Napoleon III is one of the most influential people in French history. From his rise to power through the Presidency to his military defeat against Prussia, Napoleon III shaped and influenced the scope of France. During the early years of his reign his economic policies brought about prosperity and renewal for the country, while he hammered out a strong position in foreign affairs. The structural reforms of the country as a result of his economic policy proved to be long-standing, but cost his approval ratings to sink over time as France’s economy gradually weakened. The economic problems he was facing, coupled with the disappointing foreign policy resulted in the Emperor’s eventual defeat. However, for the first ten years of his rule Napoleon III did have substantial success in reaching the goals set forth by his economic and foreign policies, while maintaining the public’s approval. This was not meant to last and ultimately his empire crumbled.
To understand Napoleon III’s policies, one must first examine his rise to power. At the time when he appealed so much to the people of France, Napoleon III was known as Louis Napoleon. He had been elected president after the revolution of 1848, and was serving his term of four years a
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He accomplished this through the procureurs generaux, secret unbiased reports reflecting public opinion of the way the government was being conducted and other important economic questions . The Credit Mobilier, an early pioneer in joint stock investment banking with a large capital base, became a driving force in French finance during the first half of the Second Empire and a great international power. He further appealed to the sense of national pride among the French people by indicating that by voting for him you voted for the belief in the cause of his name, referring to the grandeur of the French nation under the leadership of his uncle, Napoleon I, but a vote against him was a vote for weak, incompetent government . This was to help strengthen and secure France’s weakening economy. Democratic Despot: Life of Napoleon III. Napoleon III postulated that this system would cultivate foreign investment and be strengthened by financial institutions (Credit Mobilier).
The Franco-Prussian War (1870) brought an end to the Second Empire of Napoleon III. There was also no way of dealing with any problems that may arise between the nations. Foreign policy would now abdicate national movements. Even after the Anglo-French Commercial Treaty (1860) (22) Britain suspected France of having alterior motives. The economic problems in France had become deeply rooted in the lavish spending that Napoleon III had undertaken and he intended the drop in interest rates to be just a temporary fix to the country’s economic problems. Primarily, Russia was defeated and Britain drew back from continental affairs, while France gained prestige and the Emperor took on a role as Europe’s arbitrator. Otto von Bismark refused, seeing it as too high a price to pay just for France’s neutral actions (25). Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1985. Although, Napoleon III had no intention of antagonizing Britain into a confrontation for economic dominance in the world, he still chose to ardently develop these two enterprises as the two main industries of France.
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