Regarding general reaction

Posted by Leanne S on April 20, 1998 at 11:56:54:

In response to boney, written by Phil C on April 19, 1998 at 11:17:58

] ] Do you mean the initial reaction of the Great British Public,the official reaction of the government , or what?

The general reaction of those at home: upper, middle, lower classes -- not those cits who were having fun in Europe until Boney spoiled it all.

] I would have thought that the public at that time would have been so poorly informed that they wouldn't have really known about the heavy losses. Plus news travelled so slowly at that time.

That may be. But from what I've read the losses were pretty devastating. I would perhaps go so far as to think that everybody knew somebody whose son, husband, brother had died or somehow managed to survive that particular battle. Then again, a lot of the troops were Prussians and the like, so perhaps not.

] As for winning, we'd have probably been better off if we'd lost. Napoleon was really popular in france and the Napoleonic code (?) was well ahead of its time. Especially in comparison with the monarchy.

Again, from what I've read (which isn't much!) he was just as tyrannical as the hereditary monarchy -- and wasn't he planning to pass the Empire onto his son or something?

---

REPLIES:

• Napoleonic Code Caroline 12:32:46 4/20/98 (9)
  • Napoleonic Code Laura W 11:41:09 4/21/98 (3)
    • Plus ca change. . . . Ken 07:55:01 4/22/98 (2)
      • Oh, Ken!!!!!;-) Caroline 08:40:54 4/22/98 (1)
        • Why Yes. . . Ken 11:39:17 4/22/98 (0)
  • Bony John W 19:10:58 4/20/98 (4)
    • Hardly Ken 08:24:13 4/21/98 (3)
      • Je regrets de vous informer que.. Caroline 17:12:25 4/21/98 (2)
        • Nap John W 02:11:28 4/22/98 (1)
          • Just between you and me Caroline 07:07:10 4/22/98 (0)

---

Posting followups to old messages is disabled; instead go to the main index and post a new message which mentions this one.