TechMUN 2015
JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
JCC Napoleonic Wars:
French Cabinet
Thomas Jefferson High School Model United Nations Conference
TechMUN 2015
High School Crisis Committee
Czar: Will Frank
Director: Rushi Shah
Chair: Spencer Weiss
Chair: Shreya Mandava
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
TechMUN 2015
JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
Dear Delegates,
My name is Will Frank and I am one of the
Crisis Czars for TechMUN 2015. I am proud to be
coordinating several of the committees we will
have this year at the conference including the
Napoleonic Wars JCC, the Gotham Crime Lords,
and Ad-Hoc. Our goal is to make a crisis
experience that allows delegates to take control of
their own committees while receiving exciting
crises that force them to respond with innovative
and creative solutions.
To tell you a little bit about myself, I began my Model UN career in 7th grade at Kilmer Middle School
and have been an avid participant since then. I have participated with the TJ MUN club at several national
conferences and have had some of my truly best memories on those trips. Outside of Model UN I am a Boy
Scout on the verge of getting Eagle Scout and am currently serving as Lead Instructor for my Troop. In this
position I’m responsible for teaching younger Scouts new skills. In addition, I play Varsity Lacrosse for TJ
and also enjoy playing basketball and football with friends.
In committee I expect delegates to respond well to crises with quality solutions and be in
communication with crisis consistently by writing personal and/or committee directives. However,
delegates should make sure not to be neglectful of committee debate. I look forward to seeing all of you at
TechMUN!
Sincerely,
Will Frank
Crisis Czar
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
TechMUN 2015
JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
Hello delegates, my name is Rushi Shah and I will be one of your Crisis Directors for the
Napoleonic JCC at TechMUN 2015.
Needless to say I cannot wait for the
committee and I am sure you are
equally excited. We have a great
weekend planned with plenty of crises
to keep the committees interesting. At
times it may seem daunting but I can
promise you will leave this committee
wiser, stronger, and with memories to
last a lifetime.
I am currently a junior at TJ and
public speaking activities have been an integral part of my high school experience. I have been
participating in MUN since middle school and crises are by far my favorite types of committees. I
am also heavily involved in my school’s Public Forum Debate Team, Mock Trial Club, and Science
and Law Club. Past speaking activities I am also interested in Computer Science; if I am not at a
MUN conference over the weekend chances are I am at a programming competition or working on
personal computer science projects that let you draw out code or even control drones with voicecommands. To stay active I am a competitive rock-climber and a recreational runner. Finally I
travel extensively and have visited over 20 different countries in five continents.
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
TechMUN 2015
JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
As a crisis director I would like to echo the sentiment of Napoleon Bonaparte himself:
“Imagination rules the world”. We have been working on this committee tirelessly, and like any
other crisis, we hope to see terrific debate, quick responses to updates, and strong diplomatic
relations. I would suggest formulating a well thought out crisis plan and preparing to adapt it
often.
Good luck, may your swords stay sharp and your mind sharper,
-Rushi Shah
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
TechMUN 2015
JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
Dear Delegates and Faculty Advisors,
It is my pleasure to welcome you
to TechMUN 2015. My name is Spencer
Weiss, and look forward to serving as
your chair for the French Cabinet of the
Napoleonic Wars Joint Crisis
Committee. Together with the British
Cabinet, as world powers square off for
the third time in only twenty years, the
impending European conflict promises
to provide constant diplomatic and
military action.
I am a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and this is my
fourth TechMUN, since I participated in my first as a middle school delegate. Besides Model
United Nations, I enjoy TJ Student Government as the Treasurer of the Class of 2016 and Boy
Scouts, as an Eagle Scout with Troop 673. I also play TJ Varsity Football and tutor with the TJ
Writing Center.
Since Britain’s declaration of war, Napoleon Bonaparte has worked tirelessly to ready the
Grand Armée for conflict and to advance the social structure of France. The committee must
exercise the full extent of its power in order to counter British military and economic might. In the
words of our Consul and Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, “The battlefield is a scene of constant
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
TechMUN 2015
JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemy’s.” Good
luck!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact
[email protected]. I look forward to meeting all of you at the conference!
Sincerely,
Spencer Weiss
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
TechMUN 2015
JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
Dear Delegates and Faculty Advisors,
Welcome to the French Cabinet
Joint Crisis Committee of Napoleonic
Wars and the amazing experience that
is TechMUN 2015! My name is Shreya
Mandava and I am honored to be
serving as one of your chairs. I am
most excited for this committee
because it will provide delegates with
the opportunity to not only simulate a
war cabinet in a high-pressure
scenario, but to rewrite what we now
know as significant world history.
Before jumping into the essence of the committee, let me tell you some things about myself.
I am currently a junior at TJHSST and this is my third year participating in Model United Nations. I
love to travel and had lived in countries such as Australia and Canada before moving to the states.
In addition to Model UN, I spend time volunteering and researching at Johns Hopkins University
during the summer. I also love playing guitar, lacrosse, and binge watching crime shows on Netflix.
The goal of this committee as the cabinet of Napoleon Bonaparte will be to endure a wide
array of war crises and to ultimately prevail over Great Britain for the advancement of what
Napoleon envisioned as a potential French Empire. Delegates will have the opportunity to display
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
TechMUN 2015
JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
creativity, diplomacy, leadership, and collaboration in their efforts to carry their nation to victory
both economically and militarily. With two equally dynamic topics, I look forward to seeing the
results of your research and the variety of ideas that will be presented over the course of the
committee.
Best of luck,
Shreya Mandava
Background:
Decades of tumult preceded the ascension of Napoleon Bonaparte, characterized
principally by the French Revolution, which began in 1789. Popular discontent with monarchical
authority contributed to social antagonism that led to the Tennis Court Oath, the Declaration of
the Rights of Man and the French Revolutionary Wars (“Napoleonic Wars, 1789 - 1816”). France’s
relations with other commonly monarchical European powers were threatened by the overthrow
of King Louis XVI and the formation of a republican government (“French Revolution”). In the
Declaration of Pillnitz of 1791, the Hapsburg Monarchy of Austria and the Kingdom of Prussia
issued a rousing call to rulers across the continent to aid the French king in regaining power and
the nation of France in re-establishing a monarchy in order to ensure the stability of the rest of
Europe’s monarchies ("The United States and the French Revolution").
On April 20 of the following year, France declared war on Austria and Prussia, leading to
the War of the First Coalition of the French Revolutionary Wars. This initial coalition consisted of
Austria, Sardinia, Naples, Prussia, Spain and Great Britain, but was defeated by 1797 and peace
was brokered with the signing of the Treaty of Campo Formio, which ceded to France most of
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School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
TechMUN 2015
JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
present-day Belgium and some Italian territories. The brief, though supposedly “firm and
inviolable,” peace ended with the formation of the Second Coalition against France, which was
composed principally of Austria, Great Britain, Naples, the Ottoman Empire, the Papal States,
Portugal, Russia and Sweden. Despite early hindrances due to tensions within the Directory of the
relatively new French Republic, the nation held its own in the conflict. Upon Napoleon’s return
from military conquest in Egypt, he began a coup that resulted in the establishment of a Consulate
with himself as the leader. Napoleon enacted sweeping social and military reforms that
contributed to the Austrian withdrawal from the war in the Treaty of Lunéville and later armistice
with Great Britain in the Peace of Amiens. Napoleon’s ascent to Emperor of the French took place
with his fabled self-coronation in representative defiance of both Pope Pius VII and papal
authority as a political force in 1804 (Wilde).
Topic A: Battle Strategies/Alliances
With a declaration of war against France in May 1803, Britain ended the uneasy Treaty of
Amiens, which included provisions for the return of foreign territories and the official British
recognition of the French Republic. Britain felt threatened by French encroachment upon
Switzerland, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, as well as Napoleon’s threat to the stability of
continental Europe and Britain’s overseas colonies. Fearing additional advancements by
Napoleon and taking advantage of a recouping French military, the British did not withdraw from
Malta as promised in the Treaty of Amiens and commenced war with France after a mere year of
peace between the perpetually belligerent nations ("Napoleonic Wars and the United States").
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
TechMUN 2015
JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
With war imminent, Britain strengthened its economic and maritime dominance over the
rest of Europe with its colonial empire and Royal Navy, while Napoleon swiftly readied his
military force by forming the Grand Armeé (Bordo and White 303-16). He hoped to execute a
direct invasion of Britain, but prospects were bleak due to British naval control of the English
Channel ("Napoleonic Wars Campaigns and Battles").
In large part due to the aggressive diplomacy employed by Napoleon and the hope by other
nations of continental Europe for conquest, the French lack promising candidates for strong
alliances, but some hope exists to form a bloc against Britain. Though it lost much of its military
force in previous conflicts with France, Austria remains a formidable enemy due to its advanced
recruiting infrastructure. The Prussian military has regressed since the reign of Frederick II, but
its hopes for conquest make it unlikely to ally with France. Russia’s position is cryptic, but it is
common knowledge that Czar Alexander I would oppose conflicts with Prussia and Austria.
Russia’s military force is colossal
in
size, but currently lacks effective
organization and equipment. The
Spanish and Portuguese strongly
oppose French military presence
in
the Iberian Peninsula. Spanish
rebels are gaining power, and
government leaders must be
convinced to maintain French rule.
The
Portuguese are allied with the British as a link to the economic world not under Napoleon’s
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
TechMUN 2015
JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
influence, and would likely support a Spanish revolt against the French. Denmark has allied with
France due to British attacks on its fleet in 1801. Its remaining navy could provide needed naval
support in northern Europe, but the size of its army dictates use only in local engagements. The
Ottoman Empire is not on good terms with most of Europe due to a series of wars against Russia
and Austria, and would be interested in reclaiming lost Balkan territories, though burgeoning
Serbian nationalism could present a distraction. The diverse German territories vary from
ambivalence to hostility toward the French, though many could be persuaded to align with the
French if threatened by the Prussians. The Batavian Republic was made a French satellite state
after its takeover in 1795. King Gustav IV of Sweden has become wary of Napoleon and has begun
to censor French literature despite recent social advances in the country (“Napoleonic Wars”). It
is imperative that the French gain military partners to defend against imminent British attacks, or
at the very least, to prevent Britain from forming another coalition against France.
Napoleon has come to be known for his bold fighting style, in which he used direct assaults
to engage the enemy’s main and reserve troops and subsequently sent his own reserves to carry
out a devastating flank or rear assault. This innovative approach was enabled by the mobility and
training of Napoleon’s armies, which surpassed most others in Europe at the time. In addition,
artillery was used to engage larger amounts of enemy troops than could be accomplished with
infantry alone (“Napoleonic Wars Campaigns and Battles”). The committee must make use of an
advanced battle scheme to combat enemy forces and work to engender further military advances
for the French.
With control over a large geographical area, and ambition for an even larger domain,
France must be prepared to sustain its military over long distances. Doing so will require ample
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School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
TechMUN 2015
JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
funding and organization, and must remain a priority even as tensions mount with other nations.
The recruitment of soldiers from France and its subsidiary regions should be pursued expediently
in order to take advantage of the country’s initial advantage in population size to form additional
Corps d’Armée, or army divisions. British naval superiority is unquestioned at this point, and if
the French wish to avoid maritime humiliation and counter British control of the seas, they must
strengthen their naval forces and align with nations possessing strong navies.
Questions to Consider:
1. What can the French do to gain allies in the war against Britain and to prevent the
formation of a Third Coalition against France?
2. How can additional troops be recruited from France and its satellite states without inciting
unrest in the respective populations?
3. How can provisions and reinforcements be provided to troops quickly across long
distances?
4. How can the French develop their navy and utilize the navies of other nations to prevent
further control of the seas by the British Royal Navy?
5. How can troops be effectively equipped and transported in expectation of combat
situations in various part of the continent of Europe?
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
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JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
Topic B: Undermining British Economic Power
One of the most considerable strengths of Great Britain in the decades leading up to the
War of the Third Coalition was its economic dominance over the entire continent of Europe. Much
of its power was derived from the recent Industrial Revolution of the late 18th century in which
Britain had developed a highly efficient manufacturing sector in conjunction with a strong navy.
The additional juxtaposition of shipping and industry made trade an illustrious source of income
for Britain (“British Industrial Revolution”) . In the 1790s, France had established a tariff on
British manufactured goods and even goods that had merely passed through British zones in an
attempt to control its perpetual enemy. Britain, in response, imposed a naval blockade on French
coastlines. Even after the Wars of the First and Second Coalitions, many French government
officials viewed efforts to hinder Britain’s economy as a vital strategy for war and formulated
strategies to do so (Lane).
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
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JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
On November 21, 1806 Napoleon Bonaparte made perhaps the most important French
economic policy decision of the war by issuing the Berlin Decree (“Napoleonic Wars, 1789 1816”). This declaration forbade the importation of British goods by any European country allied
with or dependent upon France at the time including Prussia and Poland (“The Berlin Decree”);
essentially, Napoleon had issued an
embargo against his enemy and set
forth
what is now known as the Continental
System (Bloy). The Milan Decree of
1807, a counterpart to the earlier Berlin
Decree, expanded the previous embargo
against British goods to include every
European nation. When Britain
responded later that year, they issued for the Orders in Council, prohibiting any neutral nations
from trading at the French ports or those of French allies (Galani).
While these decrees exemplify Napoleon and the French government’s most significant
attempts at economic warfare, results were very mixed. British merchants often bypassed the
trade restrictions by smuggling their goods; this remained plausible because of Britain’s control
over the ocean (Daly). In addition, the dependence of many European economies upon trade with
Britain for colonial goods such as coffee, sugar, and tobacco resulted in widespread rejection of the
Continental System (Bloy). The goal of this committee will be to formulate a plan to undermine the
economic strength of Britain to the advantage of France, yet avoid the conflicts of hostile foreign
governments, naval defeat, and financial collapse.
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
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JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
Questions to Consider:
1. To what extent did the Continental System aid France during the war? If imposed, what
changes will need to be made?
2. Will large-scale trade embargos against Britain ultimately escalate conflicts with nonBritish foreign governments and hinder French alliances? How can France prevent this?
3. In what ways will the efforts to impede Britain’s economy be interconnected with the
struggle against British naval power?
4. Should changes be made to France’s own infrastructure to promote economic growth? If so,
what should be the approach and what sectors should be targeted?
5. Should France open additional seaports and seek out new trading partners? Could these
seaports be utilized for the dual purposes of economic and military strategy?
Committee Procedures
Committee will begin on May 18, 1804, the day that Napoleon Bonaparte becomes the
Emperor of France. Topics occurring after this date described above are real events, but may be
maintained or altered throughout the committee session. The committee will be representing His
Majesty the Emperor's Cabinet of Ministers, which will have the power to exercise full control over
military, political, diplomatic and internal policy decisions. Napoleon will be leading the army at
the front lines, and will hence not be represented, though it is likely that he will be available for
correspondence by personal or committee means.
Positions represented will include the Secretary of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Minister of the Interior, Minister of Justice, Minister of War, Minister of War Administration,
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JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
Minister of Finance, Minister of the Treasury, Minister of the Navy and Colonies, Minister of Police,
Minister of Religious Affairs and Minister of Manufacturing and Commerce. Non-Ministerial
positions in the Cabinet include the Colonial Attachés for Canada, Algeria, West Africa, Singapore
and Hindustan, the Colonial Representative for the Golden Quarter, the Chairman of the Banque de
France, and the Director of Ministerial Coordination ("Cabinet of Ministers of the French Empire").
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
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JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
Works Cited
Bloy, Marjorie. "The Age of George III." The Continental System. N.p., 26 Oct. 2013. Web.
<http://www.historyhome.co.uk/c-eight/france/consys.htm>
Bordo, Michael D., and Eugene N. White. "A Tale of Two Currencies: British and French Finance
During the Napoleonic Wars." The Journal of Economic History 51.2 (1991): 303-16.
JSTOR. Web. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/2122576>.
"British Industrial Revolution." British Industrial Revolution. Clemson University, n.d. Web.
<http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/PamMack/lec122/britir.ht
m>.
"Cabinet of Ministers of the French Empire." Alternative History. Web.
<http://althistory.wikia.com/wiki/Cabinet_of_Ministers_of_the_French_Empire_(Na
poleon's_World)>.
Daly, Gavin. "English Smugglers, the Channel, and the Napoleonic Wars, 1800–1814." Journal of
British Studies 46.1 (2007): 30-46. JSTOR. Web.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/10.1086/508397.pdf?&acceptTC=true&jpdC
onfirm=true>
"French Revolution." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/219315/French-Revolution>.
Galani, Katherin. "The Napoleonic Wars and the Disruption of Mediterranean Shipping and
Trade: British, Greek and American Merchants in Livorno." Academia.edu. University of Oxford,
2010. Web.
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
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<http://www.academia.edu/932089/The_Napoleonic_Wars_and_the_Disruption_of_
Mediterranean_Shipping_and_Trade_British_Greek_and_American_Merchants_in_Liv
orno>
Lane, Allen. "Blood, Sweat and Tears." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 23 Nov. 2013.
Web. <http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21590344-hownapoleonic-wars-made-britain-blood-sweat-and-tears>
Napoleon I. "The Berlin Decree of November 21 1806." The "Berlin Decree" of November 21 1806.
The Fondation Napoleon, n.d. Web.
<http://www.napoleon.org/en/reading_room/articles/files/berlin_decree.asp>
"Napoleonic Wars and the United States." Office of the Historian. US Department of State. Web.
<https://history.state.gov/milestones/1801-1829/napoleonic-wars>.
"Napoleonic Wars Campaigns and Battles." PBS. PBS. Web.
<http://www.pbs.org/empires/napoleon/n_war/campaign/page_1.html#Top>.
"Napoleonic Wars." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/403224/Napoleonic-Wars>.
"Napoleonic Wars, 1789 - 1816." Wordology. Wordology, LLC, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015
<http://www.worldology.com/Europe/napoleonic_wars.htm>
"The United States and the French Revolution." Office of the Historian. US Department of State.
Web. <https://history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/french-rev>.
Wilde, Robert. "French Revolutionary Wars: War of the First Coalition." European History. About.
Web. <http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/napoleonicwars/a/The-FrenchRevolutionary-Wars-War-Of-The-First-Coalition.htm>.
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015
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JCC Napoleonic Wars: French Cabinet
Wilde, Robert. "The War of the Second Coalition 1799 – 1801." European History. About. Web.
<http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/napoleonicwars/a/The-War-Of-TheSecond-Coalition-1799-1801.htm>.
Images:
The Expansion of France. Wikimedia. Wikimedia. Web.
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Strategic_Situation_of_E
urope_1803.jpg>.
Berlin Decree. Mediahex. Mediahex 2014. Web.
<https://historyguys.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/the-continental-system-18061810-copy.jpg>
TechMUN at Stuart Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and JEB Stuart High
School Fairfax, VA | April 10-11, 2015