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Britain versus the Continental System
After his Navy was destroyed at Trafalgar in 1805, Napoleon realized that if his empire was ever going to be secure, he would have to defeat Britain. However, he realized he could not do so with military power, and instead decided to wage an economic war. His plan to bring Britain to its knees was called the Continental System, which would prevent British goods from entering Europe. Without having the European market to buy up its manufactures, Napoleon hoped Britain would undergo a severe depression, hurting the nation's economy and ability to maintain such a powerful navy. Napoleon wanted to hobble the British economy and give France a chance to build up its own manufacturing and industry while rebuilding its Navy.
The Continental System began in 1806 with Napoleon’s Berlin Decree, which banned British ships from entering European ports. Britain, in response, made a concerted effort to undermine the Continental System by contracting out its shipments to neutral vessels. Countering, Napoleon next issued the Milan Decree in December 1807. This harsh decree, aimed against smuggling, stated that neutral ships that stopped in Britain before landing in Europe were subject to confiscation. Britain then retaliated through sea power, creating a blockade of all European ships. If Europe wouldn't allow British ships to dock at European ports, Britain wouldn’t allow European ships to sail on what was then Britain’s ocean.
European Support for the Continental System
The other nations of Europe, including Austria, Prussia, and Russia, were willing to side with Napoleon in the Continental system because, for the most part, they did dislike Britain. Britain was wealthy, rapidly industrialized, and isolationist, using its naval dominance to build up colonies and trade networks that were the envy of all of Europe. Thus, when Napoleon demanded that a Europe-wide boycott of British goods take place under his Continental System, there were many who were glad for an opportunity to reduce Britain.
Effects of the British Blockade
Despite this, the British blockade preventing European ships from sailing was not intended to “starve” Europe or make it suffer in any direct sense. Britain’s real goal was to prevent France and its allies from trading throughout Europe using shipping. With no railways, most transfer of goods from city to city and country-to-country was accomplished by boat. Unable to trade by sea routes, goods then had to be moved through Europe by wagons, a slower, more difficult means of transport that were particularly poor for crossing mountainous areas. The British blockade thus severely handicapped internal European trading, which needed sea-shipping to operate at full capacity.
