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Napoleon Essay, Research Paper

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 after soundly defeating four republicans by receiving 5 500 000 of the nearly 7 500 000 votes . This defeat was greatly due to the appeal he generated among the working class individuals of France and the sense of nostalgia that his name carried . Napoleon was the only candidate that obtained votes from all the classes. The promise of prosperity to the middle class and assistance to the poor greatly appealed to the people of France. Once he had obtained the presidency, Napoleon continued to gain the support of the French people. To do this he used the government as a tool in order to gain the loyalty of the army and the Catholic church, as well as to defend the right of universal male suffrage against the wishes of the National Assembly to reduce it. Napoleon?s political career was progressing along a positive path, yet he realized he would have to amend the constitution if he was to maintain his position of President. The resulting action was the coup d?etat, wherein men loyal to Napoleon arrested important members of the opposition in the Assembly and gained control of executive holdings. Napoleon knew the people of France would not allow these actions to persist, since they were illegal, so he called a referendum which would allow him to reorganize the present government with the support of the people . During Napoleon?s appeals to the French people he engaged in widespread use of propaganda, utilizing liberal and nationalistic ideals to strengthen his disguised philosophy of authoritarian government, which he would head. This is most evident in his decree?s to the people in 1851.

In his proclamation Napoleon attacked the National Assembly, portraying it as a weak, conspiring body of ignorant men that weakens his authority as President and jeopardizes the peace of France, as well as that of Europe. If the constituents of France want a government that will lead them into a future of unease, tension and depression than they should vote to have the National Assembly restored to its previous state of confusion, but he would have no part in it. However, Napoleon glorified the possibilities, should he remain their leader, by stating that he will bring the era of revolutions to a halt, protect the French government against backward action, and establish enduring, long-standing institutions in order to aid men in varying forms. He further argued that to restore stability to the French government he would revive the system created by the First Consul. This system would install him as the elected ?chief? of the government for a duration of ten years, create weighty dependence among the Ministers in the government upon executive power, assert a Council of State (refined members of society) to fabricate laws and have a legislative body, elected by universal male suffrage, to vote on the laws. These principles appealed to the people of the nation due to the expression of universal male suffrage, a very liberal conception. 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 sense of restoring the country to past glories appealed to a vast number of people who believed that Louis Napoleon could restore French influence throughout Europe, like Napoleon I did. Napoleon continued to entice support with his promises of peace, freedom from anarchy, the crumbling of barriers and the disappearance of rivalries in France, as well as throughout Europe. These cumulative appeals to the population of France resulted in an astounding victory for Napoleon. One year after the successful coup d?etat he was successfully elected Napoleon III, Emperor of France by a whopping ninety-seven percent of the population . With the coup d?etat a success and the restoration of the Empire, the emperor could now focus on the new foreign and economic policies he had planned for France. His plan of combining nationalism with liberalism had worked, establishing himself as the chief authority of the Second Empire.

Napoleon III intended to be always ahead of public opinion so as to be able to understand the requirements of his time and to create laws and institutions in accordance with these opinions. 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 . Napoleon III also attempted to divert French attention away from the

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