730 Ch. 1 8 • The Dominant Powers in the Age of Liberalism
Edouard Manet’s Execution of Maximilian (1867).
later guaranteed Luxembourg’s independence, Napoleon Ill’s dreams o
territorial compensation from Prussia disappeared. But the cagey Bis
marck had the French emperor’s written demand tucked away in a drawer
In June 1868, the emperor’s authorization of a law permitting freedom o
assembly helped mobilize opposition among monarchists, republicans, an<
socialists alike. Napoleon Ill’s advisers wondered aloud if he had not sowi
the seeds of imperial demise by granting liberal reforms. Early in 1870
strikes spread. The emperor invited opponents to join the government an<
to begin drafting a more liberal constitution, one that would make minister
in some way “responsible” to the Legislative Corps. Napoleon HI thei
reverted to a plebiscite, with a craftily worded statement in May 1870 b;
which those who wanted more extensive changes were forced to abstain, o
to vote “yes” as if they approved of the emperor’s policies. The plebiscite, ii
which “yes” overwhelmed “no,” thus partially concealed the depth of oppo
sition to imperial policies.
To the end, Napoleon III manifested a bizarre combination of perceptiv
foresight and bad judgment. When the Spanish throne fell vacant after
military coup deposed Queen Isabella II of Spain in 1868, one of the candi
dates was Prince Leopold, a Catholic prince of the ruling Prussian dynasty
the Hohenzollems (see Chapter 17). Napoleon III threatened war witl
Prussia if it did not withdraw the Hohenzollern candidacy, which risked, i
successful, leaving France with Hohenzollems on two sides. He the:
ordered his ambassador to extract a letter from the king of Prussia apologi2
ing to France and promising that Prussia would never revive the candidacy c