[War & Business] Napoleon III's Lipstick

Portrait of Napoleon III by Franz Winterhalter [Image source= Napoleon Museum/www.museonapoleonico.it]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Franco-Prussian War of 1870, fought between France and the Kingdom of Prussia, the predecessor of modern-day Germany, is known as a war that ended abruptly after the French leader Napoleon III recklessly jumped into the front lines and was captured as a prisoner. France, whose top leader became a prisoner of the enemy just a month and a half after the war began in mid-July of that year, had no choice but to surrender.

At the time, Napoleon III insisted on personally going to the battlefield to uphold his political image of inheriting the glory of his uncle, Napoleon I, despite all ministers and generals opposing him, and suffered a crushing defeat. Having never been to a battlefield before, he was terrified by the sound of cannons and soldiers dying from gunfire beside him, and was unable to give any orders.

The generals who went with him, after commanding a battle only once, scolded Napoleon III, whose lips had turned blue, saying that the soldiers were unsettled and told him to at least put on the lipstick he usually enjoyed wearing before appearing. This was a sarcastic remark about Napoleon III always wearing makeup to maintain his image when appearing before the public. Known as a master of image politics at the time, who gained power through his charm that attracted people, the disappointment and shock the soldiers felt upon seeing his true nature were immense.

Before the war, he was a leader popular among all citizens regardless of political faction within France. As the nephew of Napoleon I, he was loved by conservatives for his tough foreign policies, promising to recreate his uncle’s glory, and at the same time, he showed a high level of understanding of socialist movements from his long exile in Germany, gaining support among progressive forces as well. The public even gave him the nickname “Human Opium,” saying he had a power that addicted people. Thanks to his skillful image politics, he was able to become emperor from president through a personal coup and maintained a long dictatorship for 18 years.

However, in the end, that image became his downfall. He made a foolish decision, intoxicated by the rise in approval ratings from declaring his personal reign rather than focusing on the outcome of the war. Moreover, with no experience, he lost his mind after commanding a single battle, was surrounded by enemy forces for a week without issuing any orders, and surrendered. His reputation, built solely on image without actual capability, collapsed in an instant.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.