How Did Napoleon Lose His Empire

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Although Napoleon had many victories during his rule, his mistakes in battle not only caused his empire to collapse, but also affected the rest of Europe. His first mistake was the enforcement of the Continental System. That ultimately led to the Peninsular war which proved disastrous of Napoleon. Napoleon’s invasion of Russia was the ultimate disaster which left his army particularly destroyed.
In November 1806, Napoleon declared a blockade to prevent trade between Great Britain and other nations. This was called the Continental System. Its intention was to destroy Great Britain’s commercial and industrial economy. Although Napoleon thought the blockade would be a benefit for France in the end it turned out to be the exact opposite. The reason for this is that …show more content…

The blockade instead of making the economy of France stronger it actually weakened it.
The Continental System led to economic recession in many port towns such as Marseille, ruined many French industries and created an anti-Napoleon feeling. In addition the British issued the Orders of Council that created their own blockade. This British blockade created even worse economic problems for France. It also caused caused Napoleon to go far beyond what he was capable of. . The port cities of Marseille suffered greatly and the people there became impoverished. This created discontent toward Napoleon. Industries that depended on overseas markets were also affected by the blockade. The production of rope and sails as well as the linen industry suffered. This all undermined the economy of France. Business in cities like Bordeaux, Rouen and Lyons suffered so much that commercial activity was practically non-existent. Since France was losing money due to a lack of overseas trade there was no money left to be invested in the economy. Without an economy that could support all of Napoleon’s efforts

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