When was the scorched earth policy

Vlad the Impaler retreated to Transylvania. During his departure, he conducted scorched earth tactics to ward off Sultan Mehmed II's approach. When the Ottoman forces approached Tirgoviste , they encountered over 20, people impaled by the forces of Vlad the Impaler, creating a "forest" of dead or dying bodies on stakes. This atrocious, gut-wrenching sight caused the Ottomans to withdraw. Shivaji Maharaj had introduced scorched earth tactics known as Ganimi Kava [14] —his forces looted traders and businessmen from Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's empire, and burnt down his cities.

But they were strictly ordered not to rape or hurt the innocent civilians, and not to cause any sort of disrespect to any of the religious institutes. Shivaji's son, Sambhaji Maharaj , was detested throughout the Mughal Empire for his scorched earth tactics until he and his men were captured by Muqarrab Khan and his Mughal Army contingent of 25, Sambhaji was particularly condemned for the three days of ravaging committed after the Battle of Burhanpur.

The Maratha cavalry numbering 40, had sacked the town of Midnapore and set granaries and villages ablaze. This article does not contain any citations or references. Please improve this article by adding a reference. For information about how to add references, see Template:Citation. This attitude was the result of French plundering and general ill-treatment of civilians in the previous invasions.

The poor, angered people would rather destroy anything that had to be left behind rather than leaving it to the French. French soldiers reported that the country "seemed to empty ahead of them". While there were instances of similar behavior by British soldiers, considering that Portugal was their ally, such crimes were generally investigated, and those found punished.

Coimbra's sack made the populace even more determined in leaving nothing and when the French armies reached the Lines of Torres Vedras on the way to Lisbon, low morale, hunger, disease, and indiscipline had rendered the French Army of Portugal into a much weaker force.

This method was later recommended to Russia when Napoleon made his move. In Czar Alexander I was able to render Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Russia useless by utilizing a scorched-earth retreat method, similar to that made by the Portuguese.

Encountering only desolate and useless land Napoleon 's Grand Army was prevented from using its accustomed doctrine of living off the lands it conquered. Pushing relentlessly on despite dwindling numbers, the Grand Army met with disaster as the invasion progressed.

Napoleon's army arrived in a virtually abandoned Moscow, which was a tattered starving shell of its former self due largely to the use of scorched-earth tactics by retreating Russians. Having essentially conquered nothing, Napoleon's troops diminished. On August , Argentine General Manuel Belgrano led the Jujuy Exodus , a massive forced displacement of people from the present-day Jujuy and Salta provinces to the south.

The Jujuy Exodus was conducted by the patriot forces of the Army of the North that were battling a Royalist army. Belgrano, faced with the prospect of total defeat and territorial loss, ordered all people to pack their necessities, including food and furniture, and follow him, in carriages or on foot, together with whatever cattle and beasts of burden could endure the journey.

The rest houses, crops, food stocks, and also any objects made of iron was to be burned, so as to deprive the loyalists of resources, following a strict scorched earth policy. On 29 July Belgrano asked the people of Jujuy to "show their heroism" and join the march of the army under his command "if, as you assure, you want to be free". The punishment for ignoring the order was execution and the destruction of the defector's properties. Belgrano labored to win the support of the populace, and later reported that most of the people had willingly followed him without the need of force.

Many of the civilian casualties resulted from disease and famine. In the hunt for the Guerrilla General Emilio Aguinaldo American troops also poisoned water wells to try to force out the Filipino rebels. Army General Order No. Army troops. When General Grant's forces broke through Richmond's defenses, Jefferson Davis ordered the destruction of Richmond's militarily significant supplies; the resulting conflagration destroyed many — mainly commercial — buildings and some Southern warships docked on the James River.

Civilians in panic were forced to escape the fires started by Grant's army. During the wars with Native American tribes of the American West, under James Carleton's direction, Kit Carson instituted a scorched earth policy, burning Navajo fields and homes, and stealing or killing their livestock. He was aided by other Indian tribes with long-standing enmity toward the Navajos, chiefly the Utes. The Navajo were forced to surrender due to the destruction of their livestock and food supplies.

In the spring of , 8, Navajo men, women and children were forced to march miles to Fort Sumner , New Mexico. Navajos call this " The Long Walk. A military expedition led by U. Army Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie was sent to the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma Territory Panhandle area in to remove the Indians to reservations in Oklahoma. The Mackenzie expedition captured about 1, of the Indians' horses, drove them into Tule Canyon, and shot them all.

Denied their main source of livelihood and demoralized, the Comanche and Kiowa abandoned the area see Palo Duro Canyon. In this case, the target company would be seeking to purchase the future liabilities associated with any lawsuit settlement in an effort to burden the new, combined company with those liabilities, making it unattractive to hostile bidders. A scorched earth political policy is aimed at destroying either the opposition party or the system itself so that it cannot continue. Businesses have regularly implemented scorched earth policies as means to defend against or discourage hostile takeovers.

For example, computer giant HP adopted a poison pill in February of in order to fend off Xerox's hostile takeover bid. Investing Essentials. Fundamental Analysis. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Your Money. Personal Finance. Your Practice. Popular Courses. What Is a Scorched Earth Policy? Key Takeaways A scorched earth policy is a last-ditch attempt to deter a hostile takeover by making the target company unattractive to the potential acquirer.

Tactics include selling off prized assets, racking up mountains of debt, and promising management substantial payouts in the event that they are one day dismissed. Password Please enter your Password.

Forgot password? Don't have an account? Sign in via your Institution. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. Sign in with your library card Please enter your library card number. Collective farmers must drive off all their cattle and turn over their grain to the safe keeping of the state authorities, for transportation to the rear. If valuable property that cannot be withdrawn, must be destroyed without fail.