Description "Berezina! "This word, which has now passed into everyday language, illustrates in itself how the experience of the Russian campaign is rooted in the national memory. This memory is, moreover, shared by the Russians who make 1812 a founding element of their history.
The confrontation between the two empires, allies since 1807, which takes place in excess before turning to disaster, offers a dramaturgy that lends itself to the story: the preparation phase, the beginning of the campaign until its apotheosis during the entry into Moscow, soon in flames, then the fall, with this slow dramatic retreat carried out for the most part on foot, in the freezing cold of the Russian winter.
Beyond the narration of the main episodes of this expedition, a reflection is needed on the trauma that this tragic campaign represented. Through numerous sources and a rich literature, Jacques-Olivier Boudon endeavours to cross the approaches to help us understand the major role of this episode in the construction of European memories.
Jacques-Olivier BoudonThe author of numerous works on the Napoleonic era, professor of contemporary history at the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne, is president of the Napoleon Institute.
"A documented book that takes a new look at the greatest French defeat, and what remains of it. " - HISTORIA
Author : Jacques-Olivier Boudon
Publisher : Armand Colin
Date of publication : May 2, 2012
Format :153 x 235 mm
Pages : 334
More information here : www.armand-colin.com/napoleon-et-la-campagne-de-russie-1812-9782200257651
