alternatehistory.com

In the initial stages of France's 1812 invasion of Russia, the Russian elite was terrified that he would attempt to liberate the serfs and start an uprising. The memory of Pugachev was strong, and there were rumors of disorder. As it turned out, Napoleon was not interested in abolishing serfdom, and the peasants calmed down.
So what if Napoleon made an effort to exploit class divides in Russia properly? The Russian army can't destroy everything nearly as effectively without peasant cooperation. Thoughts?
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