Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to establish his absolute rule over Europe. He wanted to exclude Russia from Europe. Making pacts with Austria and Prussia and obtaining their help,Napoleon declared war on Russia in 1812. Defeating the Russian army, he reached Moscow. The Russian army kept retreating. The Russian Czar waited till the onset of harsh winter and snow. The French army suffered terribly from disease, hunger and cold. Lakhs of French soldiers died of cold. In this way, Napoleon’s Moscow campaign failed. According to Fischer, the Moscow campaign was not a conflict between two nations, but it was a confrontation between an ambitious person and the nationalist sentiment of a religious community.
