This vividly illustrated history of the Napoleonic Wars documents the wars' origins in the French Revolution; narrates Napoleon's victories at Austerlitz and Jena; and concludes with his defeats in the Iberian peninsula; Russia; and finally at Waterloo. Author Gunther E. Rothenberg describes how Napoleon transformed interstate warfare into a system of relentless conquest; creating a military superpower on a scale not seen since the Roman Empire. Though eventually defeated; Napoleon's model of conquest set a pattern that was to be revived by modern totalitarian states; and their opponents.A sweeping examination of the rise; triumph; and eventual downfall of Napoleon; a man whose military genius forever changed the face of war.Analysis of Napoleon's system of waging war; and the strategies that allowed him to create a singularly powerful army. A look at the profound influence of Napoleonic conquest on warfare of the modern era.
#885149 in Books 2006-01-31 2006-01-31Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.75 x 5.00 x .50l; .87 #File Name: 006085121X240 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. FANTASTIC survey.By JB1976A great survey of the Napoleonic wars! For those who have read detailed histories of these wars; this book is like an outline - very readable and will prompt recall of the fuller story and keep your knowledge fresh and accessible whenever you are asked to describe a particular bit of these wars (I was asked a question and was unable to answer - embarrassing for me as a trained historian. This book was my antidote.). For those with little or no background in this history; this book will give you the big picture; and highlight the important events; of what happened in this MASSIVE conflagration that swallowed all of Europe (and far beyond) only 200 years ago. Absolutely highly recommend this book!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good overall but kinda briefBy CustomerAll over all this is a good book. As a Napoleonic Wars enthusiast; I found this book is very good for beginners who want to learn about the period. The author is famous for his other works in the period and he stated his opinions; comments clearly in the context; to prevent bias. The major drawback of this book is unbalance; or too brief. I love Aspern-Essling and Borodino and love to see the battle maps; marching plans etc. after reading the Austerlitz battle. I found this book so awesome as its map has great details but I soon found out that what we got is just 1 map and only 1 page about the battle for Borodino; while Austerlitz got itself almost 3 pages with 3 maps...Anyway; if you are not an enthusiast as me; this is a great book for knowing in general. But if you like going further or more depth; I would prefer the Essential History version of Osprey; it has more details; but kinda hard to read and lots of typos however.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A good well-illustrated account of Napoleon's battlesBy D. FerensSince I was able to visit the Waterloo battlefield in Belgium several years ago; I have always been interested in Napoleon's overall military campaigns. This book is especially good in that it contains many maps; diagrams; and pictures of the battles that were fought with some good explanations of what happened during the battles; most other books on Napoleon's wars (and on military history in general) seem to be too "wordy" and lack useful illustrations. It probably is not the most detailed account of Napoleon's battles (Waterloo is relatively concise); and it ends abruptly after Napoleon's abdication in 1815 with nothing about what happened afterward. Still; this book is excellent for anyone who wants a readable and well-illustrated description of Napoleon's battles and campaigns.
