Who Was Responsible For Napoleon's Downfall

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Napoleon started as a soldier, then became Director, then First Consul, then crowned himself Emperor. The French accepted him as Emperor because he led the French army against France’s enemies, and the army was the only thing France could brag about. While he was Emperor he banned all presses so no one could spread rumors about him. His downfall was due to his tyrannical ways. Napoleon believed he could beat Russia which had never been defeated. He lost the war against the Russians due to the freezing weather and the scorching hot summer. However, the weather was not the only reason why the French army lost. Russia’s “scorched earth” strategy, burning the cities that the French invaded, did not allow the French army to be self-sufficient …show more content…
Napoleon attempted to take over an entire continent According to our textbook, “He forced Austria and Prussia to sign peace treaties that benefited the French, and the Russian then formed an alliance with France. He ruled over two countries, the Netherlands and Spain. He forced the Kingdom of Italy and the Papal states into alliances.” Controlling two huge countries and forcing four countries into alliances is tyrannical. Napoleon was the most iron-fisted leader during that time. He was so greedy that he conquered all of Europe, with the exception of Great Britain and Russia. Only a tyrant like Napoleon could control half of Europe. Napoleon could have been the only leader that had taken over half a continent. If that is true, Napoleon is a die-hard tyrant who would do anything to conquer Europe and maybe even the world. His tyrannical ways led to his downfall. He felt that invading Russia was a good idea. He invaded Russia in the summer of 1812. Napoleon, however, did not realize that this was a bad idea. Russia defeated France by ruining France’s self-sufficiency by burning the cities, including Moscow. According to PBS, “As Napoleon’s army entered the city on September 14, they found it almost deserted. That night, Moscow began to burn.” The Russians would do anything to defeat France, even burn the city which the Russians called the “holy city”. Napoleon and his army retreated but many of the soldiers

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