Western Civilization II / Unit 8 WC2 0727 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Sequencing Napoleon, 1795 to 1815
The idea
The exam hands you the era's events out of order and asks which came first. The method is three fixed points: Brumaire in seventeen ninety-nine, Trafalgar in eighteen-oh-five, and Waterloo in eighteen fifteen. The empire rose between the first two and fell between the last two.
In practice
Place seven events. The Concordat: eighteen-oh-one, after Brumaire and before the coronation of eighteen-oh-four. Austerlitz: December eighteen-oh-five, weeks after Trafalgar. The Confederation of the Rhine: eighteen-oh-six, after Austerlitz. Tilsit: eighteen-oh-seven, the height. Spain: eighteen-oh-eight, the first wound. Russia: eighteen twelve. Leipzig: eighteen thirteen, then abdication in fourteen. The Congress of Vienna: November fourteen to June fifteen, spanning Elba, the escape and Waterloo. The order reads Brumaire, Concordat, coronation, Trafalgar, Austerlitz, Confederation, Tilsit, Spain, Russia, Leipzig, abdication, the Congress, Waterloo.
Where people slip
Two of the anchor's dates are corrected on the standard record: Egypt is seventeen ninety-eight and Borodino is September. Neither changes the order. The Congress is the trap, because it began before Waterloo and ended after it.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
- 0703Brumaire 1799: The Consulate, Consul for Life, Emperor 1804
- 0705Trafalgar, October 1805: Britain Beyond Reach
- 07071806: The Holy Roman Empire Dissolved, the Confederation of the Rhine
- 0715The Spanish Ulcer, 1808: Guerrilla War
- 0717Russia, 1812: Six Hundred Thousand March
- 0720The Hundred Days and Waterloo, June 1815
- 0723The Congress of Vienna, 1814 to 1815: Who Sat and What They Wanted
Unlocks
- Nothing yet depends on this.
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