Continental System

Continental System, a principle of isolation which Napoleon endeavoured in 1806 to establish by a paper blockade to prevent other European nations from having commercial intercourse with England. This Berlin decree was met by the English Government issuing, in 1807, an order in council which inaugurated a system of reprisals. This was further met by Napoleon with the Milan decree of 1808 of a still more stringent nature. Both decrees and orders set utterly at naught the international rights of neutrals, who were the chief sufferers. Russia's refusal to accede to Napoleon's views led to the disastrous Moscow campaign. The principle of paper blockade has now been generally abandoned.