In this wide-ranging study of the Napoleonic regime, Digby Smith tracks
Napoleon's rise to power, his stewardship of France from 1804-15, and
his exile. He highlights his military mistakes, such as his
unwillingness to appoint an effective overall supremo in the Iberian
Peninsula, and the decision to invade Russia while the Spanish situation
was spiraling out of control.
Smith also scrutinizes naval mistakes - notably, Napoleon's inability to
comprehend the intricacies of naval operations, his impatience with his
admirals, and his failure to invest in ships and men. Smith also tracks
diplomatic and political errors, highlighting his inability to conclude
lasting peace and to compromise.
Smith finally addresses domestic and economic blunders, such as the
establishing and maintenance of the Continental System across Europe,
the imposition of a ban on direct trade with Russia (which led to France
paying higher prices for naval stores of Russian origin after they
passed through the hands of German middlemen), and the cost of creating
various kingdoms and principalities and deposing incumbent rulers to
place his relatives on their thrones.