with the U.S.A., leading to war in r8rz, was distracting the attention of
the political elite
The growing volume of peace petitions reflected a general feeling that
the struggle with Napoleon was no longer worth the candle. The
unpopularity of the Orders in Council reached a peak in r 8 II and in July
of the following year Lord Liverpool's government was forced to
abandon them - too late, however, to prevent war with the U.S.A. By
r8rz the Continental System was beginning to bite for the second time.
Had there been prolonged famine, Luddism might have swept all before
it, with incalculable consequences. In the short term it was Napoleon's
very system of licences, allowing the export of cereals to perfidious
Albion, that saved England from famine. That was one irony. Another
was that in the long term, Napoleon's decision to invade Russia saved
Britain in r8rz, just as his incursion into Spain had saved her in r8o8.
The third irony is that Napoleon used his licence system to pay for the
campaign in Russia. As the Emperor prepared for a final settling of
accounts with the Czar, the fate of England hung in the balance. If he
triumphed in Moscow, he would surely attain his dearest wish and
celebrate a Te Deum in London.
marcin
(Marcin)
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