1. How one tiny
Frenchman
changed the
world……
THE NAPOLEONIC WARS

2.  We have been talking about the French Revolution.
 Remember, the French Government drafted an army
for potential fights, with other countries that didn’t
want “revolutionary ideals” sweeping into their
countries.
 Napoleon, a French army officer, became very
popular fighting some of those other countries.
 Eventually, he had himself crowned emperor. The
stage was set for a war to conquer the world!!!
UNDERSTANDING HOW EVENTS LINK
TOGETHER

3.  After declaring himself
emperor, Napoleon began leading
and commanding armies to invade
countries throughout Europe.
Usually, he won.
 Remember how the British
struggled fighting Americans and
Indians, who didn’t fight in a
“civilized manner?”
 Napoleon dominated the field of
battle by “tossing out” the rules of
war.
 Attacked on Sundays and at night.
WAR BEGINS…

4.  Napoleon conquered from Spain to Germany.
 He also made allies (friends) with other countries to help him
fight.
 Could not conquer England and Russia.
 Does anyone know what was going on in America during this
time period?
HEIGHT OF CONQUEST 1812

5.  Britain and Russia remained enemies of France
during all of the Napoleonic Wars.
 It was actually a series of wars. He would conquer
most of Europe and force everyone to stop fighting.
 Then a small fight would start somewhere and start
up all over Europe again quickly.
 Britain and Russia were the two places he could not
beat.
 One of his biggest mistakes:
The Russian Campaign - invaded Russia, just in time
for an early, harsh winter. His troops weren’t
prepared for the cold. (same thing will happen just
over a hundred years later to another conqueror)
BRITAIN AND RUSSIA

6.  The reason other countries attacked France off and
on during the revolution was a fear of revolutionary
ideas (limited government, democratic principles)
spreading into their countries.
 Other European countries hoped to restore an
absolute monarchy to France to prevent “crazy” ideas
from spreading.
CULTURAL DIFFUSION

7.  Napoleon’s men DID spread
their new ideals to other
countries.
 But this actually hurt
Napoleon. As his soldiers
spread new ideas about
equality and freedom
(cornerstones of
Enlightenment philosophy), the
people in countries Napoleon
fought began wanting
freedom, both from their rulers
(sometimes) and also from the
French invaders.
MORE ON THE DIFFUSION

8.  Napoleon wanted to
spread French culture
and ideas.
 This made people he
fought angry because
they didn’t want to
change how they lived.
 This led to a growth of
patriotism.
AND EVEN MORE!