The French Second Empire: An Anatomy of Political Power

About Napoleon III and the contemporary political regime, this book examines how  Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte managed to secure election as President of the Republic and then to launch a successful coup d'état to found a Second Empire. Thereafter follows a discussion of the ways in which power was wielded in the new imperial regime, and Napoleon III's subsequent attempts to move towards a more liberal regime. And yet, just as his plans were coming to fruition, the decision was taken to go to war against Prussia, resulting in  the débâcle and the destruction of his regime.
 
Chapters/Contents
Introduction;
Part I
The Rise of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte:
1. President of the Republic;
Part II
State and Society:
2. Napoleon III and the Bonapartist state;
3. The system of government;
4. The management of elections;
5. Preserving public order;
6. Constructing moral order;
7. Creating the conditions for prosperity;
Conclusion to part II;
Part III
The Rise of Opposition:
8. The context for opposition;
9. The forms of opposition (1) legitimism;
10. The forms of opposition (2) liberalism;
11. The forms of opposition (3) Republicans in the aftermath of the coup;
12. The forms of opposition (4) Republican revival;
Conclusion to part III;
Part IV
13. War and revolution;
General conclusion;
Bibliography. 

Read the first chapter: at http://uk.cambridge.org/order/WebBook.asp?ISBN=0521808308