Carl Deuker -- Books, Movies, TV

"The first qualification of a soldier is fortitude. . . . Courage is only the second." Conquers cities of present day Germany. Spandau, Berlin, etc. Shortage of men in France . . . Russians next, but his mind is on Britain. He wants to use trade sanctions to force Britain to its knees, but this doesn't work either. French (and others in empire) need to trade with Brits. Smuggling results.  Also, unintended consequences crop up. Example is shoes:  Napoleon requires 200,000 pairs of shoes from Hamburg.  Hamburg can't supply these to Napoleon, so they buy what they can't produce from Brits. So much for the sanctions!  British are supplying uniforms and shoes for Napoleon, and making $$$. . . . Continues after the Russians in December 1806. . . has to withdraw, 40% of his army out of commission.  Horrible battle with Russians, thousands killed. Napoleon in tears . . . dire moment, Napoleon orders full out cavalry attack . . . Eylau a massacre without any result . ...

"It is not peace that is important but the conditions of peace." N. Awareness of the fact that he can't control any part of the sea is a constant thorn. Underestimating of British.  "With 9,000 men I would defeat 30,000 British troops." Austerlitz victory is immensely profitable for France.  75 million francs of revenue . . . "war must pay for war . . ." 1806--error of statesmanship when he appoints his brother the king of Naples . . . ideas and beliefs in meritocracy forgotten . . . brother(s) are poor leaders . . . dividing up the spoils of victory sows future problems . . . French/English negotiations for peace .  . . enlightened, for his time, in treatment of Jews . . . proclaimed Judaism as one of three official religions of France . . . in other countries, Jews had to pay extra tax and were not official citizens . . . 170,000 Jews in France and extended French empire . . . Napoleon calls Jews "rapacious" and "pitiless moneylen...

Plans to invade Britain is put on hold because Europe erupts. . . Napoleon's genius as a general on land . . . England still dominates the seas . . . total victory at Austerlitz . . . Right after the first major land victory of the campaign for N., Admiral Nelson obliterates the French fleet at Trafalgar.  22 French and Spanish ships lost--1 ship lost by Great Britain . . . the idea of invading Britain still festered in N.  He foolishly spent money planning an invasion that would never take place and would have had no chance . . . Underestimated Great Britain; held personal animosity toward  Brits .  . . Napoleon's blind spot

Plans to invade England . . . so many things have to be right . . . calm seas for flat bottom boats . . . eight hours of total darkness . . . favorable wind . . . luring English navy away from coast (highly unlikely)  N. hopes Irish will help French . . . while all this is going on, N. is reading scientific papers by physicists on heat conservation and writing letters to scientists . . . Invasion plan is a bad one . . . once in England, how would he reinforce his troops or supply them. Admiral Nelson would cut him off from France:  Line about Napoleon, "master of Europe, and a prisoner in Europe" because of English maritime strength . . . plots against N. life . . . N. orders executions that are very unpopular throughout Europe . . . proclaimed Emperor . . . French who don't like the idea of an emperor do like the idea of France being an empire, so they go along with it. . . Napoleon puts the crown on his own head--daring, over-reaching probably, causes an uproar . . . b...

"Ambassadors are essentially spies with titles."  Napoleon President of Italy . . . Peace treaty with England (Amiens) in March 1802, with Turkey in June 1802 . . . flawed peace treaty with England because there was no opening up of France for trade with England, infuriating the English who thought peace would mean trade. . . tourism, though--Brits come to Paris and admire Napoleon . . . British liberals enamored . . . Napoleon "consul for life" . . . lots of unsettled territories, Switzerland being the largest . . . Industrialization much greater in England than France . . . France in 1802 is about the same as England in 1780 as a manufacturing center . . . Napoleon is basically Anglophobic, complaining of any art work that celebrates English victories being shown in Louvre . . . peace unraveling . . . by 1803 . . .  War May 18, 1803! . . . Louisiana Territory sold, advantageous to both parties.  France gets money; USA gets land.  France avoids possible war with ...

"Everything passes rapidly on earth, with the exception of the mark we leave on history." Ends war with Austria and "quasi war" with America. . . . numerous assassination attempts . . . Letter from the would be Louis XVIII asking for restoration.  Napoleon's reply is polite, but a firm no. . . . Talleyrand uses inside knowledge to enrich himself . . . Tsar Paul 1 assassinated . . . Alexander I in his place--a mystery to N. Will he be pro-British? . . . Peace between England and France, at last, brings about exultation in England . . . peace favorable to France, Napoleon as excellent bargainer . . . Napoleon and Josephine start to dress like royalty making some wonder why the French had gone to the bother of decapitating Louis XVI . . . Haiti--rebellion by L'Overture . . . French troops struggle to put it down (N.'s racist ideas on display--he assumes Haitians can't fight.) L'Ouverture, "a black freeman who had owned slaves, imposed a const...

"I must give the people their full right in religion.  Philosophers will laugh, but the nation will bless me. " "What nothing will destroy, what will live for ever, is my Civil Code." French Revolution is anti-clerical, but Napoleon recognizes the power of the pulpit--useful to have the church as an ally.  Concordat signed, bringing church and state into alliance of sorts . . . the bureaucracy of the church used as a method to get out his messages to the people . . . called "Restorer of Religion," though it was purely pragmatic . . . Napoleon always skeptical of Jesus wondering, for example, if he even existed . . . Following the religious Concordat, he turned to the Civil Code, combining 42 codes into a single system--most enlightened system in the world.  Rule of law is the same over large area (or at least close to the same.) Major weaknesses . . . extremely respectful of property rights as opposed to labor rights . . . sexist--women subordinate to ...