THE SHADOW EMPEROR A BIOGRAPHY OF NAPOLEON III
A MUCH-NEEDED ACCOUNT ON THE LIFE OF THE EMPEROR WHO CHANGED FRANCE FOREVER
Countless books and articles have explored the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, but few authors and researchers have examined his nephew’s legacy. Napoléon le Petit has been dismissed by historians until recently. Shadowed by his uncle, he is widely remembered as an authoritarian mediocrity, a man who lacked flair and intelligence. This reputation is not new; the French opposition had already mocked his personality, affairs and adventurous life long before the Battle of Sedan.
In this new biography, Alan Strauss-schom offers a fresh and nuanced perspective. The young Louis-napoléon Bonaparte is presented as a melancholic figure, a man deeply influenced by his loving but suffocating mother and his excessively strict father. Living the first years of his life in exile, he was groomed to follow his prestigious uncle’s heritage. Despite his entourage’s expectations, the future Napoleon III developed his own path, one guided by foreign influences, romanticism and friends. In fact, he had little in common with Napoleon I. A poor military leader, his interests were firmly set on science, commerce, economy and development.
Convinced of his own importance, the young Louis-napoléon Bonaparte was involved in disastrous adventures in Italy and France, including a failed coup on 29 October 1836. Despite these calamitous episodes, he became the first and only president of the Second Republic in 1848. In December 1851, the president launched a successful coup to retain power. The next year, the Second Republic was replaced by the Second French Empire.
“WITHOUT THIS GERMANY COULD NEVER HAVE DECLARED WAR AND INVADED FRANCE IN 1914.”
The author argues that Napoleon III totally transformed his country. His determination to modernise France led to new infrastructures, a modern navy and rail network as well as new transoceanic steamships. Preoccupied by poverty and living conditions, he had one-third of Paris destroyed and rebuilt to make way for modern sanitary facilities and buildings. This vast rebuilding of the capital created thousands of jobs. A patron of science, Napoleon III also encouraged men like Louis Pasteur and others to carry on their research. As a result of his leadership, agricultural production soared, France’s economy was revolutionised, living conditions improved and education and science were greatly encouraged.
The author demonstrates that the emperor was far more clumsy when dealing with international affairs. The Algerian adventure, the focus of his colonial obsession, became a costly scheme. His handling of Prussia, a country that he feared, would prove deadly for the Second Empire. Falling for Bismarck’s trap, Napoleon III played a decisive role in the creation of the German Empire. As Straussschom summarises, “Without this Germany could never have declared war and invaded France in 1914.”
In this excellent book, Strauss-schom brings forward Napoleon III’S vast achievements. As The Shadow Emperor argues, despite his lack of judgment and indecisions, that the French emperor accomplished far more for the good of the nation than his dominating uncle.