Customer Reviews

Britain and the Defeat of Napoleon, 1807-1815

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Anyone interested in the Napoleonic wars will find this account of the political, financial and economic factors behind the British stubborn resistance to Napoleon enlightening. Common, everyday, history books tell you what happened and what people did. Muir tells why it happened with explanations of why the various political leaders, generals, etc adopted the policies they did. Among other insights, one has a considerably better understanding of political environment for Wellington's Spanish campaign and of the enormous financial problems his campaign created for England.

I found this book surprisingly very easy to read and it held my interest throughout. It covered most facets of Britain's role in the war against Napoleon. As the previous review mentions it looks at why the British Government carried out certain policies and the affects of those policies on it's field army under Wellington, its continental allies and the rest of the countries and people involved in the Napoleonic Wars.

This was a very interesting and enjoyable account of the war against Napoleon and I did not find it dull at any time. Although it only scratched the surface of the military campaigns it gave enough detail for the reader to understand completely what was happening and why.

Overall this is a well written and researched account of Britain's role in Napoleon's downfall and should appeal to anyone interested in this period of history.

This is a very interesting and well written account of the later years of the war against France. As is clear from other reviews and the book description, this is an account of the political and financial aspects as much as the military. I'd just like to add that the narratvie becomes more European after 1812 as Russia, Prussia and then Austria rejoin the war. A lot of space then becomes devoted to the negotiations between the Powers. The book also contains an account of the war with the US from 1812-1814.

As for 'A reader' who complains that Rory Muir is writing about "how great was his country" along with "a legion of fellow English writers", he's not English, he's Australian, which 'A reader' should have known if he or she had read the book. And any Australian will tell you that there's a big difference between being an Australian and being English.

Stand back, everyone...stand back and be enlightened on how great a country we English have and how we beat the "anti-Christ," Napoleon! Rory Muir's portrait of the war and how great was his country, amounts to nothing more than marching in lock-step with a legion of fellow English writers who are hell-bent on a never-ending agenda of attempting to portray their long-disappeared Empire as the "saviour" of Western Europe. The whole exercise smacked of something that was originally intended to be published in a magazine that caters to the selected audience to which the message is crafted.