Episode 15: Napoleon and the French Revolution

Profiles in Strategy

In this episode Jon O’Gorman hosts John Maurer, George Satterfield, and Vanya Bellinger to talk about the wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon. They talk about the French revolution as an existential threat to the monarchies of Europe. Next, they speak about the problems Napoleon had with policy strategy match for his aims. The conversation then moves to the how Napoleon influenced Clausewitz in his theories on war. We speak about Napoleon's key strategic problems of being a continental power fighting a maritime power, the Spanish insurgency, and the fateful decision to march on Moscow. Additional other inflection points of times where Napoleon might have made different choices to better his strategic position. We end by talking about key strategic takeaways for the contemporary environment.