Yet as the French military got weaker and weaker, Napoleon seemed less and less brilliant, to the point of gross military incompetence as he led France to total defeat. So, how powerful exactly was the French military that Napoleon seized from a lost and confused France? The best in the world perhaps? A juggernaut military totally mobilized for war, perhaps? Napoleon supports never want to bring up that important detail, while down playing how pathetic his military results actually were.
Many of the people of France genuinely viewed Napoleon as a peacemaker, specifically for his actions ending the war of the first coalition. The war had been dragging on for 5 years, and almost as soon as Napoleon started things turned around, and within a year the war was over. For the first half of his career, Napoleon was always being attacked by other nations, then responding and winning the war in a year or two. Even through all the wars of his career, many still held out hope that Napoleon could do a repeat performance and keep ending the wars.
The Directory had a weak economy, but Napoleon did get to take advantage of one thing they did, without dealing with the negative repercussions. I believe it was about a full third of the national debt was defaulted on, greatly improving the nations finances, but ruining the reputation with creditors, however the poor reputation mostly left with the Directory, but that debt never came back.
Actually @ 50:06 you are mistaken big-time, because Napoleon misjudged situations and underestimated opponents often, which gave him a lots "L"s later in his career, when the once juggernaut French military could no longer hide his misjudgments, miscalculations, and massive blunders. Napoleon ended with a losing war record as "Emperor", losing the last four wars he waged due to his miscalculations. He misjudged the Austrians here, and that would have been a disaster was it not for the great French military that came to Napoleon's rescue and won the battle of Marengo for him. Napoleon misjudged Eylau, refusing to believe that the Russians had so many cannons on the battlefield, and still the great French military won the battle for him. Napoleon misjudged the Austrians at Aspern, not realizing that he was being set up for a trap as he crossed the river and would lose the battle. Napoleon misjudged Spain, thinking he could easily conquer the country instead getting bogged down by guerrilla warfare for 6 years losing 300k French troops. Napoleon misjudged Russia in 1812, thinking they would act like 1807 and surrender after one decisive battle and instead Napoleon lost 500k troops in a total disaster. He misjudged in the Battle of Leipzig when he thought that Blucher was a lot farther than he actually was, and was surprised when Blucher showed up, Napoleon would make the same exact mistake at Waterloo. Napoleon actually misjudged and miscalculated a lot, it was the might and ability of the French military that hid that for so long. Just another reason how Napoleon left such a once juggernaut French military in shambles as enemy troops marched down the streets of Paris by the end of it all.
@@sirgray2322 As the French military got weaker and weaker over the years, Napoleon got exposed as being nothing more than an overly-aggressive commander, who was always willing to expose, sacrifice and even destroy the juggernaut French military that he seized from a lost and confused France. But when the French military was no longer a juggernaut powerhouse after Wagram, you saw how the French military could no longer overcome mistake, after bloodbath for battle, after mistake, after bloodbath for battle, after mistake, after total military disaster, after mistake, until total French military defeat. Yes, total French military, not the "triumph" being trumpeted in the established European narrative, which is still being propagated today.
@@sirgray2322 Of course, we all know, that it could never be a deranged delusional goon, with deranged delusions of grandeur, hijacking a powerful military from a lost and confused European nation, waging total war ending in total defeat at the cost of millions of lives. That could NEVER happen in Europe, too prestigious of a continent, too civilized, too superior. No way can some simple ruthless thug ever seize total power from a lost and confused European nation looking for a savior and run a juggernaut/powerful military into the ground in total defeat. We all know that is impossible.....Right, Europe?
Good analysis overall. Just one thing that I would say, because you touched on it, Napoleon's propaganda. What you have to understand is that it is just not Napoleon's propaganda, it is a propaganda that has continued well beyond Napoleon's death, by those who wish to portray some sort of European narrative of "glory triumph and conquest", or by those who can't admit to disgrace disaster and total defeat with Napoleon. Those who still can't admit that a deranged delusional tyrant could seize a powerful military from a lost and confused European nation, and wage total war on Europe, at the cost of millions of lives. It is a Napoleonic propaganda for over 200 years that still continues, and the biggest lie in the propaganda is that Napoleon was a great military commander, he was not, frankly he sucked. Napoleon seized a juggernaut military from a lost and confused France, the best military in the world in terms of resources and ability, and he ran it into the ground in total defeat. The powerful French military gave Napoleon early successes, but he lost his last four wars, all towards the end when the French military was no longer elite. And the last war that he won, the War of 5th Coalition, was nothing to brag about, just bloodbaths for battles wasting resources in victory. As the French military got weaker and weaker, Napoleon seemed less and less brilliant to the point of gross military incompetence. No one committed more military disasters, no one wasted more vast resources, not one lost more devastating wars for his country. The proof is in the pudding, with the most pathetic of military results imaginable as the once juggernaut French military lay in shambles, a generation's worth of French boys lay in mass graves, as enemy troops marched dow the streets of Paris, with France under military occupation in total defeat. So like you said, be careful with the propaganda, but realize it is still ongoing and misleading. And I do not want my fellow Americans misled into glorifying a brutal and failed European military dictator responsible for the deaths of millions because others can't handle an ugly truth. Just saying.
How do you know that Napoleon didn’t cross on a charger? Were you there? -Ridley Scott
A valid point none of us us were here so we don't know that Caesar didn't fight these battles for Napoleon.
Yet as the French military got weaker and weaker, Napoleon seemed less and less brilliant, to the point of gross military incompetence as he led France to total defeat. So, how powerful exactly was the French military that Napoleon seized from a lost and confused France? The best in the world perhaps? A juggernaut military totally mobilized for war, perhaps? Napoleon supports never want to bring up that important detail, while down playing how pathetic his military results actually were.
It would be so interesting to see how Napoleon would have fared against Suvarov.
Or in the contarery, Suvarov fared against Napoleon
Many of the people of France genuinely viewed Napoleon as a peacemaker, specifically for his actions ending the war of the first coalition. The war had been dragging on for 5 years, and almost as soon as Napoleon started things turned around, and within a year the war was over. For the first half of his career, Napoleon was always being attacked by other nations, then responding and winning the war in a year or two. Even through all the wars of his career, many still held out hope that Napoleon could do a repeat performance and keep ending the wars.
Lannes just shredded everything before him.
22:00 the first two coalitions are the French Revolutionary Wars. The third coalition is the first of the Napoleonic Wars.
Hannibal lost tens of thousands crossing the Alps for comparison to Napoleon’s five.
EH has a couple of videos out covering Nelson, about the battles of Cape St Vincent and the Nile.
The Directory had a weak economy, but Napoleon did get to take advantage of one thing they did, without dealing with the negative repercussions. I believe it was about a full third of the national debt was defaulted on, greatly improving the nations finances, but ruining the reputation with creditors, however the poor reputation mostly left with the Directory, but that debt never came back.
After the bolivar series try doing the video on Brazil’s empire and independence
PLEASE react to their Nelson videos! They're amazing!
Continue the islamic expansion series and the rise of the Ottoman Empire series by kings and generals
Actually @ 50:06 you are mistaken big-time, because Napoleon misjudged situations and underestimated opponents often, which gave him a lots "L"s later in his career, when the once juggernaut French military could no longer hide his misjudgments, miscalculations, and massive blunders. Napoleon ended with a losing war record as "Emperor", losing the last four wars he waged due to his miscalculations. He misjudged the Austrians here, and that would have been a disaster was it not for the great French military that came to Napoleon's rescue and won the battle of Marengo for him. Napoleon misjudged Eylau, refusing to believe that the Russians had so many cannons on the battlefield, and still the great French military won the battle for him. Napoleon misjudged the Austrians at Aspern, not realizing that he was being set up for a trap as he crossed the river and would lose the battle. Napoleon misjudged Spain, thinking he could easily conquer the country instead getting bogged down by guerrilla warfare for 6 years losing 300k French troops. Napoleon misjudged Russia in 1812, thinking they would act like 1807 and surrender after one decisive battle and instead Napoleon lost 500k troops in a total disaster. He misjudged in the Battle of Leipzig when he thought that Blucher was a lot farther than he actually was, and was surprised when Blucher showed up, Napoleon would make the same exact mistake at Waterloo. Napoleon actually misjudged and miscalculated a lot, it was the might and ability of the French military that hid that for so long. Just another reason how Napoleon left such a once juggernaut French military in shambles as enemy troops marched down the streets of Paris by the end of it all.
Napoleon didnt win Eylau, it was a draw
@@sirgray2322 As the French military got weaker and weaker over the years, Napoleon got exposed as being nothing more than an overly-aggressive commander, who was always willing to expose, sacrifice and even destroy the juggernaut French military that he seized from a lost and confused France. But when the French military was no longer a juggernaut powerhouse after Wagram, you saw how the French military could no longer overcome mistake, after bloodbath for battle, after mistake, after bloodbath for battle, after mistake, after total military disaster, after mistake, until total French military defeat. Yes, total French military, not the "triumph" being trumpeted in the established European narrative, which is still being propagated today.
@@sirgray2322 Of course, we all know, that it could never be a deranged delusional goon, with deranged delusions of grandeur, hijacking a powerful military from a lost and confused European nation, waging total war ending in total defeat at the cost of millions of lives. That could NEVER happen in Europe, too prestigious of a continent, too civilized, too superior. No way can some simple ruthless thug ever seize total power from a lost and confused European nation looking for a savior and run a juggernaut/powerful military into the ground in total defeat. We all know that is impossible.....Right, Europe?
Good analysis overall. Just one thing that I would say, because you touched on it, Napoleon's propaganda. What you have to understand is that it is just not Napoleon's propaganda, it is a propaganda that has continued well beyond Napoleon's death, by those who wish to portray some sort of European narrative of "glory triumph and conquest", or by those who can't admit to disgrace disaster and total defeat with Napoleon. Those who still can't admit that a deranged delusional tyrant could seize a powerful military from a lost and confused European nation, and wage total war on Europe, at the cost of millions of lives. It is a Napoleonic propaganda for over 200 years that still continues, and the biggest lie in the propaganda is that Napoleon was a great military commander, he was not, frankly he sucked. Napoleon seized a juggernaut military from a lost and confused France, the best military in the world in terms of resources and ability, and he ran it into the ground in total defeat. The powerful French military gave Napoleon early successes, but he lost his last four wars, all towards the end when the French military was no longer elite. And the last war that he won, the War of 5th Coalition, was nothing to brag about, just bloodbaths for battles wasting resources in victory. As the French military got weaker and weaker, Napoleon seemed less and less brilliant to the point of gross military incompetence. No one committed more military disasters, no one wasted more vast resources, not one lost more devastating wars for his country. The proof is in the pudding, with the most pathetic of military results imaginable as the once juggernaut French military lay in shambles, a generation's worth of French boys lay in mass graves, as enemy troops marched dow the streets of Paris, with France under military occupation in total defeat. So like you said, be careful with the propaganda, but realize it is still ongoing and misleading. And I do not want my fellow Americans misled into glorifying a brutal and failed European military dictator responsible for the deaths of millions because others can't handle an ugly truth. Just saying.