«Democrazia sovrana», sistema parlamentare, crescita economica, spesa pubblica e questione sociale nella Francia del Secondo Impero 1852-1857

Historiography on the Second Empire seems still covered with a “golden legend” and a “black legend”. Positive historical studies have laid emphasis on the ability of Bonapartist Regime to transform itself into a “Liberal Empire” recovering the political tradition of Louis Philip’s monarchy. On the other hand, the negative ones have underlined the tyrannical nature of the Second Empire described as a conservative dictatorship both on political and social level. This essay tries to explain how the government of Louis Bonaparte was the authoritative expression of a “centre-gauche” political agenda. His programme was so engaged in social problems to become the first European experiment of Welfare State and was also based on the partnership between private and public enterprise in order to realize a radical renewal of the obsolete relations in the production processes. A centre right political opposition, formed by holders of old economic interests started to criticise that programme already between 1853 and 1852. These opponents asked for the reestablishment of the parliamentary system and the refusal of the progressive policy of democratie impériale.