¶ … Napoleon is one of history's most infamous military commanders. It is interesting to trace the decline and fall of Napoleon and determine whether the loss of his empire was necessary.
Fall of an Empire
Napoleon's empire began to fall in 1812, eight years after he "declared himself emperor and had enjoyed a succession of military victories which extended his control over most of Europe (unknown)." His decline began when "France's coastal blockade of Europe failed to neutralize Britain. The disastrous 1812 invasion of Russia exposed Napoleon's overextension (unknown)."
Napoleon's exile at Elba in 1814 led to his army's 1815 defeat at Waterloo at the hands of Prussian and British troops. By the end of Napoleon's reign, over "400,000 French soldiers and 600,000 foreign troops were killed (unknown)" in military battles.
Necessary Loss
Napoleon's fall was necessary for the expansion of France, and led to the Congress of Vienna. This was "the first modern attempt at the total military domination of Europe and the first modern attempt to construct a new international order in Europe to preserve peace and order (Gash)." Upon Napoleon's defeat, "the monarchs and princes of Europe redrew their boundaries at the Congress of Vienna. British conquest of Dutch and French colonies was recognized, and France, under the restored Bourbons, retained its expanded 1792 borders (unknown)." This resolution allowed Europe to enjoy 50 years of international peace and played a part in "all the significant political developments in Europe for the next century and a half (Gash)."
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