A Brief History
On May 11, 1713, Finnish residents of Helsinki burned their own capital city to the ground rather than allow the Russian invaders to possess their city during the Great Northern War. The Russians, under Czar Peter the Great, had territorial designs on their neighbors just as the Russians of today under Vladimir Putin are trying to conquer Ukraine.
Digging Deeper
Ironically, it was the Russian residents of Moscow that burned their own city in 1812 to prevent Napoleon Bonaparte and his invading French Grande Armée from enjoying their pyrrhic victory over the Russians. The Soviets again used a scorched earth policy during WWII.
The tactic of “scorched earth” has been used historically by retreating armies to prevent invaders from using or enjoying the resources of lands being conquered. At other times, invading armies have employed the tactic to prevent locals and native armies from maintaining resistance, notably by Union General Sherman during his “March to the Sea” during the American Civil War and the US during the Vietnam War.
Note: The US military eradication of the Bison across the Great Plains to deprive Native Americans of their sustenance is another example of “scorched earth” tactics.
Question for students (and subscribers): Is using scorched earth tactics a war crime? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Hourly History. Great Northern War: A History from Beginning to End. Hourly History, 2021.
Mikaberidze, Alexander. The Burning of Moscow: Napoleon’s Trail By Fire, 1812. Pen & Sword Military, 2014.
The featured image in this article, a painting of Napoleon I of France in Moscow (1812), is in the public domain in the United States because it meets three requirements:
- it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days),
- it was first published before 1 March 1989 without copyright notice or before 1964 without copyright renewal or before the source country established copyright relations with the United States,
- it was in the public domain in its home country (Poland) on the URAA date (1 January 1996).
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