Napoleon III and the Second Empire Summary

Napoleon III, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, rose to power after the 1848 revolution.
He appealed to various groups: the bourgeoisie (strong leader), the lower classes (promise to end poverty), and those nostalgic for French glory.
Unlike his uncle, he did not bring glory or an empire to France.

The Second Empire appeared to be a constitutional monarchy, but Napoleon III ruled as a dictator.
He appointed officials, managed elections, limited debate, and imposed strict censorship on newspapers.
In the 1860s, he eased controls by lifting some censorship, granting the legislature more power, and issuing a new constitution that extended democratic rights.

*France experienced economic prosperity during the mid-century.

Napoleon III promoted investment in industry, railroad building, and urban renewal of Paris.
Ferdinand de Lesseps organized the building of the Suez Canal.

Workers benefited from economic growth with legalized labor unions, extended public education to girls, and a small public health program.
Many still lived in poverty.
Napoleon's foreign affairs failures: Attempt to place Maximilian on the throne of Mexico failed due to Mexican resistance and US protests.
Napoleon's successes: Helped Italian nationalists defeat Austria, gaining Nice and Savoy for France.
France and Britain won the Crimean War, but France gained little.

France grew concerned about the rise of Prussia.
Otto von Bismarck manipulated France into war in July 1870.
The Franco-Prussian War was a disaster for France, leading to Napoleon III's surrender.
Prussian forces besieged Paris for four months causing starvation.
In 1871, France accepted a harsh peace, surrendering Alsace and Lorraine and paying a large sum to Germany.