grand Duchy of Warsaw, just to name a few. So why would he focus on things outside of the empire instead of keeping the inside of his empire stable? The answer; power. Napoleon was smart and brave, just to name a few of his positive characteristics. But he was one greedy man. Napoleon focused more on getting more land and power but as his empire grew, just as all the great empires of the past; that would lead to its collapse.
You see all empires got to large that the emperor (in this case Napoleon) wanted to much land and to much power. One man cannot simply just control all of Europe, that’s to much to obtain. If Napoleon was a little smarter (not that he wasn’t smart), he would’ve kept his empire small and loyal. Not small but not as big as he wanted it.
In conclusion it is more important to control the forces inside the empire because that is the main reason empires would be destroyed.
Section 4, Question 5
Napoleon decided to invade Russia when Alexander I refused to stop trade with Britain. It was June of 1812 when Napoleon and his troops set out for Moscow, his army had more than 420,000 soldiers. As Napoleon advanced, the Russian troops pulled back. The Russians used a scorched earth policy (burned all the crops and slaughtered livestock) so that way the French had nothing to eat.
On September 7th, the two armies finally collided. The Russians fell back after several hours of fighting, that is when Napoleon took Moscow. When the French arrived, they found that the city had been burned to the ground. Instead of turning back for France, Napoleon and his troops stayed in Moscow until the middle of October.
When they finally turned back for France it was only a matter of time before it started snowing. The temperature started to fall in early November, and with that came snow. The French army wasn’t ready for these conditions, having set out for Moscow all the way back in May. As the French army made their way back home, they were attacked by merciless Russian raiders.
Many of Napoleon’s soldiers had died in these battles or had died from their wounds. Still more died from the harsh conditions, such as exhaustion, hunger, and cold. In the middle of December the few survivors finally made it out of Russia. Napoleon’s army had went from 420,000 soldiers to only 10,000 soldiers.
If Napoleon had retreated from Russia when they made it to Moscow and realized the city had been burned to the ground, they would have made it back out of Russia possibly even before the snow started. But instead, Napoleon decided to wait… and that lead to the fall of so many of his troops. Napoleon would have not have lost 410,000 soldiers of he would have decided to retreat right away.
Section 4, Question 6
The people of other European nations had many reasons why they were resisting against Napoleon’s empire. They would not be under their own control if took over all of Europe. He took away their ability to trade which was something the rest of Europe needed. Napoleon set up a blockade to close down all the ports sending and receiving good to and from Britain. Napoleon called this the Continental System, it was supposed to make continental Europe more alone and would thrive off of the goods of continental Europe. This was also supposed to ruin Britain’s commercial and industrial economy.
The people of Europe did not like this, even Napoleon’s brother, Louis, who was the king of Holland, went against this policy. The French blockade was not strong enough to stop all trade. The British did not like this so they resisted by setting up their own blockade to search and tax all neutral ships going to continental Europe. This would eventually lead to the War of 1812.
Portugal refused to comply with the Continental System so Napoleon sent troops through Spain to try to enforce the System in Portugal. This angered the Spanish people. Because of this, Napoleon removed the Spanish king and placed his brother Joseph in the position. This enraged the people of Spain even more, and inflamed their nationalistic feelings. The people of Spain had seen what Napoleon had done to the Catholic Church in France and because the Spanish were mostly Catholic, they were worried the same would happen in Spain if Napoleon gained to much power over them.
For six years, groups of Spanish fighters called guerrillas would strike against the French using a hit and run type tactic. Napoleon was unable to defeat them in an open battlefield because they would sneak up and the French, attack, then retreat into hiding.
Also going against Napoleon’s case, the British sent troops to aid the Spanish. This would start the Peninsular War; named because Spain lies on the Iberian Peninsula. During this war, Napoleon would lose around 300,000 men. This would help weaken the French Empire.
Slowly but surely, nationalism (loyalty to ones country) would spread throughout Europe and become a strong force against Napoleon and the French Empire. Like the Spanish, countries such as Germany and Italy and other conquered nations that once welcomed the French rule would start to turn against them. The other European nations wanted their own power back.
Section 4, Question 7
“Napoleon had no choice but to invade Russia.” I do not agree with that statement. Napoleon lead the invasion because Russia refused to cut off trade to Britain. Instead he could have decided to wait and let Russia come to them, or Napoleon could have set up a blockade like he later would. The invasion of Russia was a big mistake he lost so many soldiers (around 410,00) and was weakened from that point on.
As the textbook states, “Napoleon’s most disastrous mistake of all came in 1812.” Talking about the invasion of Russia. If Napoleon would not have invaded Russia, his empire could have thrived on for so much longer. But because of this mistake, the empire would collapse shortly after.
Russia had an alliance with Napoleon and France, but Russia’s trade with Britain was to important to give up. Russia was only one of many nations that Napoleon controlled, so once again greed ended up destroying another empire. Napoleon did not need to keep Russia in his power because the empire could have survived without it, but just like any other emperor, Napoleon wanted more land than he could handle.
The Russians were more experienced and had dealt with these types of things before. They had been invaded before, it was nothing new. France didn’t stand a chance in this fight. Napoleon had been outsmarted. The French troops didn’t expect this strategy from the Russians, so they were caught of guard. If Napoleon would have thought a little more, he could have planned on this being a little longer trip than he expected. The French left in May, and returned home in December. They should have brought more supplies and winter gear for the trek. I mean it is about 1,800 miles from Paris to Moscow.
If Napoleon had to do this, he should have at least planned ahead. An army of 420,000 men are not just going to walk 1,800 miles in a span of a couple weeks. There are ways this invasion could have been avoided but Napoleon would never back down from a fight so it had to be done his way. This could be just my thinking but this was an unnecessary journey that only would cost Napoleon and the French Empire in the long run.
Section 5, Question 5
For about the next hundred years, the Congress of Vienna would influence not only European politics, but world politics. The Congress of Vienna was mainly ran by five nations called the “great powers”. These countries were Russia, Prussia, Great Britain, Austria, and France. Most of the decisions were made by the representatives from these five nations in secret. This took place mostly in between 1814 and 1815. Britain and Prussia gained power in Europe, while France’s power decreased. The Congress of Vienna would also ensure peace in Europe for a long while after. The rulers of the strongest European nations would agree to solve their problems through negotiation, diplomacy, and agreement rather than war. It was ninety nine years until the next major European war (World War One).
Nationalism spread in countries like Germany, Italy, and Greece, then soon it would spread all through Europe and revolutions would break out forming many new countries. Because of the French Revolution, more and more people began to believe that democracy was the best way to achieve and ensure equality and justice for all people. The French Revolution would change everything.
In other parts of the world, European colonies began to break away and form their own nations. Mexico and other Spanish colonies began to break away from Spain. Also at about this time, Brazil gained it’s independence from Portugal. The Austrian Netherlands and Dutch Republic combined to become the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Thirty nine German states combined to form the German Confederation. Switzerland became its own independent nation.
The Congress of Vienna also restored a balance of power between the major European nations, France was still strong but not a threat to gain power over all the other countries again. All the rulers that were removed from their thrones returned to power because of the Congress of Vienna. This would obviously not last forever but it was for the time being. That being said, the returning former monarchs would make better political relations between the nations.
Section 5, Question 6
From France’s point of view, I think the Congress of Vienna’s decisions were fair. What Napoleon and the French did to the rest of Europe would have been unbearable. I know that Napoleon was gone and the French Monarchy was back in power but the other European nations were still probably outraged with France. I mean France was one of the great powers so they did get a say in things at least.
The rest of Europe’s leaders knew that they couldn’t take away all of France’s power because that could lead to another possible revolution and revenge on Europe. Because of this, the other European leaders decided to let France still be a great power and a strong nation. So that made France a major, but diminished power in the continent of Europe. But keep in mind that not one country is now able to overpower the rest because of the balance in power now. That means that France could not complain about being so much powerless than the other nations.
Also, France couldn’t complain because all they had to do was return the territory that Napoleon had conquered… they barely had to return any of the valuables Napoleon took on his conquests. Europes real worries were now balancing the power between the other European nation.
So in conclusion, France could have had it a lot tougher than they did. They only had to return the land conquered. They didn’t have to return much of the things that Napoleon collected and brought back to France. So basically it was just turned back to what it was before.
Section 5, Question 7
The liberals’ and conservatives’ beliefs differed back then just as they do today, I’m not saying they had had the same beliefs that the liberals and conservatives do today but they both disagreed. The conservatives of Europe at this time sided with the Monarchy. While on the other hand, the liberals wanted more of a democracy and wanted more equality.
The Congress of Vienna was a major victory for European conservatives. Kings and princes returning to power pleased the conservatives. In Eastern and Central Europe, the governments were more conservative. Countries such as Russia, Prussia, and Austria were absolute monarchs.
The rulers of Europe were worried that what had happened in the French Revolution would give more people ideas on liberty, equality, and fraternity, that could possibly lead to more revolutions. Because of this, Austria and Prussia would sign the Holy Alliance (they would base their decision on Christian principles to help each other out in the case of a revolution). The conservatives ruled much of Europe for the time being. They were worried because the ideas that came from the French Revolution could not be contained.
In 1815, France was deeply divided politically.  King Louis XVIII was back in power and the conservatives were happy and determined to make it last. The liberals in France however, were a different story. They wanted the king to share legislature and power with more than just himself. They believed in liberty and equality, and had the lower class siding with them for a chance at more equal opportunities.
The liberal ideas could not be stopped. Eventually these would lead to more revolutions in 1830 and 1848. No matter how much the Congress of Vienna wanted to undo the changes of the French Revolution, they couldn’t turn back the clock. What happened had happened and now the ideas of democracy were spreading.
The Congress of Vienna was a victory for the conservatives of Europe, but only for the time being.