. Mediæval and modern history . ffice to ten years. This was ineffect the revival of the Consulateof 1799. The next year LouisNapoleon was made Emperor, and? took the title of Napoleon III(1852). The secret of Louis Napoleonssuccess in his coup detat was inpart the fear that prevailed of the renewal of the Terror of 93,and in part the magic power of the name he bore. At just thistime the name Napoleon was in France a name to conjure had been growing up a Napoleonic legend. Time hadidealized the founder of the First Empire. As the Second and the Third Republic were simply revivalsand
. Mediæval and modern history . ffice to ten years. This was ineffect the revival of the Consulateof 1799. The next year LouisNapoleon was made Emperor, and? took the title of Napoleon III(1852). The secret of Louis Napoleonssuccess in his coup detat was inpart the fear that prevailed of the renewal of the Terror of 93,and in part the magic power of the name he bore. At just thistime the name Napoleon was in France a name to conjure had been growing up a Napoleonic legend. Time hadidealized the founder of the First Empire. As the Second and the Third Republic were simply revivalsand continuations of the First Republic, so was the Second Em-pire merely the revival and continuation of the First Empire. Itwas virtually the same in origin, in spirit, and in policy. Louis Napoleon had declared that the Empire meant it meant anything except that. The pages of its history arefilled with the records of wars. There were three important onesin which the armies of the Empire took part,— the Crimean War. Fig. 95. Napoleon III. (Aftera portrait by F. Wiiiterhaltei-) 520 FRANCE SINCE THE RESTORATION [§592 (1853-1856), the Austro-Sardinian War (1859), and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). The first two of these wars neednot detain us at this time, since we shall speak of them later inconnection with Russian and Italian affairs. All that need besaid here is that in each of them Louis Napoleon greatly enhancedhis prestige throughout Europe. Respecting the causes of the third war,— the one betweenPrussia and France,— something will be said in connection withthe rise of Germany as an imperial power (sect. 644); thereforeonly the chief events relating to the war itself will be given here. Upon the opening of the war three immense German armies sweptinto France. One large French army was defeated in the memo-rable battle of Gravelotte and shut up in Metz. Then followedthe surrender at Sedan, where eighty-three thousand men, includ-ing the Emperor himself,
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