Three causes of Napoleon's defeat
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The Continental System: Napoleon attempted to bankrupt Britain by closing continental Europe to British trade. The system was unenforceable, infuriated European allies, and drove smuggling.
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The Peninsular War (1808-1814): Spanish guerrillas and a British army under Wellington bled French forces in Iberia. The Spanish resistance also inspired Latin American independence movements.
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The Russian Campaign (1812): Napoleon invaded Russia with 600,000 troops. The Russians retreated, burning their own land (scorched earth), and let the Russian winter destroy the French army. About 90% of Napoleon's force perished. This was the catastrophe from which he could not recover.
After defeat in 1814, Napoleon was exiled to Elba. He escaped and returned to France for the Hundred Days, only to be defeated finally at the Battle of Waterloo (June 1815). He was exiled to Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died in 1821.