Napoleon’s foreign policy focused on achieving glory without engaging in war with Britain and Russia. However, unlike his uncle, he also prioritized addressing the social issues in France and the difficulties faced by the working class. While his military efforts were not as successful, his economic domestic affairs demonstrated more achievement.
Like his predecessors, Napoleon sought to gain legitimacy for France by bringing it glory. However, he was determined to avoid the same fate as his uncle by avoiding conflicts with major European powers like Britain and Russia. Despite his military endeavors, Napoleon failed to achieve the desired glory or secure any victories. His plan to establish a satellite government in Mexico and facilitate French exports unraveled when he defied the Monroe Doctrine and attacked Mexican Radical Republicans. As a result, he was expelled by both Americans and Mexican peasants, thereby failing to achieve his goal of establishing a satellite government and suffering defeat at the hands of Mexican peasants.
Despite managing to avoid conflict with a European power, he ultimately faced a significant loss of glory. This Mexican expedition ended in failure. The Luxembourg Crisis, along with Napoleon’s overconfidence, resulted in France losing both glory and a war that they should not have been involved in. Following Prussia’s victory over Austria, Napoleon arrogantly demanded the city of Luxembourg from Bismarck. This request enraged Bismarck and the rest of the Germans, leading to Napoleon’s attack on Germany in an effort to maintain France’s reputation as the self-proclaimed greatest country in the world.
Bismarck and the German states then proceeded to conquer France, which quickly saw a revolution of its own government. Being defeated by Russia or Britain would have been troublesome enough; however, losing to a collection of German states filled with uncivilized Germans was a significant blow to their prestige. Despite suffering military defeats, Napoleon was able to bring honor to France through other means. One of his accomplishments was obtaining permission from Egypt to construct the Suez Canal.
Ferdinand de Lesseps and the creation…
