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| 1859, May 12–July 12 |
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| The war of France and Piedmont against Austria (See 1859, March 8) resulted in the annexation of Savoy and Nice (March 24). Napoleon sought glory for France by diplomatic and military adventures. | 1 |
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| 1860–70 |
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| “Liberal” Empire. | 2 |
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| 1860, Nov. 24 |
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| A reform decree began the extension of powers and more liberal reforms. Napoleon reinstated the imperial address to the Corps législatif and authorized the Corps to respond with their own address. Parliamentary debates were to be fully reported. | 3 |
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| 1861 |
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| The government debt, incurred as a result of public works and foreign policy, spurred heated debate on the 1862 budget. The budget was finally passed after Napoleon agreed to further reforms and the right to vote the budget by chapters. The session also abolished the sliding scale of tariffs on grain and established free trade. Despite Napoleon's seeming success over the budget, an opposition coalition rapidly grew up in the country, composed of Catholics, Legitimists, Orléanists, Protectionists, and even Republicans. | 4 |
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| Jan |
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| The Cobden-Chevalier Treaty established virtual free trade between France and Britain by lowering or eliminating duties between the countries. The treaty also eliminated French prohibitions on British imports. | 5 |
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