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14 - Funding War (1): Napoleonic France

from Part III - Raising and Supplying the Armies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 December 2022

By
Pierre Branda
Edited by
Bruno Colson  and
Alexander Mikaberidze
Bruno Colson
Affiliation:
Université de Namur, Belgium
Alexander Mikaberidze
Affiliation:
Louisiana State University, Shreveport
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Summary

This chapter investigates how Napoleon funded his war effort during the fifteen years that he was in power. Coming to power in the wake of the French monarchy’s financial insolvency and the profound turmoil of the French Revolution, Napoleon chose to become personally involved in financial affairs of the nation, opting for radical but effective solutions. This aspect of his accomplishments is usual forgotten. This is all the more unfair as his successes were real and stark. By rationalizing old principles, the winner of Austerlitz gave himself the means to embody the “God of war” but failed to win the battle for credit due in large part to the disastrous legacy he received from regimes that had preceded him.

Keywords

RevolutionassignatDirectoryGaudinDirectorate of Direct ContributionsmatricesBank of Francecontributionnswar indemnityloans
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge History of the Napoleonic Wars , pp. 273 - 290
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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