To further aid the economy, railways developed with public and private financial support. The railways in turn helped the social and economic expansion of France with the advantages of trade and international commerce.
Many cities were also redeveloped, but none more so than Paris. The capital was transformed with new buildings being erected in place of older housing for the poor, gas lighting, wider roads and a new sewer system. The poorer people that were displaced from the centre were eventually given new housing away from the centre. However, many argue that the restoration of Paris was nothing more than a façade.
All these improvements made by Napoleon provided him with greater support from the people.
The Crimean War proved to be one of Napoleon’s most successful foreign policies. Hoping to gain a friendship with Britain, and support from Catholic voters, France had much to gain from the war. However, the Vienna Note was sent, but quickly dismissed by the Russians and eventually Napoleon had no choice but to use military force. By 1856 Napoleon had achieved a very welcome victory, now showing that France was a major European power once again.
During the 1860s the economy was unsteady in France. The banking system appeared to have failed as investments went out of control and an economic crash became inevitable.
There was now also some political opposition to Napoleon. The ‘Third Way’ party was formed in 1863 from members of the majority government. They wanted further reforms and had support from Orleanists and Republicans. However, by 1869 Napoleon adopted the reforming policy of the ‘Third Way’ party as his own and by 1970 the majority of people willingly embraced these changes and Napoleon’s popularity remained.
During the 1860s however Napoleon’s foreign policy was dire. The Mexico affair overshadowed all over foreign event during the early 1860s. Mexico was in a state of civil war and the interest payments to international countries had been suspended. France and Britain made a joint venture to restore European interests in Mexico. Britain however was afraid of American intervention and so left France to do most of the fighting. To help secure Austrian relations he proposed that Archduke Maximilian, brother of Franz Joseph, should take to ruling Mexico. However, the United States’ civil war was coming to an end by 1864 and troops were being sent to aid Mexico and Juárez’ forces. By 1866 France had withdrawn its forces back to European borders, yet Maximilian refused to flee and was executed.
The eventual fall of the Second Empire was inevitable with the Franco-Prussian war. France was worried as on 2nd July 1870 France received official conformation that the Hohenzollern family (Prussian ruling house) had been offered the throne of Spain. Knowing that this would mean encirclement the Foreign Minister of France declared that this was enough to declare war. However, the Prussians denied any knowledge of such candidature, and on 13th July the French ambassador cornered King Wilhelm to ask that he pledge never again to give consent for the Hohenzollern to renew the candidature. A cunning edited text of the King’s telegram by Bismarck about the incident created uproar in both countries. This was known as the ‘Ems Telegram’.
On the 19th July France declared war, another bad decision made by Napoleon. The French army was in a poor state and there was no ‘real’ need for France to go to war. The Prussian army however was well trained and had just seen action in the Austro-Prussian war. The Prussian army was too powerful for France and by 3rd September Napoleon had surrendered. This marked the end of the Second Empire.
Despite great advances both at home and abroad in the 1850s, Napoleon’s foreign policies and decisions in the 1860s and 1870 caused an end to the Second Empire. Unlike his uncle, Napoleon IIIs talents lay in domestic reform, even though by 1869 the economy and banking system were crashing, he still retained the support of the people. The Mexico affair and the Franco-Prussian war showed the opposite of the great victory over Russia in the Crimean war.
