invasion of russia Flashcards
when was it
1812 - 13
why did france invade?
Russia had not provided the assistance expected of an ally in Austria’s war with Napoleon in 1809 and the Russian aristocracy was opposed to Napoleon. Furthermore, Russia was not enforcing the continental blockade on Britain.
what happened to france ?
In October 1812, the French army retreated along a route stripped of food by Russia’s scorched earth policy. They faced constant attacks, harsh winter conditions, and heavy losses in men, horses, and artillery by the time they reached Poland in December.
what did austria do? (importance)
austria defected from the french alliance = renewed hope in other countries that they can defect
what happened on february 1813 (importance)
prussia had modernised it administration and armed forces, joined russia, and britain began supplying arms (alliance forming)
what happened january 1813? (importance)
january 1813, sweden declared war on france
how many people died
costly in terms of men and money on france (army ell from 600,000 - 25,000)
what did napoleon have to do ?
napoleon had to withdraw from confederation of rhine (germany) - ruins reputation of napoleon = gave russia + other countries encouragement to defect → leads to the formation of 6th coalition (this ruined napoleon’s reputation)
what happened in july 1813 (lack of importance)
there were negotiations organised by austria in prague, july 1813 - would’ve left napoleon in possession of most of his empire - peace was a possibility
napoleon’s opposition?
powers allied against napoleon weren’t necessarily unified and still offered peace terms (in1814) at the peace conference in Chatillon
no opposition in france,italy, switzerland and holland (only in germany is there mere opposition)
napoleon and army ?
napoleon is still able to raise a new army after losing men - gets conscripts from across the empire
