Diploma Thesis from the year 2010 in the subject Economics - Other, grade: 1,0, Helmut Schmidt University - University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg (Professur f?r Volkswirtschaftslehre, insb. Finanzwissenschaft), language: English, abstract: This thesis seeks to explore the two working hypotheses: Firstly, that Napoleon's alleged military superiority in terms of skill and battlefield competence over his peers can be empirically quantified and proven. Secondly, that the results of Napoleonic warfare can be predicted by applying the theory of Contest Success Functions to these battles.To address these claims this paper is organized into four sections:TheoryThe first of the conceptual sections summarizes the theoretical underpinning behind the economical understanding of conflict. This so called 'second approach' and its merits are outlined and the history of these theoretical concepts is explained. Chapter three introduces the Ratio Contest Success Function (RCSF) put forth by Tullock and the Difference Contest Success Function (DCSF) employed by Hirshleifer, the concepts for predicting probabilities of success in conflict theory.HistoryThe fourth chapter gives a brief report on warfare during the Napoleonic ages. A special emphasis lies on an analysis that evaluates if the key parameters have been homogenous over the time and what kind of technology was employed during these battles. The results are then compared with the demands of conflict theory. The fift...