"What would Britain look like if Napoleon had won" Topic

Whilst i love someone who can defend a hopeless position, it's worth notingh the Napoleon himself admitted it was a mistake to do it?

Well, history is full of er, mistakes, usually not considered a mistake until after the event. LOL

I Just find it strange that modern commentators are more precious about Napoleon's legacy than Napoleon was!

If Napoleon had won, it might've given Britain a chance at establishing decent cuisine. :)

Instead, the British win enabled the French to form a decent alliance. At least for the next 130 years, it did. :D

Alliances! Hmm, that always depends who will benefit from one.

Talking of which, less than forty years after the defeat of the French, France becomes Britain's ally and Britain's former ally Russia, which Britain funded to fight the French, becomes Britain's enemy. I'm just wondering if the blinkered Brit fans see it as an allied victory, just like Waterloo, or do they claim it was a British one? LOL

@Gazzola

Well, the British CinC kept getting alarmed when he saw French troops in the courtyard (old habits die hard)!

Alliances shift. My Grandfather woud have thought is a bit strange that I had a Lutz, a German officer serve on exchange under my command, as he spent a good chunk of his youth being shelled on the Western Front by them. I remember one of my Soldiers pulling his leg, when Lutz said he was from Hamburg ths soldier said he hadn't been there himself, but his uncle had. "Did he enjoy it" Lutz asked. "Not really" came the reply "It was dark and they didn't land"

My 4 times Great Grandfather would have thought it a bit strange that I, the Canadian liaison officer and Chuck my US opposite number were so pally, because he served in the war of 1812.

In 1995 I was rather surprised to find myself behind a Russian General in the breakfast queue in ARRC HQ in Sarajevo. We got chatting, and I was explaining to him that for most of my career I'd have only thought it possible if one of us was in handcuffs! We had a Multi-national but mostly Russian Division under command of course, as part of IFOR. I've still got the Bulgarian Sergeant's Soviet style rank tabs that we exchanged over a particularly boozy New Year's Eve celebration. Later I trained alongside a Czech platoon we were deploying under partnership for peace.

As a civillian I've been delighted to do work in Estonia, on a site that once made parts for Soviet hunter-killer submarines.

It's also worth noting that our Crimean ally, Turkey became our mortal enemies in Gallipoli 60 years later.

No more different than the French allies in the Grande armee of 1812 who became the liberating Germans of 1813 and according to some the true victors of Waterloo!

Politics in Europe can utilise tribalism, it's not generally driven by it. It's more complicated than that.

I always wonder whom Napoleon would have had bumped off Enghien-style. There must have been quite a long list of people ready to be hauled before a Bonapartist kangaroo court for their fair trial before being shot.

@4thC

Most commentators play down the effect of Bourmont, but it might have done something to quench the burning embarrassment of having trusted him in the first place.

I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have seriously contemplated it, but I've always thought Napoleon's frustration with Murat could have give rise to a "Who will rid me of this troublesome priest" moment.

4th Cuirassier

I'm wondering on what basis you are doing your er, wonderings?

As for bumping off people, who I assume you mean traitors and those who did something or were planning to do something against Napoleon or France, I'm sure you remember Napoleon's response to Ney and how Napoleon treated him after Ney marched against him with troops to stop his advance towards Paris in 1815? And it wasn't Napoleon who 'bumped' Ney off after Waterloo, was it?