Napoleonic Warfare After The French Revolution

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Before the French Revolution, the idea of belonging to a broader unit than a village, region, or estate was limited. The political structure of monarchies and aristocracies segregated populations into designated and dispersed social classes. Social reforms, led by the enlightenment ideas of nationalism and patriotism, unified the citizens of France against the aristocratic government. The Napoleonic Wars that followed the revolution sought to spread the social idea of nationalism across Europe. Nationalism became more than an idea, but a powerful political doctrine that militarily mobilized the masses to achieve political purposes. Warfare changed increasing in size and scope. Clausewitz described Napoleonic Warfare as “there seemed …show more content…
Revolutionary France viewed every citizen equally with the duty of serving the nation, which the revolutionary government demonstrated by decreeing levee en masse in August 1793 and subsequently established the Jourdan Law in 1798. Levee en masse and the 1798 Jourdan Law established the means to fielding and equipping unimaginably large armies. These legislations capitalized on the social movement and made a large Army that accurately reflected French society in terms of social class, occupations, and geographical origin. Napoleon’s marshals came from diverse backgrounds indicating that even the officer corps represented the entirety of French society. For example, Andre Massena was a smuggler, Jean-Baptiste Bessieres a barber, Guillaume Brune a lawyer, Nicolas Oudinot a brewer, Jean-de-Dieu Soult a baker, Edouard Mortier a farmer, and Louis-Gabriel Suchet a silk worker. The diverse backgrounds of France’s senior military leaders is representation of another French Revolution social development that changed military affairs; promotions based off …show more content…
The strongest situational characteristic that substitutes for leadership is the existence of tasks or ideals that are intrinsically satisfying. A citizen, or soldier, who is intrinsically motivated, is more dependable and effective in achieving positive results. Revolutionary France’s patriotic troops and professional officers were willing to live lean, whom did not require an extensive sustainment system. France’s Army implemented a new requisition principle, “la guerre nourrit la guerre, or to know how to draw supplies from the country you occupy.” The new supply system meant that France’s Army could disperse over a wider area and move faster than their advisories giving them a marked advantage. Nationalism, which fueled the French Revolution, also became an accelerant for the French Army intrinsically motivating every soldier as an instrument spreading its ideals across Europe. The citizens and soldiers of France believed in spreading nationalism to such an extent that they willingly and repeatedly subjected themselves to