world history

Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia was an utter failure. Napoleon's invasion failed for many reasons, including a lack of resources, the vastness of Russia, and the brutal winter weather. Napoleon's invasion of Russia began in June 1812 with a vast army of over half a million men, but the Russians successfully employed a scorched-earth policy, destroying anything they could not take with them, and the harsh winter weather caused Napoleon's army to suffer catastrophic losses. By December, the Grande Armée was decimated, and its army essentially disappeared, with only 10,000 soldiers making it back to their own land. Ultimately, Napoleon's invasion of Russia exemplified a strategic mistake of monumental proportions, as he left an army of hundreds of thousands of soldiers dead in a failed attempt to take control of Russia.