Abstract
Just over one decade ago, Pierre Branda published a study of Napoleonic public finance. The study marks a turning point in the historiography of Napoleonic war financing because, through relying on well-researched quantitative data, Branda lays to rest the long-held myth that Napoleon ‘made war pay for war’. However, the Franco-centric conceptualisation of Napoleonic resource extraction and the temporal delineation have resulted in a prism that omits certain sources of revenue. This omission has a bearing on Branda’s overall assessment of Napoleonic war financing. Through exploring French resource extraction in the Netherlands through forcing the Dutch to pay for the maintenance of a French contingent, this article builds on Branda’s work to shed a new light on the success of Napoleonic resource extraction and war financing.
Highlights
Making War Pay for WarLes avantages de cette brillante conquête pour la République sont immenses: elle lui donne des trésors, des magasins, des chantiers, des vaisseaux et surtout dans les affaires politiques et commercielles de l’Europe une prépondérance, dont il est impossible de calculer les effets et les suites
The representatives-on-mission with the Army of the North, reporting back to Paris after the conquest of the Dutch Republic in January 1795.1
The two principal instruments of French resource extraction were an indemnity of 100 million guilders (f) and an obligation to pay for the maintenance of a French contingent, which was de facto a Dutch sub sidy of the French war effort
Summary
Les avantages de cette brillante conquête pour la République sont immenses: elle lui donne des trésors, des magasins, des chantiers, des vaisseaux et surtout dans les affaires politiques et commercielles de l’Europe une prépondérance, dont il est impossible de calculer les effets et les suites. The representatives-on-mission with the Army of the North, reporting back to Paris after the conquest of the Dutch Republic in January 1795.1
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
