Spanish Resistance to Napoleon Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Napoleon and the Spanish Resistance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout time, the military has been considered one of the key features in a civilization. It has been considered the heart and soul of many countries and empires and has been the center of many cultures. Throughout history we have seen many military leaders and military powers. We have seen military techniques and technology change as we progress. Our schools are filled with legends of great war heroes and hard-fought battles. One such hero is Napoleon Bonaparte, perhaps one of the greatest generals who ever lived. In his adventures and conquest, as general of the French army, he warred against many lands. These included Spain, in which Napoleon met a strong resistance. The Spaniards were using a new military strategy called guerilla warfare, one that Napoleon had no experience against. Guerilla warfare is the use of unconventional war tactics, such as ambush and sabotage, coined by the Spanish rebellion to Napoleon Bonaparte, resulting in an uprising that even he couldn’t put to rest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To understand why these tactics were so effective, you must first understand the tactics themselves. Before guerilla warfare was popularized, war was mainly a head-to-head meeting between two armies. This idea of mass confrontation was considered a formal and more manly way to conduct war. However, the Spanish noticed drawbacks to this idea. They had far fewer numbers than the French and by using traditional war methods they were destined for failure. The Spanish started to use guerilla tactics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traditional wars at the time were decided, often, just by a couple of mass confrontations between the two opponents. Each battle would usually consist of a significant number of soldiers going straight towards each other until they forced the other to retreat. Guerilla warfare on the other hand doesn’t rely on this premise. In order to successfully defeat your opponent using guerilla tactics, you must rely instead on a series of smaller confrontations (Free Dictionary). By using these â€Å"hit-and-run† strategies, guerilla fighters can quickly tire they’re opponents and not lose as many men. Another difference, is that guerilla war relies heavily on ambush. Ambush is when the ambushing force uses concealment to attack an enemy ... ...oleon returned and heard of the defeat he knew it was the end. Finally realizing that his unstoppable armies had been stopped for good he abdicated on April 11th, 1814. The Peninsular War has helped diminish Napoleon’s armies and expose his weaknesses. His enemies had finally caught on and in the end it was the great Napoleon who finally gave up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Guerilla warfare is the use of unconventional war tactics, such as ambush and sabotage, coined by the Spanish rebellion to Napoleon Bonaparte, resulting in an uprising that even he couldn’t put to rest. Guerilla warfare, more in depth, is the use of tactics that don’t involve mass confrontation. They rely more on long drawn out smaller confrontations, slowly but surely weakening the enemy. The most prominent of these was the Peninsular War, fought between the French and the British and the Spanish guerillas. The British were able to keep a strong defensive position and with help from the guerillas eventually drove out the French regime. This loss brought Napoleon closer to defeat and his enemies realized it, causing them to go on the offensive and sack Paris, the final blow to the great Napoleon Bonaparte.