"Successful at home, disastrous abroad" Is this an accurate valuation of the reign of Napoleon III?

The first 200 words of this essay...

History Essay:

"Successful at home, disastrous abroad" Is this an accurate valuation

of the reign of Napoleon III?

Louis Napoleon's reign was successful at home to a degree, with many

improvements to France's infrastructure, and a relatively booming

economy. His foreign policy was a different matter altogether though;

at best it could be seen as an overplayed hand; with escapades in

Mexico, and a dreadfully under-planned war with Prussia.

Napoleon III's rule in France was successful to a point; he had

significantly modernised France's infrastructure since the days of

Louis Phillippe; new railways were laid throughout France, opening up

entire regions to rapid and efficient transport that was previously

entirely unavailable. Agriculture grew considerably for this reason,

as goods could be sold further from their origin, meaning that more

goods could be sold in total, thus expanding the potential market for

even the smallest of farmers. Bulk transportation of fertilisers also

meant that crops could be grown in areas that had nutrient deficient

soil; this increased