Why was Napoleon's invasion of Russia a mistake?

Answer 1

His supply lines were too long

The Russians kept retreating

The weather turned dreadful

The Russians also had what they called the "Scorched Ground" policy.. everytime they retreated, they would burn every and anything that was in the campsite they were leaving.

Napoleon found himself with a starving army without suitable garments in the middle of winter with temperatures well below freezing, because of the severity of the Russian winter and their scorched earth policy, which denied all food to the French. They even burnt Moscow, rather than let the French have the food in it. Then, small skirmishes with the army wore it down even further as it struggled to retreat. By the time it crossed out of Russia, the Grand Armee was no longer recognisable.

Answer 2

In 1812, Napoleon led a massive army of French (and allied) troops into Imperial Russia in the attempt to destroy that nation's ability to wage further war against France. It was a disaster because it not only failed; it also led to the nearly complete destruction of the 500,000 troops in Napoleon's army. Furthermore, the massive defeat gave hope to people throughout Europe that Napoleon was no longer invincible on the battlefield.

Answer 3

Napoleon's invasion of Russia was a disaster for France. At the beginning of the invasion, Napoleon was leading the largest and best army he had ever mustered. He was probably at the pinnacle of his power. The terrible Russian winter, the constant attacks of the Russians, the scorched earth policy they followed, which starved his army and the lack of appropriate supplies all combined to devastate his army. The army that finally escaped Russia was tiny - Napoleon lost the cream of his army , and battalion after battalion of irreplaceable veterans. More than the physical loss of his army, it shattered the aura of Napoleon. Before this, the Emperor was a figure of almost mystical power on the battlefield. After it, the Emperor was seen as beatable. Perhaps this loss of reputation was just as damaging as the material losses.

Answer 4

A Simple Summary:

The Invasion of Russia led to a loss of military capacity and prestige by Napoleonic France, enabling and encouraging the other powers in Europe to finally defeat Napoleon in a Coalition.

A Detailed Analysis:

In 1812, at the beginning of the invasion of Russia, Napoleon was probably at the height of his power. Prussia and Austria were shattered and no threat. Napoleon controlled very nearly everything from the English Channel to the Russian Border. On top of this, he commanded the Grand Armée, almost 700,000 men who were mostly well-trained, experienced veterans of earlier campaigns.

To defeat the Russians it was essential to force them to conduct a battle. The Grande Army foraged for food and fodder which slowed their movement. Russia scorched the earth as they retreated. Russia fought them briefly at Borodino in the defense of Moscow and then fell back beyond Moscow. Napoleon arrived and found no one to surrender the city to him and the city was in flames. Time had run out and winter arrived before a decisive battle could be fought.

The French Army foundered in the cruel Russian winter. Suffering in icy cold temperatures (-9.2 degrees at one point) and harassed continually by the Russian forces, the French conducted an ignominious retreat back to the friendly territory in Poland.

When the French army extricated itself from the debacle, it was decimated. Only about 100,000 men had survived and the losses in materiel (i.e. artillery) were equally high. The morale of the French army was another casualty of the Invasion. Furthermore, and more importantly, the other states in Europe saw the invincible Grande Armée and the unmatched ability of Napoleon brought low in defeat, encouraging them to fight again. The armies Napoleon had to field to fight them were mainly fresh recruits and conscripts that were nothing like as capable as the thousands left in Russia.