Napoleon's continental system.
Discuss Napoleon's continental system. Discuss the reasons for the failure of the continental system.
Napoleon's continental system: -
Britain was more advanced in naval power than France. But for commercial and imperialist interests, it was necessary to influence the sea and establish rights over Britain. But it was not possible for France at that time to subdue the British in naval power. It was virtually impossible for France to invade England by crossing the English Channel. So Napoleon took a continental blockade against England. Napoleon's main objective was to keep England out of the mainstream of the European economy.
Berlin Decree 1806: -
Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree in November 1806 with the aim of imposing economic blockade on England. The main points of this decree were -
(i) A naval blockade was declared on England.
(ii) Arrest orders were issued for British nationals from French occupied territories.
(iii) A ban is imposed on the entry of English ships into France or any of its occupied countries or any of France's allies.
(iv) The sale of English goods is also prohibited in all these regions.
Britain's Response: Order-in-Council (1807): -
In response to Napoleon's Berlin Decree, England declares the Order-in-Council. The main points were -
(i) All types of French products are prohibited in England and its allies.
(ii) England's naval blockade of France and its allies was declared.
(iii) Neutral states are given the right to trade conditionally with Britain.
(iv) If a neutral ship wants to sail to France or its allies, it must obtain the permission of England.
(v) Failure to comply with such conditions shall result in the confiscation of the goods and services of England by a neutral country.
Milan Decree (1807): -
In response to the Order-in-Council of England, Napoleon issued the Milan Decree in 1807. The main point of the directive was that if a neutral state obtained a license from England under the Order-in-Council, France would occupy that country and its ship as British property and France would consider that country and its ship as an enemy state.
Warsaw decree: -
Napoleon was not satisfied with issuing Milan decree only. He then issued the Warsaw Decree in 1807. This was basically a later stage of the Milan Decree. It said that if a country or ship disobeyed the instructions of the Milan Decree, its goods would be confiscated and it would be burnt.
Fontainebleau Decree: -
He issued the Fontainebleau Decree in 1810 after the Warsaw Decree. The directive also upheld the order to burn the occupied English goods and set up a special court to try British or allied merchants who disobeyed French orders.
Licensing system: -
Despite adopting various rules and regulations, Napoleon's continental blockade system was not successful. Under those circumstances Napoleon realized that it was not possible to completely stop the import of goods from England. Napoleon then introduced the licensing system for merchants importing goods from England. Napoleon practically accepted that the continental blockade did not work, by introducing the licensing system.
Reasons for the failure of the continental system: -
The continental system imposed on England by Napoleon was completely destroyed. The reasons for this were: -
1. The coastline of Europe was long. England did not have the vast naval power to establish dominance along this vast coast.
2. England's naval power was very strong. With this powerful navy, England was able to easily maintain its dominance in the occupied territories and to counter the weak naval resistance of France.
3. There was a great demand for various commodities produced in England - such as textiles, sugar - etc. throughout England. So the ban on goods manufactured in England was not successful.
4. When Napoleon imposed a ban on English goods, various French allies began importing goods from England through smuggling. This multiplied their costs and made them disappointed with Napoleon.
5. In the absence of a strong navy, France fails to carry out anti-England directives such as the Berlin Decree, the Milan Decree, etc. On the other hand, with a strong navy, England successfully enforced the Order-in-Council against France.
6. Britain was much more economically advanced than France. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, England became the owner of immense wealth. France, on the other hand, was a revolutionary country. Although economic conditions in France improved during Napoleon's reign, they were negligible compared to England.
7. Opposition did not come from outside France only. A group of French merchants and industrialists also strongly opposed Napoleon's blockade of the continent.
8. Napoleon imposed high tariffs on merchants, industrialists and merchandise in order to improve the military system and to enforce the continental blockade. As a result, they too became disappointed with Napoleon.
9. As a result of Napoleon's policy, the neutral countries were suffering severely in terms of trade and economy. So they began to have a hostile attitude towards Napoleon.
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