Why did it take so long to defeat France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars?

... Why did it take so long to defeat France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars? With Napoleon beginning his military career in 1796/7 with victories in the Italian Campaign, a new form of an old threat was realised in Europe. It was obvious that Napoleon was a general to be feared in his own right, let alone as the leader of the most powerful nation in Europe. Napoleons self-declaration of 'Emperor' in 1804 proved beyond doubt to Europe that Napoleon ambitions were empirical. It was obvious that Napoleon as a general would be difficult to defeat. Throughout the last decade of the 18th century and the first decade and a half of the 19th century, the power of France became almost absolute. Yet with many other countries in Europe that would not benefit from France being so powerful, why didn't these countries defeat France sooner rather than later, and why did

want to read more? →