LotsOfEssays.com

in line with the dominant military thought of that period: that the decisive defeat (destruction) of an opponent's army in battle would cause that opponent to accept peace terms overwhelmingly favorable to the victor. Consequently, he sought decisive battles with his opponents, believing that one such favorable outcome could turn the tide against France's enemies (Weigley, 1991, pp. 537-538).

Napoleon's belief in this strategy was bolstered by the disunity of Austria, Prussia, and Russia, his main continental opponents. In 1805 and 1810, he had caused

...