Write a position paper on the following question: Should Napoleon Bonaparte have used the Continental System in his attempt to defeat Britain?
Napoleon Bonaparte has been considered one of the most successful military leaders in history, driving France to conquer virtually all of Europe. However, despite all of his success, he was not over-confident. He recognized the fact that France lacked the resources to invade Great Britain, and he had already learned the defeat of his navy in the battle of Trafalgar that the French navy was no match for the strength of the British navy. Facing the fact that France could not defeat Britain by way of military strength alone, Napoleon turned to a different method of attack on Britain. He believed that, as a result of the Industrial Revolution, the British economy would be very vulnerable to a blockade on all trade with continental Europe. Although Napoleon's forces were incapable of successfully intercepting the transport ships conducting Britain's trade with continental Europe, he did have the power to stop British trade at the ports of Europe. Having conquered or allied with nearly all major European powers, Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree (which would end up in the development of the Continental System) in November of 1806, forbidding all nations under his influence from trading with Great Britain, setting up blockades at all ports. His aim was to weaken the British economy, thus diminishing the power of the British military. Unfortunately, the effect of this action was very far from what was expected, as, while Britain did suffer from some unemployment and rising prices, ways were found to, in a sense, get around the Continental Blockades. On top of that, the overall collateral damage done to Europe was much more substantial than the actual harm done to Great Britain. The Continental System also even led to some political and military conflicts: from Portugal's refusal to join the System, to Russia's...