Popular Resistance in the French Wars

Download or read book Popular Resistance in the French Wars written by Charles Esdaile and published by Springer. This book was released on 2004-12-14 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the Napoleonic period warfare ceased to be a matter for armies alone, but also became an affair of the people. So, at least, runs the usual claim. In Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and Russia outraged peasants and townsfolk rose against the French armies and fell upon them without mercy. From these insurrections we get the modern word 'guerrilla', but did armed civilians really play an important a role in the struggle? In this collection of essays a group of specialists on the Napoleonic epoch tease out the question, and arrive at some startling conclusions.