To what extent was Napoleon III a liberal and enlightened political leader?
To what extent was Napoleon III a liberal and enlightened political leader?
Napoleon III, or Louis Napoleon prior to 1852, is a confusing and divisive figure for historians across the globe. While not enjoying a good press from the largely partisan historians of France, partly due to his violent overthrow of the Second Republic, he was well-liked in Britain and America for half a century or more.1 This essay will attempt to divulge just how much of a liberal, enlightened leader Napoleon III was, if at all so.
There is of course evidence to suggest that Napoleon was just that, a liberal and enlightened political leader. First of all he was elected to the National Assembly through a popular vote – Napoleon III did not start out as a totalitarian Emperor reminiscent of his uncle, yet appealed to the more left wing people of France, with a lot of support from the peasantry and working class. Referred to as “the citizen Louis Bonaparte”2 by Armand Marrast, the then Mayor of Paris, Napoleon was starting to be seen as a people’s president to some extent, elected by the popular will of the people.
Napoleon III however, had a lot of different groups of people to please in a divided France. The Bonapartists were in favour of Empire and a return to the days of French domination of Europe. The Orleanists, in favour of a British model of government to prevent the domination of a monarch or Emperor in a tyranny of the minority, yet also fearful of democracy and its potential to topple the domination of the upper classes and in contrast, it’s potential to lead to a tyranny of the majority. The Legtimists favoured a “Divine Right” law of succession and believed that Monarchs should be followed by their heirs in governing the country. Finally, the Republicans believed in totally democratic government which would prevent the aforementioned tyranny of the minority and create an egalitarian France.
As a result of said divisions within French society, in both its highest
Napoleon III, or Louis Napoleon prior to 1852, is a confusing and divisive figure for historians across the globe. While not enjoying a good press from the largely partisan historians of France, partly due to his violent overthrow of the Second Republic, he was well-liked in Britain and America for half a century or more.1 This essay will attempt to divulge just how much of a liberal, enlightened leader Napoleon III was, if at all so.
There is of course evidence to suggest that Napoleon was just that, a liberal and enlightened political leader. First of all he was elected to the National Assembly through a popular vote – Napoleon III did not start out as a totalitarian Emperor reminiscent of his uncle, yet appealed to the more left wing people of France, with a lot of support from the peasantry and working class. Referred to as “the citizen Louis Bonaparte”2 by Armand Marrast, the then Mayor of Paris, Napoleon was starting to be seen as a people’s president to some extent, elected by the popular will of the people.
Napoleon III however, had a lot of different groups of people to please in a divided France. The Bonapartists were in favour of Empire and a return to the days of French domination of Europe. The Orleanists, in favour of a British model of government to prevent the domination of a monarch or Emperor in a tyranny of the minority, yet also fearful of democracy and its potential to topple the domination of the upper classes and in contrast, it’s potential to lead to a tyranny of the majority. The Legtimists favoured a “Divine Right” law of succession and believed that Monarchs should be followed by their heirs in governing the country. Finally, the Republicans believed in totally democratic government which would prevent the aforementioned tyranny of the minority and create an egalitarian France.
As a result of said divisions within French society, in both its highest
Bibliography: Willian H.C. Smith, Second Empire and Commune: France 1848-1871, (New York, Addison Wesley Longman, 1996) Theofore Zeldin, France 1848-1945 Volume II Intellect, Taste and Anxiety, (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1977) Pierre Milza, Napoleon III, (Editions Perrin, Paris, 2004) James F. McMillan, Napoleon III, (New York, Longman, 1991) Maurice Agulhon, The Republican Experiment 1848-1852, (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1983)