What was the Continental System designed to accomplish?

The Continental System was a large-scale blockade implemented by Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars. Its primary objective was to paralyze Great Britain by destroying its commerce.1

To achieve this, Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree in 1806 and the Milan Decree in 1807, which prohibited French allies and neutral nations from trading with the British. While the system succeeded in damaging English industries and contributing to unemployment, it also harmed regions within the French sphere that relied on overseas trade. Ultimately, the policy proved disastrous for Napoleon; because the British maintained naval superiority, enforcing the blockade required excessive military resources, which contributed to the overextension of French forces and the eventual invasion of Russia in 1812.1