With the withdrawal of Austria from the war, stalemate ensued. Although the UK had a population of approximately 16 million against France's 30 million, the French numerical advantage was offset by British subsidies that paid for many of the Austrian and Russian soldiers, peaking at about 450,000 men in 1813. Financing the warĪ key element in British success was its ability to mobilise the nation's industrial and financial resources and apply them to defeating France. Many in the French government believed that cutting Britain off from the Continent would end its economic influence over Europe and isolate it. This ensured that France could never consolidate its control over Europe in peace. Britain had the greatest industrial capacity in Europe, and its mastery of the seas allowed it to build up considerable economic strength through trade.
France's population and agricultural capacity far outstripped that of Britain. Colonial possessions, but could do nothing about France's trade with the major continental economies and posed little threat to French territory in Europe.
