Napoleon the Great

[Alcsentre Calanice]

AHC: Napoleon III is more succesful and remains remembered as "the great".

Some ideas:

1) Intervention in the ACW (with/without British support) to brake the power of the US and to protect Maxilimilan's power in Mexico.

2) Retaining the Suezcanal for France and exercing great influence in Egypt.

3) Helping to unite Italy like OTL, but then under a member of the family Bonaparte (like himself -> Napoleon I or e.g. Jerôme and his son), thus forming a solid alliance with the Italians.

4) Attacking Prussia while the Prussian armies are fighting against Austria and, afterwards, grabbing Luxembourg and maybe some parts of Germany. -> Preventing the union of Germany under Prussian leadership

5) Not loosing the war against the Germans and preserving Bonaparte rule in France.

 

[Ameck16]

If he does 1-4 then France would have a lot of enemies when he dies.

 

[Alcsentre Calanice]

If he does 1-4 then France would have a lot of enemies when he dies.

But also friends:

In Russia (if he doesn't take part in the Crimean war)

In the CSA

In Mexico

In Italy...

 

[Tanc49]

For the great to stick, have him not captured at Sedan and Gambetta manage his escape during the war.
Also, a successful French Panama Canal by Lesseps would go a long way into making all that more stable I think

 

[LeopoldPhilippe]

On July 27, 1807, Napoleon gave himself an early birthday present, the title of Napoleon the Great.

 

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

When you are descended from Napoleon Bonaparte (indirectly) it's really, really hard to be 'The Great' in comparison.

 

[eliphas8]

If he does 1-4 then France would have a lot of enemies when he dies.

That's not actually a big issue for someone maintaining a good reputation. If everything falls apart after he's dead, but the empire survives, or if the empire falls but the succeeding government is still right wing and Bonapartist in a lot of ways then he will probably be remembered pretty well among the people who matter in France.

 

[Lateknight]

That's not actually a big issue for someone maintaining a good reputation. If everything falls apart after he's dead, but the empire survives, or if the empire falls but the succeeding government is still right wing and Bonapartist in a lot of ways then he will probably be remembered pretty well among the people who matter in France.

I don't think it would take until he's dead to fall apart if he was and successfully(which it self doubtful) do these things he would have alienated all the great powers and only have secondly and tertiary powers as allies. My guess that France destroyed by the new coalition and dismembered after they proven that there a threat to the peace of the world.