How Did Napoleon's Defeat At The Battle Of Waterloo

On June 18, 1815, Napoleon’s legendary reign finally came to an end at a crushing defeat in the village of Waterloo. Napoleon had controlled much of Europe at one point but slowly over time his powers were pushed back by many European nations such as, the Spanish, Portuguese, British, Russians, Prussians and every other major power in Europe at the time (History.com). The battle of Waterloo would not have been such a crushing defeat if the events leading up to it were different. However, Napoleon was put into a do or die situation at the time of the Battle of Waterloo. His decisions at Waterloo will affect far more than just a war. The Battle of Waterloo began to brew in 1812 (three years before), when Napoleon lost a campaign in Russia suffering
The Battle of Waterloo was more than just a battle of land or positons. It was not a major battle in terms of epic events or land gained or loss. Rather a statement, Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo created a time of peace across the whole European continent (Mason). The aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo was not only felt in France but it was a world changing event. Napoleon controlled the European world for around 15 years which meant once he lost at the Battle of Waterloo, there was a lot of land, territories, and powers up for grabs. For example, at the treaty of Vienna, France gave up no land in Europe to the British. However, they gave up territories such as South Africa, Trinidad, and Sri Lanka (Mason). These place would later become major assets (Naval bases) to the British and allow them come to great power until the rise of the U.S. England was not the only country to reap benefits from this battle, the Prussian aid on the battlefield created a strong sense of nationalism among the people (Sparknotes). They will later turn this sense of nationalism into the formation of the German empire. The Battle of Waterloo also did more than just effect other countries; it laid the footing for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO was not officially created until April 4, 1949 but the former Britain defense chief claimed Waterloo to be “The first NATO operation” (Tara). This is because of the massive mix of countries involved with stopping Napoleon in Waterloo. As for France, Louis XVIII reclaimed the throne and did his best to restart France paying close attention to the details which cause the French revolution (Sparknotes). To this day the French still have sour feelings to many involved in battle as they attempted to block the Belgians from minting a Battle of Waterloo euro