The Last march of the Imperial Eagles

Abstract

Despite the fact that Napoleon III and his regime sought to present themselves as heirs to the First French Empire, adopting its symbology to demonstrate this continuity, the truth is that the last Emperor of France conceived an Empire very different from that of his predecessor, more focused on trade and industry than in European military hegemony, more akin to the British imperialism than the one of the Revolution or the First Empire. His rule lasted longer than that of Napoleon I, with much longer periods of peace, projecting France's military and economic power across the globe, from Mexico to Vietnam. In this paper, we will explore the nature of these policies and how this change in political focus influenced the French imperial army, leaving it at a disadvantage against its Prussian rivals in 1870.