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... commercial enterprises. Several merchants and banks collapsed due to a lack of business confidence. * One serious and adverse effect of this blockade was from Napoleon's bold attempt to try to enforce it on the whole of Europe i.e. his Empire. These attempts pushed the French into disastrous new expeditions and battles, the most important of which were in Spain/Portugal and Russia. Napoleon invaded Portugal and then occupied Spain in 1808. The Spanish rebelled and with financial and military support from Britain, they tied Napoleon's armies down in a long guerrilla war. Even Napoleon's personal intervention with 150,000 additional troops could not stabilize the French takeover. The French continued to win many battles but were gradually losing the war in Spain and Portugal. By 1813 Portuguese, and Spanish troops with British support had driven out the French. * The Continental System never had the disasterous effect upon Britain which Napoleon would thought ...