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| 1861–67 |
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| THE MEXICAN EXPEDITION (See 1861) began as a debt-collecting mission by France, Britain, and Spain, but Napoleon seized the opportunity to establish a permanent French-supported government in Mexico. France took Mexico City (June 1863) and declared Archduke Maximilian (brother of Francis Joseph I of Austria) as emperor. Under pressure from the United States and in need of troops for his European policies, Napoleon was forced to withdraw his support. Maximilian refused to abdicate and was executed by the Mexicans (June 19, 1867). | 1 |
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| 1864, May 25 |
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| The Corps législatif passed the Coalitions Law, which legalized strikes in specific cases by revising the Penal Code of 1810. The act of coalition among workers was no longer punishable unless it met certain qualifications. The law effectively eliminated the prosecution of trade unions. The law represented a more lenient government attitude toward strikes during the 1860s. | 2 |
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| Sept. 15 |
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| The September Convention. Napoleon III promised to remove his troops from the French garrison in Rome, established in 1859, in two years, and the Italians agreed not to invade Rome. | 3 |
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