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→Why did Napoleon Win?
There were several reasons as to why the French won at Austerlitz. One of them was Napoleon’s military genius. He had cleverly convinced his enemies that he was weaker than he was by his insincere proposal for peace negotiations. This fooled the Tsar and encouraged him to stand and fight. This played into Bonaparte's hands.<ref> Chandler, p. 409</ref> Then the French strategy and tactics during the battle were brilliant. Napoleon predicted where and when the allies would attack and then attacked them at their weakest point. This meant that he and his troops were able to rout a huge army in less than a day’s fighting. Another reason for the French victory was the superior organization of the French army, the corps system was flexible and could react to any changes in the battlefield.<ref> Stutterheim, Karl. <i>A Detailed Account of the Battle of Austerlitz</i>. Pine-Coffin, John (trans.) (London: Thomas Goddard, 1807) p. 46 </ref>
The French officers were also much better than the allies who only had their position, because of their birth and were often incompetent. The average French soldier at Austerlitz was a battle hardened veteran who was inspired by the ideals of the Revolution. The French cannon was superior to the allies, but not much so. One of the main reasons why Napoleon was able to defeat the combined armies of Austria and Russia was that they were fighting in an eighteenth-century manner. Their organization, tactics and strategy were outmoded, according to a German observer of the battle.<ref> Stutterhein, p. 19</ref> The French had changed the nature of warfare and this was not recognized by the Allies. Furthermore, the Tsar interfered with his commander’s decisions and many Generals only agreed with his tactics out of respect for his Royal Person. This meant that the great Russian General Kutsov was sidelined. He had proposed different tactics and this was to draw Napoleon further into eastern Europe, to weaken him before the allies would destroy him. This was actually what Kutsov would do when Napoleon invaded Russian in 1813. The Tsar’s failure to listen to his most experienced soldier contributed to his disastrous defeat. Another reason for the victory of the French was the failure of the Prussians to send their army on time, they could have helped to turn the tide of the battle if they had been present.<ref >Chandler, p. 409</ref>
==Conclusions==
Austerlitz was a great victory. However, it was not the decisive victory that it has often been portrayed. Napoleon was able to inflict a defeat on the Coalition. Napoleon won because he duped the allies into thinking that he wanted negotiations, which prompted them to seek a battle, which he had expected and wanted. The allies perhaps should have avoided a battle and allowed Napoleon’s army to suffer from an overextended supply line in winter. During the actual battle, Napoleon’s strategy worked very well. His strategy and tactics were superb. Then his army was superior to the allies, except their cavalry. His units were well led, motivated and flexible, while the allies were using led by often incompetent officers and poorly organized. These factors all allowed Napoleon to defeat a slightly larger army and establish French supremacy in much of Europe.<ref> Abbot, p. 376</ref>
==Reference==
