The Rise and Fall of the Second Empire, 1852â"1871

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Paperback | 2 May 1988

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212 Pages

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The Second Empire lasted longer than any French regime since 1789, yet most historical accounts of the government of Napoleon III have been overshadowed by knowledge of its disastrous and tragic end. As Professor Plessis shows in this detailed thematic study, such an approach ignores the major social, economic and political developments of a period which witnessed the gradual acceptance of universal suffrage, the establishment of large-scale industrial capitalism, a massive improvement in communications and the birth of impressionism in art. The transition of French society from that familiar to Honor© de Balzac to that dissected by Emile Zola was nonetheless a fitful process, spasmodic and irregular, and the role of the imperial government in that process of modernization equally uncertain. The paradox, emphasized by Professor Plessis, of a dictatorship that progressively liberalized itself, and was indeed resoundingly endorsed by the electorate only months before its fall, is not the least perplexing phenomenon of an age in which stagnation and innovation were constantly juxtaposed.

Industry Reviews

' ... the best general history of the Second Empire so far published.' Roger Price, Times Higher Education Supplement

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Chronology	p. ix
Foreword	p. xvii
The regime of Napoleon III	p. 1
Late 1852	p. 1
A restoration?
New times
The unity of the Second Empire
Napoleon III
The sphinx
The antithesis of the 'men of stature'
'Napoleonic ideas'
The spirit of the regime	p. 11
Institutions: authoritarian features	p. 15
The suspension of liberties
The emperor's powers
The constitutional role of ministers
The assemblies (the Senate, the Conseil d'Etat, the Legislative Body)
Democratic features	p. 21
The means of expression of universal suffrage
Official candidacies
The political personnel and political life of the Second Empire	p. 25
The governing personnel	p. 25
The position of ministers
The key men of the regime
The membership of the assemblies	p. 34
The senators
The conseillers d'Etat
The deputies
The role of the three assemblies	p. 38
The Senate's lethargy
The myth of the Conseil d'Etat
The revenge of the Legislative Body
The administration	p. 42
Civil servants
The prefects
The conseillers generaux and local notables
Conclusions	p. 53
Political weaknesses
Winning over the affluent classes
Economic progress and change	p. 58
Prosperity and expansion	p. 58
A stable population
The role of the State
A favourable economic cycle
The various facets of imperial prosperity
Money	p. 71
The stock exchange
Company financing
The banking revolution
Capitalist concentration
Capital exports
The railway revolution	p. 83
Industrial growth	p. 88
The rise of big industry
The evolution of traditional sectors
General assessment
The limits of economic change	p. 95
Living standards, life styles and attitudes	p. 98
Average living standards and disparities	p. 98
A better-fed and sturdier population
The decline of illiteracy
Disparities
The rural world	p. 104
Agricultural progress and backwardness
Was the peasantry 'deproletarianized'?
Attitudes and ways of life
Workers and towns	p. 113
The working-class standard of living
Social repression
The transformation of the big cities; Paris
Bourgeoisie and civilization	p. 125
The varied world of the bourgeoisie
Artists and writers
Literary and artistic renewal
The good years, 1852-61	p. 132
The first legislature (1852-7)	p. 132
The seizure of the country
The alliance of throne and altar
Weaknesses of the oppositions
The regime's policy course and the Crimean War
The phase of initiative	p. 143
The elections of 1857
Orsini's assassination attempt and the law of general security
Intervention in Italy to 1860: the break
The customs coup d'etat
Foreign ventures
Towards a more liberal regime
Decline and fall	p. 152
Deterioration (1858-63)	p. 152
Causes
Facing the rising tide of opposition
The elections of 1863
The regime's failures	p. 158
An uncertain policy
The failure of social policy
The failure of reform (1867-8)
The elections of 1869
The 'liberal Empire'	p. 165
Collapse	p. 168
The Commune	p. 170
Notes	p. 175
Bibliography	p. 181
Index of names	p. 191
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

The Rise and Fall of the Second Empire, 1852â"1871

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

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