1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow

Format:	Hardback 480 pages

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Synopsis

This is the story of how the most powerful man on earth met his doom, and how the greatest fighting force ever assembled was wiped out.; By 1810 Napoleon was master of Europe, defied only by Britain, which he could not defeat because he had no navy. His intention was to destroy Britain through a total blockade, the Continental System. But Tsar Alexander of Russia now refused to apply the blockade, and Napoleon decided to bring him to heel.; Napoleon quickly realised that nemesis awaited him, and the events of 1812 had a colossal impact on the fate of Europe: a great patriotic surge helped turn the Russians into a nation (hence Tchaikovsky's '1812' overture) and led them to reject Western values; the Germans began their fateful 'Prussification'; the French lost their cultural dominance.

Book details

Published
05/04/2004

Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

ISBN
9780007123759

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UK Kirkus review

There's no epic greater than Napoleon's doomed attempt to conquer Russia. It has all the ingredients of chilling drama: an army, led by a arrogant emperor, launch a devastating attack. They meet heroic resistance, famous General Winter intervenes, and Napoleon's army and fortunes are lost forever in the snowdrifts of Russia. This vast panorama of human tragedy is deftly handled by Adam Zamoyski. He reveals the intricacies of the duel between Napoleon and Alexander, Czar of Russia, and the political ramifications for Napoleonic Europe. But he maintains the human perspective: the viewpoint of the soldier trudging through first the dust, then the snow, or the citizens of Moscow watching their city consumed by flames. Crucially, Zamoyski presents the invasion from both the French and the Russian point of view, creating a balanced account and one all the more absorbing as a result. This tale of war and peace is a powerful study of the clash of empires and the tragic consequences of that collision. (Kirkus UK)