Why do you think Napoleon failed in Russia?

Question

RavVid · Accepted Answer

I've not read much on it but whilst it is sometimes portrayed as a vanity project the purpose was to stop Russia trading with Britain. Due to the Royal Navy it was difficult to stop this trade. There were only 30,000 survivors out of 600,000 but the number are rubbery.

Moscow was not the capital at the time despite statements saying that. St Petersburg was from 1713 to 1918 and Moscow was the capital before and after that. So I'm thinking that the Russians would surrender at the capture of Moscow was possibly a cognitive failure. As the capital St Petersburg with associated port infrastructure may have been a better strike that directly tackled trade. Don't know enough to answer my own question.

Napoleon's armies lived off the land i. e. foraging/seizing food on the march. That was necessary to facilitate rapid movement. The corps structure helped in this as it spread out the depredation of food on the line of march. Undoubtedly the scorch earth policy must have been effective. Famously Moscow was burnt to the ground by the Russians in preference to negotiating a peace.

I can only go with the classic explanations of the difficulty with supplies, the bitter cold which made tin buttons disintegrate, and the long distances involved. Napoleon was forced to take an unpreferred route on the retreat from Moscow which certainly enabled General Winter to reek more havoc on the troops. Napoleno's delay at Moscow hurt badly.

One could ask why Moscow? It was a big important city but St Petersburg was the capital and a port.

Ultimately it was poor decisions that caused the failed campaign.

NamerOfStars · Accepted Answer

Fundamentally, he forgot the lessons of his earlier rule: first, that an army marches on its stomach, and second, that striving to be an emperor always ends worse than striving to be a king.

Beethoven's third symphony was originally written about Napoleon- but when he found out that he'd crowned himself emperor, he changed it to being about "the memory of a great man". When even Beethoven thinks your egotism's out of control...

Bilboes · Accepted Answer

Because he was 5'6.. And the geographical structure of Russia was too much for his itty bitty body.

Drewtate · Answer

You can win every battle and not win the war. He was out strategised by the Russians. After being beaten in every single battle the Russians decided to deny Napoleon battle and scorch the earth, napoleon's logistics were his weakness so they burned all the good and fodder for hundreds of miles so the French army could not support itself in the field or feed its horses. The great strength of the French army was how fast it moved and it did this by not having a huge logistics train instead marching divided and taking what it needed to supply itself from the local towns and villages it marched through and foraging from the local countryside.

Basically the Russians had changed the conditions of victory and Napoleon had done what he had done all over Europe and when he had hammered the Russian army in the field and captured Moscow the war should have ended but the Russians didn't surrender. With no supplies Napoleon had to retreat, plus the French army was engaged in Spain against the British, Spanish and Portuguese armies, the Royal navy was blockading Napoleonic Europe preventing supplies and a large part of napoleon's army in Russia was made up of Germans, Dutch, Austrians and poles who melted away when things got tough and even joined the Russians.

The Russians basically did to Napoleon what the Romans did to Hanibal. Denied him battle, resources and waited until he was weak enough to strike.

OddBeMe · Answer

Supply routes. If you want to conquer territory look how the US did it against the Native Americans.

It’s not sweet, but ironically Erwin Rommmel got few ideas from studying Sitting Bull. Seriously though. You have to have logistics. Where are my resupplies? Take away the injured before they infect the healthy.

Winters coming…have we bothered taking a range of temperatures around Moscow before we left? No? So no thicker coats?

BCRanger10 · Answer

Because... ... ... ... aliens.

AviatorTom · Answer

Napoleon and Hitler each failed in Russia for the same reasons... underestimating the fierce resolve of the Russuan people... and its harsh winter weather.

lightbulb27 · Answer

Id guess difficulties managing supply lines over long distances and bad weather. But Alexander the Great seemed unstoppable... as did the Mongols.  Arrogance?

Anonymous · Answer

Napoleon didn't have Joshua to teach him...

WhiteBoyChill · Answer

His own ego from having had so many prior military successes, and Russia is a very difficult country to invade, especially if not planned properly

RyanEC · Answer

A combination of the cold weather and tactics from the enemy that he did not foresee.

Anonymous · Answer

everyone failed in russia , its like a cursed place to even attempt to try and invade

Jackblue · Answer

The heat of summer and the coldness of the winter along with stalwart Russian resistance.

Staximus · Answer

Because the Russian winter is a motherfucker. It defeated the Nazis and Napoleon.

ibodi · Answer

Russia still stand there

Kelly6 · Answer

Was not ready for cold weather war zone

Luckycharms12 · Answer

Weather just like Germany in world war two

msc545 · Answer

The weather - same as the Germans in WWII

Rosa2008 · Answer

Winter, logistics

dolemite58 · Answer

cuz russians are a different breed lol

Anonymous · Answer

Because of covid

Anonymous · Answer

Didn't he refuse to listen to his generals?

BLP11520 · Answer

Winter time

Why do you think Napoleon failed in Russia?

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Where does the myth that it was Russia alone that defeated Napoleon come from?

Why do you think Napoleon failed in Russia?

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Where does the myth that it was Russia alone that defeated Napoleon come from?

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