Napoleon’s Empire Collapses

Chapter 23 Section 4

I Napoleon’s Three Costly MistakesA. the Continental System (1st Mistake)

• Continental System= Napoleon signed decree ordering blockade to prevent all trade & comm. Between GB & other European nations• Blockade= forcible closing of ports• Supposed to make continental Europe

more self sufficient & destroy GB commercial and industrial econ.

• Blockade did not work because his orders were ignored & smugglers imported British cargo• Damaged GB trade but did not destroy it

• Also, the British responded w/ their own blockade• GB navy stopped neutral ships

heading for continent and forced them to saild to GB port to be taxed

• GB’s better navy allowed them to make their blockade work• American ships were among those

stoppedangered the USdeclared war on GB in 1812• Continental System hurt Napoleon

more than it hurt his enemies• It weakened economies of France &

their other lands more than GB

B. The Peninsular War (2nd Mistake)• Portugal ignoring Continental

Systemsends army through spain to attack Portugal• Spanish towns riotNopoleon

deposes king and puts his brother on throne

• This moved inflamed Spanish nationalistic feelings• Also angered by Rev. taking

power from Catholic churchfear same would happen in loyal catholic spain

• Guerillas attacked French armies in Spain• Guerillas= bands of Spanish peasant

fighters

• British aid by sending troops to aid rebels• Peninsular war (Iberian Peninsula)

weakened the French empire• Nationalism in French held

territories was now spreading as they felt abused by a foreign conqueror

C. The Invasion of Russia (3rd Mistake)

• Russian czar refuses to stop selling grain to GBinvasion of Russia• Distrust between leaders because they

believed they had competing ideas for Poland

• Napoleon’s army not French but drafted from all over Europelittle loyalty to France• Russians retreat practicing scorched

earth policy• Burned grain fields and slaughtering

livestock to leave nothing for enemy to eat

• Russians retreat from Moscow leaving it in flamesNapolean waits for a Russian surrender• Left in the middle of winter with no surrender and unable to retreat or

advancehundreds of his soldiers die

II Napoleon’s DownfallA. The Coalition Defeats Napoleon

• Napoleon’s enemies quick to take advantage of his weaknessform the Fourth Coalition• All of Europe's main powers at war w/

France

• Napoleon’s army beat in Battle of Leipzig• Continue towards ParisNapoleon

surrenders in April 1814

• Napoleon given a pension and exiled (banished) to tiny island on Italian coast

B. A Comeback Fails• New French king was unpopbelieved he wanted to undo rev. reforms• Napoleon escapes and goes to France urging ppl to take back their

country• Last ditch effort to regain control known as the Hundred Days was a failure

• His law code and some reforms lasted long after deathopening door for freed European countries to establish a new order