kev_uk
Posts: 288
Joined: 6/5/2004 From: South Wales, UK Status: offline
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quote:
As Boney said, "Without the Revolution, I am nothing." This is true. Its also worth noting that the whole early military successes of France post-1789, when she was at war with nearly everyone (1792 onwards), was down to revolutionary elan, i.e the belief in what they had achieved in France from the revolution could be spread across Europe..the belief in themselves. This combined with things like promotion through merit instead of by birthright, and the levee en masse, esprite de corps etc revolutionised the army, allowing for spectacular victories against overwhelming odds (the whole of Europe was arrayed against them after all). The ideas of the ordinary French soldiers, very probably of peasant stock, fighting against the ancien regimes of Prussia, Austria etc, was to spread enlightenment ideas across Europe; after all they had been emancipated from their landlords and nobles, why not liberate Austrian/Prussian serfs as well? As far as I can see reading 1812, one of Naps biggest mistakes was to not utilise this message, these revolutionary ideals, and aim for peasant uprisings and liberate Poland at the same time. Tut tut... Kev
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