Napoleon

• Industrialization in France between 1848 and 1870 accelerated economic and social transformations
• France began industrialization in the 1840s, transitioning to a predominantly industrial and commercial society
• The development of coal mines and rise in coal production allowed the establishment of steam engines in factories like Schneider du Creusot
• Mechanization in factories led to the decline of home work and the necessity of salaried employment and mechanization
• Napoleon III favored modernization of the economy, developing the rail network and enacting business-friendly legislation
• The State encouraged progress, modernity, and innovation with the Universal Exhibition of 1855 in Paris
• A new generation of entrepreneurs emerged, transforming national capitalism, such as the Pereire brothers with the Crédit mobilier
• The countryside experienced a golden age with increased production, exports, and incomes, but not benefiting all agricultural workers
• Urbanization accelerated between 1848 and 1870, with industrial development attracting labor from the countryside
• Transformation work in cities, especially in Paris under Haussmann, aimed at hygiene, aesthetics, and safety
• Living conditions for workers were difficult, with low incomes and limited savings capacity
• Napoleon III authorized the right to strike in France in 1864, a significant change for workers
• Social relations did not always calm down, leading to violent strikes in different regions
• Louis Napoleon Bonaparte aimed to get France out of its diplomatic isolation in Europe between 1848 and 1870
• France supported the unification of Italy and Germany during this period
• Italian nation was politically divided in the mid-19th century, with different regions under different rulers
• National feeling developed in Italy during the Napoleonic occupation and the "Spring of the Peoples" in 1848
• King Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont-Sardinia entrusted Count Cavour to lead the government and support Italian unity
• Cavour prepared for war against Austria to achieve Italian unity
• France supported Piedmont in the war against Austria in 1859, leading to the battles of Magenta and Solferino
• Napoleon III signed a peace treaty with Austria in Zurich in 1859, linked to preserving the Pope's interests in Italy
• France obtained Savoy and Nice from Piedmont in exchange for military aid during the war against Austria
• France became an obstacle to Italian unity in the 1860s, leading to conflicts with Garibaldi and the withdrawal of French troops from Rome in 1870
• German states were united in the Germanic Confederation since 1815, with different views on unification involving Prussia and Austria
• Prussia sought French neutrality to face Austria in the 1860s, leading to the defeat of Austria in the Battle of Sadowa in 1866
• France tried to prevent German unification by demanding territorial gains and supporting South Germany against Prussia, leading to the Franco-Prussian War in 1870
• France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War led to the proclamation of the new German Empire in 1871 and the annexation of Alsace and the Moselle by Germany