Debating the Atomic Bomb in the New York Times Article

Debating the Atomic Bomb in the New York Times - Article Example This editorial makes it a point to mention that, if a third world war is to be avoided, then the public must become even more involved. The author of this editorial, who is not named, makes the point that scientists are creating weapons that can alter the course of history. As such, they must have a responsibility to ensure these weapons are used as a deterrent, rather than for purposes of evil. The author contends that never before in history have scientists held so much power and, as such, a debate must take place to determine how, if ever, such bombs will be used again. This keeps in line with the political leaning of the New York Times during this time period. The paper, while not necessarily being outspoken critics of war efforts undertaken by the United States, certainly advocated a stance more towards the concept of neutrality. The Atomic Bomb was a big step in the advancement of war technology and editorials in the New York Times during 1945 took a hesitant stance towards its further development. If you will, it would appear that the editorial board of the paper certainly did not want to appear proud of the fact that we had dropped two such massive bombs on Japan. Finally, this editorial piece focused its attention on the beginning to educate the public more about the advances of science. To this point, the author contends that scientific advancement went largely unnoticed. Now that weapons, such as the atomic bomb, are being created, the public must have more of a voice. The obvious point here is made that the decision to use such weapons eventually impacts every citizen in the country, so they need to make their voices heard. This position of getting the public more involved in the affairs of science is the overarching theme of this particular editorial. Analysis The author of this editorial has two main points. The major idea centers on the responsibility that scientists who are in charge of creating such weapons as the atomic bomb have. This respons ibility entails them understanding the power of destruction they hold over the world as these bombs are created. Furthermore, a second underlying theme of the editorial the contention that scientists need to bring the atomic bomb debate to the American people. Since citizens are directly impacted by these weapons use, all of society has the responsibility to let the government know whether or not they approve of its eventual deployment in times of war. The atomic bomb was designed to bring a quick end to any conflict. Scientists developed it with this end result in mind.

Case summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Case summary - Essay Example For instance, Paula can be unfamiliar with new bedding standard of the hotel. One more possible reason is that Paula finds it difficult to fit to this standard because it challenges her usual pace of work. Lisa does not consider these options at all; her evaluation of Paulas work seems to be too subjective. I believe that Lisa treats Paula differently from other housekeepers. According to her opinion, cleaning is physically hard and even younger employees â€Å"are challenged†. Despite Paulas high quality of work, Lisa speaks about Paulas age negatively. If I were a manager, I would not believe Lisa because her evaluation is discriminatory. All people have to be treated equally at work despite their age, sex, gender, religion etc. In order to make the right decision, I will check whether Paula really cannot meet the standard of the hotel. To resolve the issue, I would advise Lisa to talk with Paula about new bedding standards and her performance. As Paulas line manager, Lisa has to give her a constructive feedback about her performance. She has to mention both good and bad aspects of Paulas work to show that her contribution to the team is appreciated. Moreover, Lisa has to make sure that Paula is familiar with new bedding standard. If she finds it difficult to fit it, Lisa can offer her a training program. There are younger housekeepers who are also challenged by new bedding standard. They can join Paula and learn from her how to boost their quality of work. Younger employees can benefit from cooperation with Paula because she has a profound work experience and well-developed skills. At the same time, Paula can adapt to new norms quicker if she is assisted by someone from her team. It is obvious that there are some serious issue with team work between housekeepers. Paulas performance can get worse because she is treated as an outsider by her team. As the

Reform Movement in the United States Essay Example for Free

Reform Movement in the United States Essay The protestant revival movement that began in the 1790s in New England caused reforms in America. Between 1825 and 1850, the United States government made reforms that greatly increased the influence of democratic ideals: universal suffrage and individual rights. Such reforms included prisons, churches, women suffrage, temperance, and education. Prison reforms expanded democratic ideals through the change in policies and mission statements. Debtor prisons were abolished, the number of capitol crimes was reduced, and prison became a place of reform as well as punishment. As shown in document A, the Fourth Annual Report, Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents in the City of New York, 1829, stated, To confine these youthful criminals . . . where little can be leaned but the ways of the wicked. It is saying that the prisons originally were bad and that reforming people would be useless and therefore the reform of the prisons would fix this problem and therefore be able to save individual rights and become clean. Church reforms also expanded democratic ideals through allowing freedom of religion and expansion of different sects. As Charles G. Finney in 1834 said, When the churches are . . . awakened and reformed . . . the reformation and salvation of sinners will follow. He is saying that because the church reformed, the people will reform in the same way. Therefore, by using this information, one can say that because the churchs rights were more readily expressed, the people would also have more individual rights. Woman suffrage was the most dominate traits that greatly increased the democratic ideals of United States. As woman rights began to increase, women showed that they were more independent as shown through the cult of domesticity. Women were original similar to the status of slaves because they had no voice. This is shown in the engraving by Patrick Reason in 1835 where a woman is in shackles. It shows the original status of women which changes slightly to more universal suffrage in America. Temperance also expanded democratic ideals in that it gave people more rights to form what they felt was correct. Because it was lead by women, a group of  society usually suppressed, it was unique in that women started to voice their opinions. In the painting The Drunkards Progress, From the First Glass to the Grave in 1846, it shows that women were most affected by it and that they were motivated to change it. Women were able to speak out and affect the world and that shows individual rights. Education also played a role in expanding democratic ideals. Education was improved through new textbooks, publicized, and improved teaching training facilities increase the average education of the masses. This created a more knowledgeable mass and therefore universal male suffrage was more possible. Through the reforms of prisons, churches, women suffrage, temperance, and education, democratic ideals were expanded. Democratic ideals of universal suffrage and individual rights were spread throughout America. The reforms between 1825 and 1850 expanded democratic ideals.

Causes And Effects Of Global Financial Crisis Economics Essay

Causes And Effects Of Global Financial Crisis Economics Essay Financial crisis is defined as a situation characterized by severe disruptions in the value of financial institutions assets, their access to funding or their clients trust, to the point of endangering the financial systems sustainability (Argandona 2009). This essay will discuss the various likely causes of Global financial crisis and the preventive measures that the UK government could take to avoid or diminish the threats of another crisis. Global economic crisis of 2008 resulted due to some fundamental and undesirable changes that took place in the efficient use of resources in America (Davis 2009, p. 1). According to Davis (2009), some changes that could be easily perceived were breakdown of information technology and the ever increasing globalization across the world. He has discussed in his article, the consequences of emergence of Post Industrial Society in US which led to an increase in unemployment as the largest employers shifted from manufacturing organizations to service industry which later contributed as a cause of credit crunch. The essay will first place the possible causes that led to the downturn in the financial position of the various economies across the world and finally it will talk about the methods that UK government can adopt to prevent itself from the hazards of next financial crisis. The essay concludes that while some countries were largely affected by the impact of crisis in 2008, there remain few countries that managed to overcome the shock and survived because of their policies and the best possible steps taken by them. The IMF remains bedeviled by philosophical disputes about the scale and scope of its lending and crisis related activities. These disputes distract the institution from its role as a global lender of final resort.(Truman 2006b, p. 532) Truman (2008) says that at the time of unfolding of economic crisis, members of International Monetary Fund failed to provide any kind of assistance to the economies that required a short term need for external liquid resources. According to him, one of the various possible causes was macroeconomic policies of several countries across the world that jointly holds the responsibility to a great extent for the crisis. He further commented that easy monetary policies and fiscal policies of countries like US, Japan and others reduced the savings rate of these countries and distorted the balance of the financial system and led to a soaring of global credit and elevated the price of houses. Collateralized debt obligations are bonds ultimately backed by bundle s of loans such as subprime mortgages.(Davis 2009, p. 103) Financial institutions had a good amount of money in the form of foreign exchange reserves so it started lending money to everyone at a very low interest rate (Truman 2008, p. 23) and also to the people who had no capacity to return it back, that is, subprime mortgages came into picture (Davis 2009). After a certain period, when the supply started exceeding demand, housing prices in US began to drop, mortgage holders found that the price or value of their house was less than what they were owing to the banks and so they started defaulting in high numbers and a rise in foreclosures was observed. Emergence of post industrial society, i.e. a shift from manufacturing to service industry in US led to large unemployment. In an effort to improve productivity, companies started cutting down on labour and ultimately small number of skilled labours were left. So the competition for skilled labour increased. With the materialization of defined contribution pension plan, the incentive to stick to a particular company came to an end. And employees started moving from one company to another. This new plan of pension fund led to the growth of mutual fund industry (Davis 2009, p. 31) which resulted in decline in employee attachment with the company and increased participation by financial institutions through mutual funds. Securitization [altered the traditional pattern of banking by] turning assets into securities traded on markets (Davis 2009, p. 35). This way of banking allows the bank to lend more amount of money. One form of securitization was mortgage backed bonds (Davis 2009, p. 35). Deboer (2008, p. 5) says that any commercial bank must have approximately 10% of the total amount of loan issued by it, in its capital assets. Many financial bodies issued mortgage-backed financial derivatives and eventually when the housing prices started falling, the value of mortgage backed securities declined too which in turn started making them bankrupt. Realizing this, banks started issuing small number and small quantity of loans. This strapped the credit situation tightly and thus housing prices started narrowing further. In Eastern Europe, the major reason behind the crisis was short term borrowings (Aslund 2009) from many European banks in large amounts because of the security and safety offered by so many countries in Europe by setting a fixed exchange rate. This led to inflation of prices because high amount of money was flowing in. Also the countries like Ukraine started importing goods on high scale and thus fell short of balance payment it owed to other countries. Lack of administration and regulation of the financial sector is another cause identified by Truman (2008, p.24). He says that the overleveraging of the financial system took place gradually in an exponential rising manner over several years, where poor supervision of the policymakers and the others responsible praised the incredible growth of the economy in its early years when the signs of inflation were not noteworthy. After a period of time, (Truman 2008, p. 24) when the financial institutions were left with no money and had no capacity to fund any further investment, the formation distorted and deleveraging began. He believes that another possible reason that might have had altered the market structure was the poorly understood risk associated with the innovations in the formation of new policies in the financial institutions. Bergsten (2008) says that countries like UK should adopt an economic expansion programme to avoid or surpass the effect of next possible financial crisis. Such programme would involve an effort to increase the domestic demand and thus causing an expansion of the trade in between countries. It also involves reducing the restrictions of trade on the border and inside the country as well. He says the most positive step the leaders of the G-20 could take would be to pledge to adopt fiscal stimulus programs amounting to at least 1 to 2 percent of most of their national economies. Leaders should try to think something creative rather than blaming each other for the crisis. Bergsten (2008) suggests that UK along with other countries must assure a support of at least $500 billion each to enhance the resources of IMF (International Monetary Fund) so that it will accumulate good amount of wealth and pledge to support UK as well as other countries at the time of crisis. He also suggests that an efficient working group needs to be formed within the countries to analyse and supervise financial regulations closely. Financial stability report from Bank of England (2009) states that banks should have sufficient amount of liquid assets to lessen its dependence on short term borrowings for funding non liquid assets. The Tripartite Committee comprising of the Bank of England, FSA (Financial Services Authority) and the treasury was held responsible for the crisis of 2008 by the staff of politics.co.uk (2009) in a report. They say that the Bank of England should be held accountable for macro-economic supervision instead of FSA and that all the three should know their exact roles and responsibilities. The report also suggests steps like developing policies to suppress fluctuations in financial conditions, assigning British authorities to constantly monitor UK branches of multinational banks so that if any new policy is formed by them which might affect the financial status of the co untry in future can be clogged at the right time, increasing the regulations about the capital assets requirement for the bank so that it properly assesses the loan borrower and grant it to him only if he can afford to pay it back. Bergsten (2008) has put forward the idea of a joint work or supervision of the FSA and the Bank. He feels that it would be effective if FSA concentrates on the conduction of the business and Bank focuses on the systemic issues. Amato (2009) expresses his views saying that assets whose value could not be determined were given triple-A ratings by the rating agencies and thus attracted more investors so UK government must ensure that banks dont over rely on the credit ratings (Bank of England 2009). Amato (2009) says protectionism should be removed so that all the companies across the world can trade easily and freely in other countries without any barriers. Recapitalization scheme has been undertaken by UK banks deliberately to raise capital to provide it w ith ample amount of insurance against future threats of crisis. (Bank of England, 2008) CONCLUSION Looking at the various causes, we can conclude that there were different reasons for crisis in different parts of the world. If a country forms strong policies and takes decisions that would be beneficial in the long run, then it might be able to protect itself from the adverse consequences of financial instability. Amato (2009) says that a country needs to form policies keeping in mind not only the benefit of its domestic market but also of the whole world. All the countries should cooperate at the international level and support IMF by all means. Countries like China, Malaysia and some Islamic countries were least affected by crisis because of their strong policies, good supervision and regulations, ability to predict or identify financial fluctuations in advance and resistance to outside worlds financial imbalance. The world has lot to learn from these countries.

Adolf Hitler :: essays research papers

EARLY YEARS Adolf Hitler was born in Austria, on the 20th of April 1889. His father was a customs officer and his mother a peasant girl, he was a poor student who never completed high school. He lived in Vienna until 1913 and lived off his orphans pension and money from pictures he drew. He read a lot of books and began to develop anti-Jewish and antidemocratic beliefs, a like to outstanding individuals and a dislike for ordinary working people. In World War I Hitler, who was in Munich, volunteered in the *Bavarian army. He proved to be a dedicated and courageous soldier but he was never promoted beyond private first class. After Germany’s defeat in 1918 he returned to Munich staying in the army till 1920. His commander then made him an educational officer with the permission to justify his charges against pacifist and democratic ideas. In September 1919 he joined the nationalist German Workers party and in April 1920 he went on to work full time for the party that had changed its name to the National German Workers (nazi) party. In 1921 he was elected party chairman with very dominating powers. RISE TO POWER Hitler after organizing many meetings, terrorizing political rivals spread his racial hatred and soon became an important part in Bavarian Politics, and was assisted by his high officials and businessmen. In November 1923 he led an uprising against the Weimar Republic but without military support his rebellion failed and as the organizer he was sentenced to five years in prison, of which he served 8 months and was then released as the result of a general amnesty. He then rebuilt his party without interference from the government in December 1924. When the Great Depression struck in 1929 his theory of it as a Jewish plot to make Germany a communist country was accepted by many Germans, he then promised a stronger country with many jobs and national glory, he attracted millions of voters and Nazi representation in Germanys parliament rose from 12 seats to 107 in just 2 years. During the next two years the nazi party kept expanding and benefiting from the growing unemployment, fear of e veryone becoming an equal (communism) and the shyness of his political rivals. GERMANY’S DICTATOR When Hitler established himself as a dictator thousands of anti-Nazis were hauled off to concentration camps and all public knowledge was kept quiet. An Enabling Act passed by a passive legislature allowed him to modify the government system and judiciary, replace all labour unions with one Nazi controlled German Labour Front, and ban all political parties except his own.

Philosophy as a Contributor to Well-Being :: Paideia Philosophers Essays

Philosophy as a Contributor to Well-Being ABSTRACT: In this essay, I sketch five complementary arenas of concern are set forth as candidates for a cogent contemporary theory of paideia. First, a searching, goal setting form of reflection is central to paideia today even as it was in Hellenistic times. A second contributor to paideia is critical reflection. But, third, reasoning is also connected to embodied activity through feeling. Thus, sensitivity to existential meaning helps people determine what they really want and believe, and it also joins them to the persons, things, and events that matter most to them. Fourth, use of the moral point of view safeguards individuals against wallowing in mere self-indulgence heedless of the welfare of others or of the world as a whole. Finally, only by being open to the complex challenges of the world can a person be receptive to the mysterious dimension of life and discern ultimate priorities. I claim that persons guiding themselves by the five-leveled notion of paideia articulated he re will again experience the power of philosophy to confer well-being upon themselves and the world. The main theme of the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy, "Paideia: Philosophy Educating Humanity," challenges philosophers to assess what impact philosophy is having and should be having in the world today. The use in the title of the classical term paideia suggests that conference organizers believe that philosophy should have both an beneficial and a broad impact. For implicit in the notion of paideia is the idea that philosophy is a boon bestowing enterprise; in enlightening persons, it improves their well-being. The breadth of impact is suggested by this definition of paideia from Webster's Third New International Dictionary: "The training of the physical and mental faculties in such a way as to produce a broad enlightened mature outlook harmoniously combined with maximum cultural development." I submit that this classical notion remains a worthy ideal expressive of the gifts philosophy can bring humanity. Paideia is cognate to notions of education found in Asian philosophy. Philosophy practiced in the spirit of paideia can indeed be a contributor to human well-being. However, the world today is a vastly different place than the classical world in which the notion of paideia took root. A challenge facing any interpreter of paideia now is to locate considerations which have arisen in the course of philosophical history which deserve to be incorporated into a contemporary theory of paideia.

How Far Does Luck Explain the Rise and Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte Essay

How far does luck explain the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte? Napoleon Bonaparte like many others rose to prominence during the turbulent times of the French revolution- he was therefore lucky to have been born at such a time in to justify his advancing position. However his reputation as a skilled tactician and strategist enabled him to initially capitalize on the reforms of the French Revolution to improve the lives of French citizens. Napoleon Bonaparte emerged as an important figure for re-establishing order in France and initially gained the trust and support of his countrymen, winning many great military victories against the nations of Europe. But over time, Napoleon’s lust for power overcame his good economic, political and military accomplishments, and his transformation into a selfish dictator led to his fall. To say he was unlucky at this point is an understatement. Napoleon’s upbringing is one that could be considered unconventional (at first) for a successful ruler of France. Napoleon was the son of a middle class Corsican family, at a time when Corsica had not even been French for long. Being formerly subject to Genoa, the Corsican people did not speak French but a dialect of Italian. They were, and are, a fiercely independent Mediterranean people, with a Mediterranean temperament. Napoleon was always self-conscious about his humble origins and provincial background. He came from a mediocre family and went to a mediocre military academy, where his schoolmates made fun of his thick Corsican accent. Despite this however he was lucky in a sense that his noble background afforded him more opportunities than were available to a normal Corsican at the time. In January 1779, Napoleon was enrolled at a religious school in Autun, mainland France, to learn French. In May he was admitted to a military academy at Brienne-le-Chateau. He excelled in various subjects including mathematics and was viewed by one examiner as a candidate for an â€Å"excellent sailor†. Napoleon was the first Corsican to graduate from the Ecole Militaire, a testament to his intellectual abilities in the field. Of course his application to maths determined his specialisation as an artillery officer. This can be considered a stroke of luck in his favour, – one of many that he benefited from – inasmuch as the artillery was the most prestigious branch of the army under the old regime. But the biggest stroke of luck Napoleon had was to be born when he was – in the age of the French Revolution. Napoleon, like many others, was made by the Revolution. The Revolution turned the whole world upside down and presented an ambitious young man (he was always ambitious – a consequence of his resentment at his inferior status) with new and vast opportunities. Looking again at the perspective of Napoleon’s capabilities as a man rather than his luck during his ascension we must also consider his fluidity. Despite his early one sidedness and his view of himself as a devout Corsican, he was ostracized by his countrymen when trying to attempt to instil himself as the head of the Corsican national government. The Corsican nationalists were inclined to reactionary and monarchist ideas and distrustful of the ideals of the Revolution. They were also distrustful of Napoleon, who had the misfortune of being seen as a Corsican provincial to the French and a French interloper to the Corsicans. Rejected by his compatriots, Napoleon abandoned all his nationalist ideals. He later became transformed from an ardent Corsican patriot to a fervent advocate of French centralism. In a sense it was luck that Napoleon now saw France as an area would he could advance to power, but there nothing surprising about this sudden turnabout. Napoleon never had any fixed principles about anything, except his own advancement. His early Republican sympathies may have been genuine but they were certainly tempered with a heavy dose of opportunism. He specialised in currying favour with his superiors in order to climb the ladder of careerist advancement. When it was advantageous to appear as a Jacobin, he donned the tricolour, but later he swung against the Jacobins with equal alacrity when their star waned. Napoleon’s big opportunity came in 1794 at the siege of Toulon. This key Mediterranean port had declared for the English and allowed British forces to occupy it. England was the real bulwark of reaction and bankrolled the wars against revolutionary France that others fought. Napoleon saw his chance to make a mark and did so by conspicuous bravery and a high degree of skill in the use of artillery, which decided the battle in France’s favour. His rapid rise to fame and success had begun. His next big military success came with the invasion of Italy in the strategic campaign against Austria. It was at this point Napoleon demonstrated excellent qualities as a tactician and a politician. Napoleon vetoed the idea of the Directory atheists to march on Rome and dethrone the Pope as he reasoned this would create a power vacuum which would be exploited by the Kingdom of Naples. Instead, in March 1797, Bonaparte led his army into Austria and forced it to negotiate peace. The resulting Treaty of Leoben gave France control of most of northern Italy and the Low Countries, and a secret clause promised the Republic of Venice to Austria. Bonaparte marched on Venice and forced its surrender, ending 1,100 years of independence; he also authorised the French to loot treasures such as the Horses of Saint Mark. His application of conventional military ideas to real-world situations effected his military triumphs, such as creative use of artillery as a mobile force to support his infantry. He referred to his tactics thus: â€Å"I have fought sixty battles and I have learned nothing which I did not know at the beginning. Look at Caesar; he fought the first like the last. † His decision to record his exploits through two newspapers he founded for the army and circulation in France earned him wide critical acclaim. But again he was known to sacrifice military glory in favour of preserving his position, as shown by negotiations in Austria and the treaty of Campio Formio in response to Barras and the French republican allies in control of the French government becoming dependent on Bonaparte following the Coup of 18 Fructidor in order to depose the French royalists who feared Napoleon was becoming a dictator. It was not unlucky that this happened, as Napoleon handled the situation effectively and was able to continue his quest for power. His capacity as a strategist in military campaign against nations hostile to France continued to shine when he conceived an expedition into Egypt in order to seize it and thereby undermine Britain’s access to it’s trade interests in India. Although this invasion failed, mostly due to his loss in the battle of the Nile against Horatio Nelson, Napoleon- unlike his later years was able to take defeat well, speeding up the retreat by poisoning plague stricken men- this supposed act of fratricide was deemed necessary by his supporters given the continued harassment of stragglers by Ottoman forces, and indeed those left behind alive were tortured and beheaded by the Ottomans. Back in Egypt, on 25 July, Bonaparte defeated an Ottoman amphibious invasion at Abukir. The coup of Brumaire in 1799 while being the main event for Napoleon’s ascension to ruler of France largely defines how far his luck went in his rise to power. The reasons for General Bonaparte’s coup may have lain more in his defeats than by his victories. In November 1799, France was suffering the effects of military reverses brought on by Bonaparte’s adventurism in theMiddle East. The looming threat of opportunistic invasion by the Second Coalition had provoked internal unrest, with Bonaparte stuck in Egypt. When he returned he stormed into the chambers escorted by grenadiers. At this point his ineptitude at speechmaking failed to impressed the dissolutioned directory, and he was heckled out and even assaulted at the council of Five Hundred. It was only by the intervention of his brother Lucien that he was spared great injury or death, and lucien’s skill at organising the troops to expel the violent deputies from the chamber shouting â€Å"kick ‘em all out! † and dispersing the council. This spelled the end of the directory and the establishment of the consulate. Napoleon had hoped that the his French empire would last for centuries, but the reality was much more disconcerting. His downfall however was not so much attributed to bad luck as it was his ego and complacency due to his earlier military successes. Two main things contributed to his downfall, Economics and Military failure. In the Treaty of Tilset, Napoleon established the continental system which basically was a boycott of selling and buying of goods with the British. He realized that England depended heavily on other countries to buy from and sell to. However Napoleon underestimated the fact that England could trade with the U.  S and controlled India (even though he tried to stop British Trade with India in his invasion of Egypt) and was not limited to Prussia, Russia and Austria. The continental system did not hurt England as much as he had hoped, but it hurt other countries because they loved English goods and got them any way they could. This was also just another reason for the Austrians, Prussians and Russians to rebel against him. Napoleon tended to try and get his way in negotiations by shouting at those who didn’t agree with him, and on one occasion physically assaulted an Austrian diplomat who disagreed with his demands. Napoleon believed military dominance was sufficient to impose his will on Europe, but this necessitated constantly keeping a large army in the field, which strained French finances and alienated the ordinary population of Europe, as French troops lived off the country when campaigning or stationed abroad. His failure to compromise through diplomacy after military victories meant he was never able to consolidate his gains long term and confirm them through any prolonged period of subsequent peace. Napoleon was never accepted as ‘one of them’ by other European rulers. His practice of dethroning monarchs and replacing them with members of his own family, who had no right to them and who were certainly no better as rulers, scared all other European monarchs, who were afraid they might be next. Napoleon didn’t really understand seapower, nor its importance and how to use it effectively. The French navy got few resources-manpower and money being directed mainly to the army. This left the French fleet underequipped, undermanned, and undertrained, which led to a drop in morale and its easy defeat in battle. No attempt was made to rebuild the French fleet after Trafalgar, global naval supremacy being left wholly in British hands. Napoleon didn’t realize that this would have long term economic effects as well as military ones. In the Treaty of Tilset, Napoleon established the continental system which basically was a boycott of selling and buying of goods with the British. He realized that England depended heavily on other countries to buy from and sell to. However Napoleon in a moment of political ineptitude underestimated that though was that England could trade with the U.  S and and controlled India (even though he tried to stop British Trade with India in his invasion of Egypt) and was not limited to Prussia, Russia and Austria. The continental system did not hurt England as much as he had hoped, but it hurt other countries because they loved English goods and got them any way they could. This was also just another reason for the Austrians, Prussians and Russians to rebel against him. Instead of crippling the British economy, it crippled that of much of Europe. Britain had responded with Orders in Council, a close blockade of Europe’s major ports that cut off all foreign seaborne trade to continental Europe. This impoverished many people, denied Europe’s aristocracy luxury goods, and led to endemic smuggling that undermined the economy of France and other European states. When Napoleon created the Continental System, Portugal refused to comply with a treaty that would severely weaken its trade. Promptly, the French marched in with their armies and overran Spain and Portugal. The Spanish people feared that the Catholic Church would be thrown aside by the French, causing unrest. In addition, Napoleon further humiliated the Spanish by deposing their king, to whom the Spaniards were loyal, instead putting his brother on the throne. This was the spark that would set off the true Peninsular War with constant guerrilla warfare that would end with Napoleon losing 300,000 troops by 1813, after 5 years of fighting. Harsh treatment of the population, in particular atrocities committed by French troops against any resistance by the peasantry, led to a opular Spanish uprising against French occupation forces in 1808. A British army sent to Portugal invaded Spain in support of the uprising,and its operations in conjunction with Spanish guerrillas caused the so called â€Å"Spanish ulcer† which diverted troops and resources away from Napoleon’s main army and forced France into a war on 2 fronts. But possibly the greatest blunder of Napoleon was his decision to invade Russia. Under pressure from important nobles who were losing money, the Tzar withdrew from the Continental System. Napoleon determined to invade Russia in 1812 so as to force Russia back in. ossibly due to his inflated ego in becoming the superior leader and incessant wanting of more land, he was convinced that Moscow was the heart of Russia and was determined to march there directly and take control. Napoleon was overconfident in that he allowed himself only nine weeks to defeat Russia and return to Italy and so did not provide cold weather gear for his soldiers nor frost nails for his horses. At the point of his expedition he was initially unlucky that the Russian army did not decide to fight face to face, although their initial retreat and the Russian Autumn inticed Napoleon too much, and he was lured deeper into Russia. The Russians instead implemented a scorched earth policy, destroying and burning anything worthy of supply and nourishment for Napoleon’s men, stretching the French emperor’s supply lines still further and demoralising his army. When the French and Russians finally met head on at the Battle of Borodino on 7 September, it was the largest and bloodiest single-day action of the Napoleonic Wars; it involved more than 250,000 soldiers and resulted in at least 70,000 casualties. The French captured the battlefield, but failed to destroy the Russian army. Moreover, the French could not replace their losses whereas the Russians could replace theirs. Napoleon was caught out by the Russian tactics, but could not adapt to them effectively due to his overreliance on previous tried and tested techniques, thinking he could still win the war on his standard strategy, he was badly wrong. Napoleon entered Moscow on September 14, after the Russian Army had again retreated. But by then the Russians had largely evacuated the city and even released criminals from the prisons to inconvenience the French; furthermore, the governor, Count Fyodor Rostopchin, ordered the city to be burnt. Alexander I refused to capitulate and the peace talks that Napoleon initiated failed. In October, with no clear sign of victory in sight, Napoleon began his disastrous Great Retreat from Moscow, during the usual autumn Russian mud season. Napoleon at this point found himself amongst a disorganised militant force that could only retreat via a single route easily blocked by the Russian army thanks to inadequate maps and intelligence gathered on the Russian geography and Topography: the aforementioned mud made the retreat slow and bloody, with better clothed Cossack troops able to strike with impunity against the confused French army. In the following weeks, the Grande Armee underwent catastrophic blows from the onset of the Russian Winter, the lack of supplies and constant guerilla warfare by Russian peasants and irregular troops. When the remnants of Napoleon’s army crossed the Berezina River in November, only 27,000 fit soldiers remained; the Grand Armee had lost some 380,000 men dead and 100,000 captured. Napoleon then abandoned his men and returned to Paris to protect his position as Emperor and to prepare to resist the advancing Russians. This disaster encouraged the formation of the Sixth Coalition, Prussia and Austria quickly joining Russia and Britain in arms against Napoleon. The strain of fighting a multi front war became apparent to him The Peninsular War (known to the French as the Spanish ulcer) combined with the Russian disaster of 1812 to weaken him so much that he was exiled, for the first time. When he returned in the Hundred Days, Napoleon’s downfall was that he did have so much power. He promised peace to the other European Powers if they let him have the throne. However, no-one could bear to see the man who once ruled most of Europe in power again, so it was off to war. This conflict led to Waterloo, and his final exile. In conclusion it was a combination of luck based on skill and merit that allowed Napoleon to ascend to power from such a foreign position leading the French to establish great military successes In his early years. The great French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte had initially capitalized on the reforms of the French Revolution to improve the lives of French citizens. However his focus on conquering Europe had eventually overridden his economic and military accomplishments. His previous successes exacerbated his ego to the point at which he became complacent with his standard tactics both on the battlefield and in the council. A sequence of poor diplomacy and belief that he could hold the European countries together by sheer force led to European countries rising in vengeance, such as the Spanish ulcer. Napoleon’s failure o deal with these threats and subsequent failing to enforce the ill fated continental system meant his empire was being dismantled piece by piece. Another reason for his downfall was his war tactic of constant Napoleonic Warfare. His main goal was to completely destroy the enemies army to the point where they no longer had the men to fight. But, this also caused heavy causualities on his side. Also, during his Invasion of Russia, he was hurt by the infamous Russian winters. When he retreated from Russia, almost all of his men got left behind (along with Michael Ney) and were completely annihilated by the enemy forces. After this, he suffered because of his army, or lack thereof. The resultant strain of fighting a multi front war against the united European forces was more failure of effective leadership than simple bad luck. Although he successfully returned from exile in the Hundred Days, his military defeat at Waterloo was the final nail in his coffin.