So I was reading about the Peninsular War, and it made me realize

>>3339874
Napoleon was arguably the greatest general since Hannibal. It is known

>>3339874
>t the beginning you have Spaniards and Brits struggling for months in the middle of Spain against some minor French force, everything is slow and no quick victory is in sight
>Implying
At the beggining you have French forces ruling pretty much all Spain.
Then the French defeat by the Spanish forces is so loud that the French evacuate Madrid and retreat to defensive positions.
So Napoleon himself has to go to put some sense among the French.

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>The French, all but masters of Spain in June, now stood with their backs to the Pyrenees, clutching at Navarre and Catalonia. It was not known if even these two footholds could be maintained in the face of a Spanish attack. By October French strength in Spain, including garrisons, was about 75,000 soldiers. They were facing 86,000 Spanish troops[15] with Spain's 35,000 British allies en route.[20]

>While the allies inched forward, a vast consolidation of bodies and bayonets from the far reaches of the French Empire brought 100,000 veterans of the Grande Armée into Spain, led in person by Napoleon and his Marshals.[25]

>The Emperor announced to the Spanish deputies:
>"I am here with the soldiers who conquered at Austerlitz, at Jena, at Eylau. Who can withstand them? Certainly not your wretched Spanish troops who do not know how to fight. I shall conquer Spain in two months and acquire the rights of a conqueror."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Corunna#Background

JUST

Napoleon is the first of the modern dictators,he created the precursor of the modern totalitarian state, building on the powerful centralised structures created by the revolution; strengthening legal mechanisms to repress the individual; and efficiently mobilising national resources to suit his purpose and ambitions.

>>3339988
Except he didnt persecute anyone, but actually liberated whole lots of people who still suffered under feudalism.

>>3339988
Except Napoleon's regime had more liberties than the previous French Absolute Monarchy and than most monarchies in Europe in his era
His progressive Civil Code is still widely adopted on the continent

You're dumbly comparing an enlightened dictator in an era of absolute monarchs to 20th century dictators who lived in an era of democracy

What is the best book for a layman about the Napoleonic Wars to start with? I'm getting bored with Meiji Era Japan, and I think the contrast in size and scope would be refreshing.

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It makes me fell bad for Spaniards

Imagine, you've been struggling for a year to take back your country from a second-rate French army lead by subpar generals, and when you're finally about to reach your goal, the main French army lead by Napoleon himself and his most talented marshals enters the country and annihilates all your eggorts in two months

>>3340021

It makes me fell bad for you.

>>3339923
Scipio was much better tha Hannibal though so that means nothing.

>>3340055
Scipio was shit

>>3340002

You need to take a more nuanced look at history.

It is true his republicanism introduced modern laws and abolished feudal practices. But the new French order was little better, many of these new nation states were coerced to send soldiers, tax money and to pay for the very french garrison forces that would ensure compliance.

It was modern for its day exploitation.

At the end most of these states would revert back to the absolutist monarchies they were before.

>>3340564
>At the end most of these states would revert back to the absolutist monarchies they were before

Not by choice, but only because Napoleon lost
Still he made them taste freedom for a short while which lead to the 1848 revolutions

>>3340596
>Not by choice
Most of the states he occupied happily jumped into the coaliton when he started losing because they were sick of the French conscripting them and looting all of their shit.

>>3340637
>Most of the states he occupied happily jumped into the coaliton when he started losing
>Most of the states
>states

Nobles hating on Napoleon giving more freedom to the people?
Who would have thought?

>>3340637
The nobles of those states did, not the normal peeps.

>>3340540
t. Hannibal

Napoleon was actually very enlightened, conquering various nations and putting your family members on their thrones was a truly modern, progressive act

Friendly reminder Napoleon said the cause of his ultimate loss wasn't Russia but Spain

Based Bailen and based guerrilleros. Dat Empecinado

>>3340971
Mad Bong detected

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>>3339986

His army then proceded to fail defeating and conquering the portuguese