Revolution and Napoleonic Europe, Part 2

Question 1: Describe Napoleon’s 1812 campaign against Russia.

Answer 1: Although Russia signed a peace agreement with France in 1807, Czar Alexander I never fully trusted Napoleon. As the French Empire expanded, Alexander feared France would again invade Russia. Also, the Russian economy was being harmed by the Continental Blockade. In 1812, Russia reopened trade with Great Britain. Angered by this move, Napoleon organized the 600,000 man Grand Army to invade Russia. As the French forces marched eastward, the Russians followed a strategy of slowly retreating and destroying anything along the way that could be of use to the French (“scorched earth policy”). When the French invaded Moscow in the autumn of 1812, the Russians destroyed the city, preventing French troops from seeking shelter and supplies during the coming winter. Facing starvation and bitter cold, the French retreated, but they experienced a long, slow winter trek under constant attack from the Russians. Two-thirds of the Grand Army was lost by the time the group returned to Prussia. The Russians then launched an invasion of the French Empire.

There are lots of good resources about Revolution that you can find available.

Question 2: Explain the end of Napoleon’s reign and what is meant by the term “he met his Waterloo.

Answer 2: The Grand Army disaster revealed the weaknesses of French alliances. Austria, Prussia, and Great Britain quickly joined Russia’s attack on the empire. By October 1813, Napoleon’s forces were defeated at Saxony, forcing his retreat to France. That same year, Spanish rebels overthrew the French on the Iberian Peninsula. In March 1814, France’s enemies invaded Paris, forcing Napoleon to relinquish power and retire to the Italian island of Elba. Bourbon king Louis XVIII became king of France, but Napoleon’s supporters helped him escape from Elba and gather an army against the king. Napoleon’s forces seized Paris in March 1815, forcing King Louis into exile. Napoleon’s old enemies, Great Britain, Prussia, and the Netherlands, sent troops into France to stop the coup. They met Napoleon’s forces at Waterloo. The French army was soundly defeated, and Napoleon stepped down once more, spawning the expression “he met his Waterloo” to signal a complete and final defeat. Napoleon was imprisoned on the South Atlantic island of St. Helena, where he died in 1821.

Question 3: Summarize the main purpose of the Congress of Vienna and explain what parties were involved in the process.

Answer 3: The Congress of Vienna was a series of meetings by major European powers to restore peace and stability throughout Europe and to suppress future anti-monarchical revolutions. The meetings began in September 1814, soon after Napoleon’s initial defeat, and lasted until June 1815, shortly before Waterloo. Most European powers were represented, although the main delegates were from Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and post-Napoleonic France. Delegates hoped to resolve many long-standing territorial disputes and lessen the likelihood of future wars. In the end, they produced the most comprehensive European treaty ever written.

Previous: Revolution and Napoleonic Europe, Part 1 - Next: Rococo, Neoclassicism, and Romanticism, Part 1

Flashcard Secrets provides test preparation products for a variety of examinations - all trademarks are property of their respective trademark owners.

3827 Phelan #179

Beaumont, TX 77707