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Napoleon's downfall was swift and dramatic. Within three years, he went from commanding the largest army ever assembled in European history to exile on a small Mediterranean island. The Russian campaign, the Battle of the Nations, the first abdication, the Hundred Days, and Waterloo form one of the most extraordinary sequences in modern history. The A-Level question is: was Napoleon's fall the inevitable consequence of overreach, or could he have survived?
Key Definition: The Grande Armée was the multinational army of approximately 600,000–685,000 men that Napoleon assembled for the invasion of Russia in 1812. It was the largest military force Europe had ever seen.
| Factor | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Continental System | Russia's withdrawal from the Continental System (December 1810) challenged Napoleon's entire strategic framework |
| Poland | Russia feared Napoleon would create a fully independent Poland from Russian territory |
| Personal rivalry | The Tilsit alliance had deteriorated; Alexander I refused to subordinate Russian interests to French demands |
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