Napoleon III falls off His Throne

What if the revolutionaries took control of France 3 weeks before the Franco-Prussian War? Say the guy flees to Austria without a fight, taking his personal belongings, and the Bonapartists are left without their leader. Then France declares war of Prussia and the battles up to Sedan happen just as they did in OTL, except with 1/3 of the German casualties (land gains the same, French casualties the same)?

Would Napoleon III even want to come back?

Also, does history even change all that much? (After this point, we are getting rid of the extra boost to the Prussian military effectiveness)
 
That's just ASB.

France then wasn't the revolutionary powder keg the siege of Paris had made of the capital (and only it) and its citizens with the result of the Commune. It had just witnessed a massive popular approval of the imperial constitution in May 1870 drafted by the Ollivier government, in numbers not seen since 1852 (82.7 % in favor, with 81.3% turnout, up two points from the last election), leading Napoléon III to note 'I have my numbers back' or Gambetta to say 'the empire is stronger than ever'.

The empire just fell by accident, through the opportunity of Napoléon III's capture, and that was more a quiet and peaceful regime change than a revolution to speak of. So, you won't get any revolution here.
 
What are you talking about? There was a revolution. That's what happened after Napoleon got captures, Julius what's-his-face was a radical republican. And just because Napoleon III was liked by France doesn't prevent a revolutionary mob in Paris from showing up, it just keeps the people AS A WHOLE from overthrowing him
 
What are you talking about? There was a revolution. That's what happened after Napoleon got captures, Julius what's-his-face was a radical republican. And just because Napoleon III was liked by France doesn't prevent a revolutionary mob in Paris from showing up, it just keeps the people AS A WHOLE from overthrowing him
Well, to speak of a mob demonstrating on the front of the Palais Bourbon under the passive eye of military police forces of a Military Governor (Trochu) who had lost any consideration he had for the Emperor who had bowed to his wife's views, to speak of a Gambetta reluctantly proclaiming the Republic inside the Palais Bourbon on this occasion as a revolution is, I think, an utterly improper way.

That was a peaceful regime change; you just had the Corps Législatif voting the end of the empire, not some mob besieging and storming the government offices throughout the capital, not to speak of the whole country. The only revolutionary agitation that came was brought by the conditions of the Siege of Paris and the context surrounding it.
 
Top