The war of 1812 (called the Patriotic War for the centenary) is considered by historians to be the most studied because of the abundance of documents accompanying it. Paradoxically, for the same reason, it can be considered one of the most mysterious wars! The available evidence and artifacts of the war itself and (especially) the centenary raise a lot of questions, the answers (of official historians) to which, either are not at all, or they are completely not convincing.
I wrote six articles on this topic, but they are scattered over time, difficult to find and issue by Zen for readers to choose. In this article, I will try to summarize the main points in a concise manner in order to combine all six available publications (and make them easier to understand), and also offer links to direct transitions to materials.
Guards on the march.
Who was interested in her?
The geopolitical situation in the world at that time was extremely confusing. The struggle of France and Britain for the American colonies, the continental blockade of England, the consolidation of Europe under the banner of Bonaparte, the rushing of Russia from joint plans with Napoleon (under Paul) to the pathological rejection of Bonaparte (under Alexander).
Only one beneficiary immediately becomes clear - Britain. Its costs of bribery and military actions paid off almost instantly: Napoleon, focusing on Europe, gave her North America, the continental blockade stalled because of the position of Russia, it was possible (by conspiracy and the assassination of the Russian emperor) to avoid the loss of India, and most importantly, it turned out to involve Bonaparte in the war with Russia.
Read more: "The War of 1812 - Another Look" Part 1.
Promotional video:
United Army of Europe (reconstruction).
Legend and not comfortable truth
A simple comparison of figures and events (without ideology) suggests that much was not at all true. Even without the admixture of conspiracy theories and alternative versions, there are a lot of questions about the facts that precede and accompany this war.
These are military maps, regulations, documents, military tactics, and the strange behavior of Napoleon and Alexander. The huge losses of the Russian army and the controversial decisions of Kutuzov, canonized already in Soviet times, raise questions.
Read more: "The War of 1812 - Another Look" Part 2.
Russian Guard.
Who was honored in 1912?
The centenary of the 1812 War presents us with so many surprises that it is difficult to describe them all in a succinct news feed format. These are jubilee medals, handicrafts, products, memorable compositions and much more, directly indicating the unity of the French and Russian emperors. How is this possible? Are they not enemies?
Monuments erected on the territory of Russia, along the route of … the French army, cause even greater confusion. The overwhelming majority of them (even if we are talking about our soldiers and military leaders) are under the French eagle! Is it such a gratitude of descendants to the occupying forces of the united European army? There is something to think about …
Read more: "The War of 1812 - Another Look" Part 3.
A square of the old French guard.
Continuing to wonder …
A medal dedicated to Bonaparte, issued for the anniversary in 1912? And in what language did Alexander address his (judging by the official version) soldiers (not officers - the entire army)? How was Napoleon met in the Russian cities captured by his army? What did the common people actually do and what did they expect from the French emperor?
Old maps of Russia are very different from the knowledge we received at school, but why is this so? Questions, questions, questions … Russian comics of those years (yes, yes, there were already) are full of images of tartarin - and what does Tartary have to do with it? Did France fight Russia? And who performed the ritual dance of declaring war in front of Bonaparte? There are more and more unexplainable questions (from the point of view of official history).
Read more: "The War of 1812 - Another Look" Part 4.
Emperor of France.
Who fought with whom and what goals did he pursue?
Questions are a natural state of an inquiring mind. It is the questions that move science, philosophy, allow you to acquire and accumulate experience. There is nothing strange that the war of 1812 raises so many questions - there are specially trained people (in universities, graduate schools, departments, academies) to answer them, in this case historians.
But the silence of specialists (as well as demonstrating the ability to divert the dialogue from an unnecessary topic) creates a vacuum of knowledge, which is filled with conjectures and assumptions. Critics, re-read the previous sentence!
We (people who are interested and asking questions) did not find answers from official, trained and eminent historians. We listened to reproaches from them for not knowing the subject (and was it not for knowledge that we asked them this?) And insults. All this gives us the right to express our own personal opinion about the war of 1812. It does not pretend to be the only true and not necessarily true, but NOBODY offers another explanation.
Preconditions for the version: The War of 1812 - a different look (part 5). Version.
The essence of the version of events: The War of 1812 - a different view (part 6). Version.
