What policy aimed to weaken Britain by preventing trade with continental Europe?

• A. Alliance of the Third Estate
• B. Continental System
• C. Industrial Revolution
• D. Triple Entente

Answer: (B)

This question is about economic warfare used during the Napoleonic era. Napoleon’s Continental System was his plan to weaken Britain by preventing continental Europe from trading with British goods. The idea was that if Britain's trade stopped, its economy would suffer and Britain would be forced to concede, allowing Napoleon to tighten his grip on Europe without more costly land campaigns.

In practice, it was a broad blockade enforced across Europe, aiming to cut off British wealth and resources from its continental markets. But it didn’t work as neatly as hoped. Smuggling, noncompliance by some states, and Britain’s own strong naval power and global trade network kept Britain economically resilient. The continental economies also paid a heavy price, which undermined support for Napoleon at times.

So, the Continental System is the correct idea here because it directly describes an organized policy designed to choke off Britain's trade with the rest of Europe. The other options refer to a French revolutionary faction, a general period of industrial growth, and a pre-World War I alliance, none of which describe a policy aimed at blocking trade with continental Europe.