Downfall of Napoleon - Term Paper Example

Napoleon - The Man: Napoleon was an ambitious man, and had great confidence in his own ability. He called himself the 'man of destiny. He had tremendous faculty for organization and was a genius in generalship. He was extremely popular with the soldiers and knew those who fought under him well and had always a word of cheer for every soldier. He was a great orator and could inspire his army with tremendous zeal and courage at crucial times. Although he had faced a downfall later in his period but he had used many great strategies for becoming for what he is known till date. From 1799 to 1804, he had comparative peace at home and devoted all his attention to carrying out a number of reforms. His policy was based on (a) Centralization and consolidation of power; and (b) Conciliation and healing the wounds of the Royalists and Church and all those who had suffered at the hand of the Revolution. The Aim of his reforms was to consolidate whatever was good in the Revolution and to conciliate those who had suffered at its hands without compromising the essential principle of Equality, Liberty and Fraternity. His conciliation of the Church and migrs did not restore their pre-Revolution privileges or power. Napoleon's judicial reform, educational reform, his religious agreement endured for a long time and that is a great tribute to his organizing and reforming zeal and capacity. Napoleon as a emperor of France and 'Son of the Revolutionary' he launched a new offensive against the absolute monarchies of Europe with the main purpose of spreading the Revolutionary principles to other countries and to glorify himself and France. Difference between Revolutionary War and Napoleon Wars: There was a fundamental difference between the character of the wars waged by Revolutionary France from 1792 to 1802 and the Napoleonic Wars from 1803 onwards. The former were wars of liberation; they carried the message of the Revolution to the down-trodden people of foreign countries; they roused in them hopes of deliverance from the tyranny of absolutism, and hence wherever the French soldier went they were regarded by masses as helpers, friends and saviors of the underprivileged classes. Napoleon Hurt National Feelings: But the Napoleonic wars did not rouse any such popular fervor. They were waged by an Imperial Despot to achieve glory and therefore instead of rousing sympathy, in the long run, they roused antagonism. The national self respect of the countries invaded by Napoleon was roused against him and was, in the end, one of the most important causes of his downfall. Napoleon trampled on the national sentiments of vanquished people by placing his brothers and sisters on their thrones. He was no longer regarded as a deliverer from the tyranny of absolute rulers; he was hated as a usurper and tyrant. Causes of Downfall of Napoleon Napoleon, 'the man of Destiny' and the 'son of the Revolution' had a phenomenal rise. The forces of the Revolution threw him into the limelight from the comparative oblivion, and once he had grasped the public gaze in dispersing the Paris mob with great alacrity and success in 1795, he continued to climb higher and higher till he became the Emperor of France in 1804. He so dominated the French and European stage that the period of his ascendancy - the years 1799-1815 -- is called the 'Napoleonic era.' His hold on Europe during this period was complete and the destiny of Europe depended on his whims and fancies. Napoleon was a genius both an administrator and as a general. His finest qualities of leadership and generalship always came to forefront in time of adversity. He was a master of strategy and brilliant campaigning. He was essentially a soldier and his inherent love of conquest and domination in the long run alienated the whole Europe and roused bitter national animosity against which he could do nothing. The whole of Europe was arrayed against him and finally was responsible for his overthrow. 1. Military Causes (i) Enormous losses in the Peninsular War, the Russian Campaign and the War of Liberation: Napoleon was at war for a long time and suffered enormous losses in the three campaigns. During the Russian campaign and the War of Liberation nearly 1,000,000 of his soldier were killed, and these heavy losses practically exhausted the military strength of France. The flower of the French army had been sacrificed in these campaigns and the new armies were perhaps not of the same mettle. (ii) French Army not Homogenous but Heterogeneous: During the Russian campaign, the French army was heterogeneous, consisting of Germans, Poles, Italians, etc., who were not imbued with the Revolutionary spirit of the French and hence they were not as zealous fighter as the French. (iii) Conscription not popular: Conscription, which he had introduced to fight his enemies, was not popular. The new army lacked the ardor of those who had won the battles of Austerlitz and Jena. (iv) Militant Nationalism of French Armies was Tyrannical: Napoleon's power was essentially based on his armed strength. He used the militant nationalism of the French soldiers for his personal glory and glorification of France. The French armies, in the eyes of the foreigners, were instruments of repression and caused untold miseries. The quartering of French soldiers on foreign soils made them hated and finally let to national up springs. (v) Decline in Napoleon's Military Capacity: Some historians suggest that with growing age there was a visible decline in his military capacity. He was not as great a genius of campaigning in the final stages of the conflict, as he was in the Italian campaign or in the battles of Australitz and Jena. But perhaps it was not so. He showed the same skill and capacity on the eve of the battle of Waterloo also, but he was hopelessly outnumbered. Against overwhelming odds his military genius was ineffective. (vi) British Naval Supremacy: The British supremacy at sea was responsible for the loss of overseas colonies and the trade of France. The British navy also carried out a successful blockade of the Continent and Great Britain could always send help to Portugal and Spain in the Peninsular War. 2. Political Causes: (i) Continental System a Great Blunder: The promulgation of the Continental System was a leap in the dark. It could not be enforced without naval superiority which France lacked was responsible for a good deal of popular discontent against Napoleon, as it led to scarcity of food and the rise in prices. It also finally led to the breach with allies like Portugal, Spain and Russia. Subsequently, there were revolts in these countries and involved him the wars on all sides. (ii) Too many Enemies: by his policy of conquest and the introduction of the Continental System he created far too many enemies. The whole Europe in the last stages of conflict was hostile to him. (iii) Rise of Nationalism in conquered Countries: Another blunder that Napoleon made was the complete disregard of the national feelings of the conquered countries. The French Revolution had given rise to nationalism all over Europe, and all nations aspired to be independent and sovereign and wanted to overthrow their reactionary rulers and old regime. But when Napoleon began to depose the legitimate rulers and placed his own brothers and kinsmen on the thrones of the conquered countries, their national self-respect was hurt. They revolted against Napoleon who was regarded as a usurper trying to enslave them for his personal glorification. The Spanish rising inspired Austria, Prussia and Russia to rise and oppose Napoleon. (iv) Lack of Diplomatic Foresight: Napoleon missed several opportunities of retaining his power. On the eve of the War of Liberation and after the defeat at Leipzig, the allies offered him very liberal terms, which he refused to accept in his eagerness to have his revenge on his foes. It was a very great blunder on his part, particularly when he had lost so heavily in man-power in Russian Campaign and the War of Liberation. Conclusion After almost 23 years of incessant warfare, France was to have peace for some time. Though the Monarchy was restored, and the Bourbons were once again backing on their ancestral throne, much of the work of the Revolution endured. Feudalism and privileges of the nobles and clergy were abolished for good, liberty and equality for all citizens had been guaranteed. A uniform system of administration had been established. A common law code, the code Napoleon, was applied to the whole country and taxation was equally shared by all classes of society. The Bourbons were restored, but absolute monarchy was not restored. Louis XVIII was called back to the throne as a constitutional ruler. The principles of the Revolution had after all triumphed over absolutism. REFERENCES: Dayal, Raghubir. A textbook of Modern European History 1789-1939. 3rd edition. CBS publisher & Distributor, 1993. Hooper. George, Wellinton, W. Arthur & Hopkinson, Francis. Waterloo: the Downfall of the First Napoleon: A History of the Campaign of 1815. Published by Smith, Elder and co., 1862. Original from Oxford University. Digitized 19 Jun 2006 Rose, H. John. Napoleonic studies. Published by G. Bell, 1904. Original from Harvard University. Digitized 21 Nov 2007 Smith, B. Graham. Outlines of European History, 1789-1939. Edition: 5. Published 1946 Vital, David. A People Apart: A Political History of the Jews in Europe, 1789-1939. Edition: illustrated. Published by Oxford University Press, 2001 Read More