The French Second Empire An Anatomy of Political Power [Paperback]

A major history of Napoleon III's Second Empire in France.This book--the most thoroughly researched book on the Second Empire in any language--examines how Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was able to secure election as President of the Republic and subsequently to launch a coup d'état to establish a Second Empire. It consid ers the ways in which power was exercised by the new empire and how Napoleon III engaged in a difficult process of transition towards more liberal policies; but how at the point of success, war against Prussia brought catastrophic defeat and the destruction of the regime.This book--the most thoroughly researched book on the Second Empire in any language--examines how Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was able to secure election as President of the Republic and subsequently to launch a coup d'état to establish a Second Empire. It consid ers the ways in which power was exercised by the new empire and how Napoleon III engaged in a difficult process of transition towards more liberal policies; but how at the point of success, war against Prussia brought catastrophic defeat and the destruction of the regime.This thoroughly researched book on the Second Empire examines how Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was able to secure election as President of the Republic and subsequently to launch a coup d'état to establish a Second Empire. It considers the ways in which power was exercised by the new empire and how Napoleon III engaged in a difficult process of transition towards more liberal policies only to experience catastrophic defeat and the destruction of the regime because of war against Prussia.Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction; Part I. The Rise of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte: 1. President of the Republic; Part II. State and Society: 2. Napoleon III and the Bonapartist state; 3. The system of government; 4. The management of elections; 5. Preserving public order; 6. Constructing moral order; 7. Creating the conditions for prosperityl³T