The Continental System failed to close British trade, and enforcing it created new strategic liabilities for Napoleon. Pressure on Portugal and Spain fed the Peninsular War, while Russian resistance contributed to the disastrous invasion of 1812. Maritime restrictions and neutral-rights disputes also form part of the path toward the Anglo-American War of 1812. Britain experienced domestic strain, including unrest associated with the Luddite movement, but command of the sea let its economy redirect trade elsewhere in the world. Britain's ability to profit through India did not make that redirected commerce benign for people living there. Napoleon is otherwise portrayed as a long-term thinker, which makes the Continental System appear unusually heavy-handed and short-sighted. Its enforcement costs widened the conflict faster than it weakened Britain.
Chapter · 21:51-24:59
How the Continental System widened the war
Attempts to enforce the Continental System helped drive conflict in Iberia, Russia, and Anglo-American trade while Britain diversified its commerce beyond Napoleon's reach.