Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies

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 Miquel de la Rosa

French Liberalism
and Imperialism
in the Age
of Napoleon III
Empire at Home, Colonies Abroad
Miquel de la Rosa
European University Institute
Florence, Italy

ISSN 2635-1633 ISSN 2635-1641 (electronic)

Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies
ISBN 978-3-030-95887-9 ISBN 978-3-030-95888-6 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95888-6

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For my family and my dear friends, the ones that keep me going
 Acknowledgements

This book builds on the doctoral thesis I wrote at the European Univer-
sity Institute during some of the most exciting years in my life, both
personally and intellectually. Thanks to the institutions that have provided
me with fundamental financial support to carry on my research, especially
the Spanish Ministry of Education, the EUI’s Department of History and
Civilisation and the Erasmus+ Programme, I have been given the oppor-
tunity to enrich my work and myself in ways I had not anticipated: all the
journey necessary to write this book has driven me through various coun-
tries and languages where I have met people from whom I have learned
the real meaning of diversity, tolerance and out-of-the-box thinking.
Thanks are due to my supervisor and my second reader at the EUI,
Lucy Riall and Ann Thomson, who always supported and encouraged
me to perform better during my doctoral adventure. Their mixture of
inspiration, criticism and reassurance continuously improved my work and
spurred me on towards the goal, while their enthusiasm and optimism
were essential to my reaching it. I also owe great intellectual debt to Alan
Kahan and David Todd, who constantly found the time to read my drafts
and to comment on my work, always opening my mind to new ideas
and perspectives. Other academics from whom I have so much learned in
the past years deserve my sincere recognition. Special thanks must go to
Pedro Carasa, Stephen Jacobson, Enric Ucelay, Pieter Judson, Stéphane
Van Damme and Quentin Deluermoz.

vii
viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Historical research could not indeed be possible without the help

of all the professionals who take care of our past memories in all the
libraries and archives where I have spent so much time, namely the Biblio-
thèque Nationale de France, the British Library, the Ibero-Amerikanisches
Institut, and, of course, my beloved Badia Fiesolana. Many thanks go
to all of them, especially to Jean-Antonin Caheric, the French National
Assembly archivist who allowed me to navigate the secret coulisses of this
historical building.
A special mention deserve all the people, from inside and outside
the academic world, that have accompanied me in this journey: my
friends from the places I have lived in, especially Barcelona and Florence,
and my whole family. Without their support and love, especially when
doubts become more intense than desired—Rodrigo, Belén, Muriel,
Ivette, Philippe, Phil, Martín, José, Jonas and Gaël know probably better
than anyone else what I am talking about—I would have never accom-
plished this and other undertakings, nor those that are yet to come. In
that, my parents Tomás and Mar, and my brother Víctor have played an
irreplaceable part. This book is dedicated to them, por ir siempre juntos
aunque no estemos en el mismo lugar.
 Contents

1 Introduction 1
Liberalism in the Nineteenth Century and the French
Context 4
Empires and the Imperial Imaginary 9
The Interplay Between Liberalism and Imperialism 10
2 Rethinking the French Second Empire: New
Bonapartism, Liberal Voices and Imperial Languages 19
Napoleon III, the Empire and the Nation 21
The Emperor and New Bonapartism 22
Empire and Nation 28
Liberal Voices in an ‘Illiberal Democracy’ 30
The Group of Five 32
Other Liberal Voices 38
Censorship and Freedom of the Press 40
Overseas Ventures and Imperial Languages 44
Civilisation 45
Glory and Greatness 47
3 The Nation Abroad?: Algeria and French Colonialism
in the 1860s 63
Politics of Assimilation and Rights of Representation 69
Industrial Production and Economic Strength 79
Algeria’s Economic Appeal 82

ix
x CONTENTS

Industrial Production 83
Investments and Labour 86
The Crescent Under the Sign of the Cross 90
Further Evangelisation 92
Girardin and the Link Between ‘Two Worlds’ 95
4 The Search for World Prestige in Cochinchina 109
‘Base Du Génie Rayonnant De La France’: Cochinchina
and Fascination with the Empire 114
A Golden Opportunity for Trade 119
Cochinchina and the Protection of Christian Missionaries 127
5 Mexico and French Visions of the Empire’s ‘Greatest
Thought’ 137
The Principle of Non-intervention and the ‘Right of Nations’ 146
International Law and Non-intervention 147
On Mexico 150
A Central Issue 158
Towards Failure 167
‘ Arrêtez-vous!’ Mexico and France’s Financial Stability 169
Religion and Culture 174
6 Conclusion 185
Political Spheres and Mutual Influences 187
Imperial Ventures 190
Liberals and the Empire 193

Sources and Bibliography 197

Index 215
 About the Author

Miquel de la Rosa is a Doctor in History and Civilisation by the Euro-

pean University Institute (Florence, Italy). He also holds a Master’s in
World History and a B.A. in Journalism by the University Pompeu Fabra
(Barcelona, Spain). Miquel has intensively worked in archives in Paris,
London and Berlin, and made official academic exchanges with the École
des hautes études en sciences sociales in Paris and King’s College London.
He has taught several history courses at Sciences Po and the Univer-
sitat Oberta de Catalunya and worked as an editor and speech-writer
at IESE Business School and the Institute for Catalan Studies. Fluent
in five languages, he is interested in politics, international relations and
diplomacy.

xi
 Abbreviations

AASMP Archives de l’Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques

AMAE Archives du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères
AN Archives Nationales, Paris
ASCL Annales du Sénat et du Corps législatif
BNF Bibliothèque Nationale de France
CRCL Compte-rendu des seances du Corps législatif
DM Département de Manuscrits
NAF Nouvelles Acquisitions Françaises

xiii