Abstract:
Tsar Nicolas was anxious to preserve the situation of 1815 and was hostile to the re-establishment of the second Empire. The rise of Louis-Napoléon to presidency was viewed abroad with favour. Napoléon III was regarded as a bulwark against revolutionary trends in France. Monarchies in Europe were most interested to have social order and stability in France. Thus the proclamation of the French Empire in 1851 came as no surprise to Europe.
