2. Outline
 Situation in 1811
 Objective Moscow
 Burning City of Doom
 The long Retreat
 Coda
 Reactionary “Congress”
 Soundtrack: “The 1812 Overture” by Pytor
Tchaikovsky

3. Situation in 1811
Napoleon “liberated Poland” from Austria Russia, Prussia with victories in 1805-06
– “Grand Duchy of Warsaw”

4. Run Up to Invasion
• Russians see GD Warsaw as a launching point for
invasion
• Russian Tsar Alexander I Rejects the Continental
System in 1810
– Russia has raw materials, but little commercial base
– Needs trade to prosper
• This aggravates Napoleon, both sides prepare
for war
– Russian Church
– Russian State

5. Napoleon Appeals to Allies
 Russia is Backward
 Reactionary
 People in Bondage
 Symbol of Old Europe

6. European Grand Armee
 Grand Armee in 1812 was about 600,000
men, of which about half were French
 100,000 Germans
 100,000 Poles
 Over 25,000 of Austrian, Neapolitans, Italians
 Figures vary of how much of the army
invaded Russia, but at least 400,000, with
about 200,000 in reserve in Poland

7. The Push
 Napoleon’sTroops
invaded Russia in June,
1812.
 Russians refuse to fight,
trading space for time,
fighting only at Borodino
 Scorched Earth
 Skirmishes
 Napoleon, frustrated,
pushed toward Moscow,
the ancient Capital of
Russia

8. Logistics
• Russian Roads were
pathetic byW. European
standards
• Slows men down
• But Especially the supply
train
• Army outmarched its
supplies
• Long undefended supply
line from Poland to
Armee

9. Moscow
 Napoleon Captures
Moscow in September
 City is abandoned and
burns to the ground’
 Without a stable base,
Napoleons Men have
to abandon the city
Head home

10. The Long March Home…

12. Oh the Humanity..
Charles Joseph Minard’s Famous Diagram depicting the size of the
Grand Armee during the Invasion and retreat

13. Defeat and Waterloo
 Napoleon’s forces are routed at the Battle of
Nations in 1813, the Coalition forces capture
Paris in 1814, Has to Abdicate
 Exile to Elba
 100 days: Returns, raises an Army, and is
defeated again at Waterloo by the Duke of
Wellington
 St Helena

14. “Das Lied Vom Ende”

15. Congress of Vienna
1814-1815 Meeting of
Represenatives from all
five powers
 Russia –Tsar Alexander I
 Prussia – King Fredrick
William III
 Austria – Klemens von
Metternich
 France -Talleyrand
 England - Castlereagh

16. Goals of the Powers
 Return France to Monarchy
 Stabilize Europe the “right” way
 Don’t overly embarrass France
 King Louis XVIII
 Do not want him to fail
 Set France’s borders to 1792 – France holds onto
some early gains
 After 100 days though, 1790 with occupation force
 Bourbon King restored to Spain (1823)

17. Anglo-Austrian Arrangement
 Attempt to prevent Prussian
and Russian gains
 England argues for decreased
French Navy
 The Kingdom of the
Netherlands established
 Flanders and Dutch Republic
 Austria gains power in Italy
 HRE = defunct; Now German
Confederation headed by
Austria and Prussia

18. Summary
 Main Goal of the
Congress was toTurn
back the clock on
 Enlightenment
 Revolution
 Republicanism
 Also spurs nationalism