Napoleon III
Napoleon III
Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (20 April 1808 – 9 January 1873) was the first president of the Republic of 1848, the second emperor of the French in 1852 under the name of Napoleon III and the last monarch of France.
He is the son of Louis Bonaparte (brother of Napoleon I) and of Hortense of Beauharnais (daughter of impress Josephine). He became the elder of the Napoleon after the deaths of his elder brother and of the Aiglon. He made several coup d’état, he reached the head of the political scene with the rebellion of 1848.
His youth
Because of a law banishing the Bonaparte family of France, Louis Napoleon grew up in Switzerland in the castle of Arenenberg. He is raised by his mother in the worship of his uncle. He considered himself as the heir of the imperial crown.
First attempts
He organised his nets in France and prepared his raise to power, but it failed and he is arrested. Even if it failed, Louis Napoleon is now known by the people of France and identified as a Bonapartist. He reached London where he prepared another coup d’état in 1840. He is arrested another time and kept in the prison of Ham. He escaped six years later disguised with the clothes of a painter (Badinguet). He settled in London before his come back during the revolution of 1848.
Prince-President
The 4. of January 1848, he is elected at the national Assembly. He is candidate at the presidential election. He is elected for 4 years on December 1848 with 75% of the votes. But the constitution limited the power of the president. At the beginning of 1851, Louis Napoleon made demand to extend the duration of his mandate whereas the Assembly is opposed to any modifications of the constitution.
The coup d’état (2 December 1852)
During the night, a decree dissolved the Assembly. Despite some rebellions, the coup d’état is approved by the people as the plebiscite of the 21. showed it. In January 1851, a new constitution extended the mandate of the president to 10 years.
The imperial system is re-established on November 7, 1852 by a decision of the Senate, which is approved by a plebiscite of the people.
On December 2, 1852 (anniversary of the crowning of Napoleon), Louis Napoleon became Napoleon III. He married Eugenie de Montijo on January 30, 1853.
Influenced by his stay in London, he decided to transform Paris so that it became a major European capital. He entrusted the Baron Haussmann with the works of Paris. But he always kept an attentive eye on the works.
From the 1860’s, France entered a period of liberalism. But it was not enough to satisfy the growing discontent of the population.
In 1869, Napoleon III appointed a new Prime Minister, Emile Ollivier (from the republican opposition) who constituted a government made of people coming from different parties.
Despite the new government, the Senate suggested a new system, more liberal to the people with a plebiscite: reforms are accepted on May 8, 1870.
France declared war at Prussia, but the French army is defeated at Sedan on September 2, 1870. Napoleon III is captured and is taken to the castle of Wilhelmshöhe in Germany.
4 September 1870: the deputies proclaimed the Republic. In March 1871, the emperor took refuge in London. He died in Chislehurst (district of London) on January 9, 1873.
Conclusion
The Second Empire was one of the best periods of development and prosperity of France.
- modern infrastructures
- financial system
- commercial system.
It was also a period of social progress : the right of strike, of corporations, the living standards raised, development of the educative system for girls, …