Napoleon's Conflict with Russia
Napoleon was one of the greatest military leaders of all time.
By 1812 Napoleon had expanded the territory of France all over Europe
including Spain, Italy, Holland, and Switzerland. The countries that
Napoleon did not directly control, he was usually allied with. The
turning point of Napoleon's career also came in 1812 when war broke
out between France and Russia because of Alexander I's refusal to
enforce the continental.
Even the French nation could not provide all the manpower and
supplies needed to carry out the Emperor's grandiose plan for subduing
Russia. Throughout 1811, he worked to mobilize the entire continent
against Russia. He not only levied the vassal kingdoms in Spain,
Italy, and Germany but also summoned Austria and Prussia to furnish
their share of men and goods. Altogether, Napoleon could count on
nearly 700,000 men of 20 nationalities of whom more than 600,000
crossed the border. Grown far beyond its original intended size, the
army was difficult to assemble and hard to feed. Between Tilsit and
Moscow, there lay over 600 miles of hostile barren countryside.
Because of lack of supplies and the difficulty to feed the large army,
Napoleon's plan was simple: bring about a battle, defeat the Russian
army, and dictate a settlement. Apparently neither he nor his
soldiers, who cheerfully began crossing the Nieman River, thought
beyond the immediate goal.
Already 300 miles into Russia, Napoleon had not yet found a
way to exploit his advantage. In the Emperor's programming the
resources necessary to achieve his objective, he had anticipated
fighting a battle within a month after crossing the Nieman. Toward th...
... middle of paper ...
...s made many attacks on the French. And because of
the health of the French soldiers, there was little opposition for the
Russian's attacks. Napoleon had returned to France to preserve his
empire. With his desertion marking the end of the war.
A lengthy bulletin had appeared in The Moniteur on the return
of Napoleon. Until November 6, the weather was good, and the movement
of the army was executed with success, but on the 7th the cold
commenced. French officers and soldiers had fought bravely, and their
General had led expertly. The Russian winter, not the Russian army,
had defeated him.
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Bibliography
Electronic Arts EA 3D Atlas 1995, N.Y. New York
Grolier Incorporated Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia 1994 N.Y. New
York
SoftKey Infopedia 2 1996 N.Y. New York
Webster New World Dictionary 1984 N.Y. New York
He turned the French against Europe and took over central Europe. He was well known for being a genius and could often sway the tide in his favor in a variety of ways. In 1812, the French invaded Russia, but it led to a change of fate. His army won by moving into the outskirts of Moscow, but it was an empty victory. Cold and worn down, his "Grande Armée" was forced into a painful retreat through the freezing Russian weather.
Although he inspired new social, economic, and political ideas, Napoleon Bonaparte is better known for his military tactics. Even today, his battle plans are used and studied by many in the military. Napoleon, who started out as an extremely short and wimpy foreigner who rose to become Emperor of France, died in 1821 at St. Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic. He was fifty-two years old. Th cause is uncertain: either he was poisoned or he died of a stomach ailment.
Napoleon Bonaparte, an unparalleled military commander who conquered most of Europe around the early 1800’s, invaded Russia in 1812, who was under the rule of Tsar Alexander at the time, lost three quarters of his Grande Armee which was composed of soldiers from all over Europe totaling 600,000 soldiers. This part of history is the most talked about and studied military campaign even today by scholars and military school alike. Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 was a extraordinary expedition that shocked the French Empire to its foundation and led to its eventual collapse just a year later. This Historiographic comparative
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Napoleon had a quick victory in mind, and he would use said victory to force Alexander I back to the negotiating table. Taking place 75 miles from Moscow, the French and Russians were just hitting each other very hard, each pounding the other with loads of artillery, charges, and countercharges, leaving the average rate of fire to be about 3 cannon booms and 7 musket shots a second. The casualties on each side were enormous, with the total amount of deaths on both sides being about 70,000, the Russians did not continue with the fighting on the second day, as they withdrew and left the road to Moscow wide open. On September 14th, the Grand Armée entered the Russian capital of Moscow, but to their surprise, by the time they arrived, it was nothing more than what was once a city, but was then completely covered in flames. Most of its residents had been long gone, but had left behind many bottles of liquor, but as much liquor as there was, there was hardly any food, so the French troops did what they could, they drank and looted until Napoleon got word that Alexander I wanted to negotiate for peace.
Napoleon was not only a great leader, he was also a military genius. As a military genius, Napoleon won many battles to expand France and was always welcomed back to France as a hero. His use of strategic warfare throughout many battles allowed him to be seen as a hero not only in France but all of Europe. Although his army was outnumbered by the Russians and Austrians on December 2, 1805, Napoleon's brilliant strategies resulted in a defeat of the opposing armies in the Battle of Austerlitz.
Napoleon was an outstanding military commander and enjoyed many successful campaigns. Napoleon maintained the Revolutionary syst...
Warfare was in a state of transition. Older commanders and generals in the French and British militaries were very cavalry and infantry focused. These commanders believed that cavalry, infantry, and artillery would assure victory in any circumstance, against any foe. They clung to the static tactics of the bygone World War I era. World War I had been fought primarily on French soil, and the military as well as the government never wanted that to happen again, therefore they wanted to reinforce their main border against any future German. Little did they know that only twenty two years later they would be bested by German forces in a way that would shock the world. This research will be analyzing many important assumptions, oversights,...
French Revolution brought a great number of great ideas, but ideas are not beneficial unless they are realized and stabilized. The man to stabilize the concepts of French Revolution was Napoleon Bonaparte. He started out as an Italian general and ended up being one of the greatest historical figures. First, Directors requested Napoleon's support while organizing a coup d'etat. Then, Bonaparte fought Britain in order to benefit France. Lastly, he was called to help creating a new constitution and ended up as the First Consul of France. At home, he ruled using flattery, but also he strongly resisted the opposition. Napoleon is a pro-revolutionist because he denied all the privileges of the aristocracy, created a new constitution, and also established the Napoleonic Code.
Pg 13, 1812 Napoleon's Defeat in Russia. With his battle plan set, Napoleon prepared his troops for the attack on Russia. But, Napoleon did not consider the fierce Russian winter that awaited him. According to Ludwig Wilhelm Gottlob Schlosser, an onlooker, he described the army as "smart". The French, down to the lowest drummer, were very fastidious.
Napoleon’s military career is what eventually led to his prominence. Napoleon began his military career above most of the other men his age. He rapidly made his way through the ranks eventually gaining a great support system. As the directory leaned more and more heavily upon the military, a coup d’état developed. Because of his military expertise, he immediately became first consul of France. The empire of France was soon to grow once Napoleon was in reign. In the 1790s the French army was near one million men, an advantage in the Austrian wars as well as future ventures. Wars raged with other European countries in the early 1800s. Napoleon was able to beat the continental coalition, thus gaining territory for France. France annexed some of Italy but also controlled states such as Spain, Holland ...
Napoleon Bonaparte was born on the island of Corsica in 1769. He was the third son and fourth
Misused intelligence and underestimated opponents were at the heart of Napoleon?s downfall. This was clearly shown at Moscow when the Russians outwitted him by using their scorched earth policy and not meeting him in battle as they agreed. With careful planning, the Russian invasion could have gone a lot better and maybe not have led to Napoleon?s downfall.
Napoleon had to retrieve from Russia under attacks by Russian peasants and horsemen on those who fell behind. His army also suffered from cold and hunger, since the Russians destroyed all food supplies. The takeover of Moscow by Napoleon proved to be useless, and in the long run, destroyed a large part of his army. Alongside these historical events, Tolstoy describes the different classes of Russian society in terms of their participation in the war and what kind of an impact war had on their lives. In the beginning of the novel, the Russian aristocratic class, which was in the czar’s circle, wanted Russia to participate in the war.