eli5 Why is it so important to „capture“ the capital city in a war?

Question

Does it really change the outcome of the war? Does a country fall when the capital city is captured?

In: 462

Answer 1

Its symbolic more than anything, and in many countries the capitol is the largest city with the most important industrial bases. Its worth noting though that when Napoleon went into Moscow, it was largely abandoned. While St Petersburg was the capitol at the time it shows that governments and people can move and wait it out, So while its possible for it to be a coup de grace it might not be under certain circumstances. Sometimes just threatening to march on a capitol can be all it takes to bring one side to the negotiating table, that was Lee’s strategy going to Gettysburg, Had he won, he would have marched on Washington, then forced a negotiation that probably would have ended hostilities.