Napoleon III compared to Napoleon Bonaparte Essays - French Emperors

An Assessment of Whether Napoleon Bonaparte or Louis Napoleon Had More Significant Reforms in France Both Napoleon Bonaparte and his nephew Louis Napoleon Bonaparte were important rulers of France. They ruled with great power and control, they implemented many sweeping reforms and laws that greatly changed the course of French and European life. Napoleon Bonaparte and Louis Napoleon, also referred to as Napoleon III, each directed France through many reforms under their rule. However, the leader with the more significant reforms and impact on France was Napoleon III. Napoleon III had longer lasting reforms in the likes of rebuilding and modernizing Paris, constructing the French railway and heading a strong French foreign policy that included the unification of Italy. He also led France through a period of prosperity and industrialization. Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was elected the president of France at age 40, and capped a quite remarkable, and unlikely rise to power. (Cavendish, 1998, para. 1). Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, named after his uncle Napoleon I, had never held a government position, nor had he even shown any sort of political capability, he rose to power solely through widespread support in France that he was the rightful heir to Napoleon I. (Cavendish, 1998, para. 1,2). In essence, Louis Napoleon rode into control of France on the coattails of his uncle and then he took his uncle?s rule and furthered the reforms and French power. Louis Napoleon campaigned that he would return France back to the glory that they had once had under the first Napoleon, and that he, as a ruler, was destined to bring France once again to the top of Europe. (Cavendish, 1998, para. 5). His strategy successfully swept him into the office of President of France?s Second Republic. The Professional Politicians in France couldn?t believe that Louis Napoleon had won, and they were even more shocked when he did away with them. But this didn?t satisfy the ambitious ruler and he quickly took advantage of an economic slump in 1851 and posed himself to be the man that the French needed, not as president but as emperor. (Cavendish, 1998, final paragraph). Louis Napoleon Bonaparte can now be called Napoleon III, for in 1852 he declared himself the perfect fit for the job to keep France from collapse and socialism, the Emperor of the second French Empire. (Cavendish, 1998, final paragraph). The citizens of France, so scared of anarchy, and still believing in the ?Napoleonic Ideals? that Napoleon I had left behind, overwhelmingly accepted Louis Napoleon as their new Emperor. The new parliamentary constitution that Napoleon III set up gave him the executive powers; it allowed him to nominate the members of the law-making council of state and the senate. (?France History-Se cond French Empire? n.d., para. 1). Now that Louis-Napoleon had full control of France, he could freely implement actions and reforms that he couldn?t have easily achieved as President. One of Napoleon?s keen interests was in architecture, and it was his desire to make Paris a new modern city that ultimately turned Paris from an overcrowding, ancient, disease-ridden cluster of districts into the thriving beauty it is today. (Kirkman, 2007, para. 2). Napoleon?s interest was the foundation that would produce the plans for a rebuilding of Paris?s streets, its sewers, and all other aspects of urban planning. It would change the sight of Paris to something unlike anyone had seen. (Kirkman, 2007, para. 2). For hundreds of years, certain areas hadn?t been improved, and the daunting task of a renewal of Paris was laid on Baron Haussmann. Haussmann was a big time planner and was an advocate for beautiful sights, perfect balance and exactness. (?Paris? pg. 18). Haussmann?s desire of linear symmetry surfaced in his first step, wh ich was to put Paris on a grid. He added streets to Paris that ran east and west, and north and south. These new streets were also wider, allowing for more public safety and safer traffic engineering. (Kirkman, 2007, para. 4). The rapid population growth mixed with fierce industrialization made some changes to Paris an absolute necessity. An example of this was shown in the growing demand for water closets, which directly led to the need to funnel the human waste effectively into the sewers.