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Napoleon's 1812 Russian invasion
Napoleon's invasion of Russia ended in complete disaster and cost Napoleon his empire. Throughout this paper, I will be looking at three key factors. The condition of Napoleon and the Russian army before and after the invasion. The terrible weather and terrain that Napoleon's army faced on the retreat and how this disaster could have been avoided. When Napoleon launched his invasion into Russia, he had a half-a-million-strong army; however, after many battles and a terrible winter retreat, he would lose half of his army. “The losses Napoleon's forces had suffered were simply staggering: 125,000 Killed in various battles, 48 generals, more than 3,000 officers, and 190,000 soldiers captured; another 100,000 killed by hunger, cold or sickness.” During the retreat, Napoleon's soldiers suffered awful winter conditions and constant attacks from the Russians. They were forced to stay awake all night and not light fires in freezing temperatures for fear of being attacked by the Russian cavalry. It also did not help that supplies were constantly being raided by the Russian cavalry, which meant that none of Napoleon's troops were ready for winter. “Already the detailed preparations Napoleon had made for supplying his forces were beginning to break down, and things were only going to get worse the further into Russia the invaders advance.” After the retreat from Russia, Napoleon's ambassador to Austria attempted to secure Napoleon a peace treaty, which would have allowed him to keep France. However, Napoleon felt that this treaty would not be honored and did not want to settle for a peace agreement. “In particular, this was further proof that Metternich’s peace initiative was not sincere, but a means of betraying Napoleon and joining his enemies.” In conclusion, Napoleon's defeat was a combination of bad tactical decisions, terrible terrain, and poor logistics, which would end up costing Napoleon his army and empire and leading to his exile to Elba.