Notes on Napoleon Bonaparte III
In December 1848, Louis Napoleon, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, was elected president of the Second Republic. Most political leaders in Paris at the time considered him a lightweight--easily manipulated, not terribly bright or competent. Louis surprise the entire nation when, on December 2, 1851, he seized power in a coup d'etat and became dictator of France. Exactly one year later, he declared himself Napoleon III and set out to bring France back to its former glory on the Continent in the Second Empire.
On the surface, France under Napoleon III glittered; in terms of specifics, France was the symbol of success in many areas. During Napoleon III's reign, the French economy flourished due to high demand for French goods, a new banking system put France's financial house in order, and a massive program of public works turned Paris into the envy of the entire world. The city was completely
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As a victor in the Crimean War and a key supporter of Italian unification, Napoleon III made French foreign policy dominant (for a time) on the Continent. With Savoy and Nice back under the French fold, Napoleon III could boast an end to the encirclement imposed upon France after the defeat of his uncle. However, his involvement in Mexico was a fiasco. In 1861, Napoleon III sent a military force to that nation to pacify the Mexican countryside, setting up Austrian archduke Maximilian as emperor of Mexico. France, as Mexico's largest creditor, had the support of Mexico's conservative elite who opposed the liberal policies of the previous president in Mexico City. However, Maximilian suffered from a serious lack of popular support in Mexico; once Napoleon III withdrew his troops to fight in Europe, Maximilian fell to popular uprising and was executed in the summer of 1867. French prestige was damaged and public criticism threatened to bring down Napoleon III's