Collapse and Consequences

The Continental System's collapse was gradual but inevitable, as its economic costs eventually outweighed its strategic benefits. The system's enforcement required enormous military and administrative resources that drained French finances and diverted troops from other objectives. The economic hardships it created in allied territories undermined political support for French leadership.

The decisive moment came with Russia's withdrawal from the system in 1810. Tsar Alexander I's decision to allow neutral trade with Britain, communicated through the Ukase of December 1810, directly violated the Continental System and provided Napoleon with the pretext for the Russian campaign of 1812. This decision reflected Russian recognition that the system's costs exceeded its benefits.

The system's collapse revealed the limits of political control over economic forces. Despite Napoleon's enormous power and military success, he could not force Europeans to abandon trade relationships that served their economic interests. The profits from illegal trade provided incentives for resistance that military force could not overcome, while the economic hardships created by the system generated political opposition that ultimately contributed to Napoleon's downfall.