“Napoleon III’s foreign policy had more successes than failures.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Candidates are required to consider the merits or otherwise of the view that Napoleon III’s foreign policy was, by and large, successful. One approach could be to argue that his foreign policy was successful in the early years of his reign—perhaps until 1859—but that it had many more failures than successes in the 1860s. These led to the defeat by Prussia in 1870, which ended Napoleon III’s rule. The focus of the response could be on the position of France on the European stage (the Paris Peace Conference 1856), and on his relations with other powers such as Britain (making trade treaties), Austria (problems over Mexico) and with Prussia (the rise of which he was unable to prevent). Some may argue that his policy in Italy was successful with victories at Magenta and Solferino and the acquisition of Nice and Savoy for France.