Nyorai mberi kweiyi ndima - Napoleon III akawana kumwe kubudirira: akasimbisa kudzora kweFrance paAlgeria
, vakagadzira misasa muAfrica, vakatanga kutora Indochina, uye vakazarura kutengeserana neChina. Akabatsira kambani yokuFrance kuvaka Suez Canal, iyo Britain yakanga isingagoni kumisa. Zvisinei, muEurope, Napoleon akakundikanazve. Hondo yeCrimea ya1854<unk>1856 haina kubudirira. Hondo neAustria muna 1859 yakaita kuti kubatanidzwa kweItaly kuve nyore, uye Napoleon akapiwa mubayiro wokubatanidzwa kweSavoy neNice. VaBritain vakatsamwiswa nokupindira kwake muSyria muna 1860/61. Akatsamwisa vaKaturike vaivhiringidzwa nokubata kwake zvisina kufanira Papa, ipapo akazvidzorera amene ndokushatirisa vasingadi kuva vakuru vorudzidziso vari pamusha uye vaimbova shamwari dzake dzeItaly. Akaderedza mitero, iyo yakabatsira mukufamba kwenguva asi munguva pfupi yakatsamwisa varidzi venzvimbo huru uye vagadziri vezvipfeko nesimbi, nepo achitungamirira vashandi vanonetsekana kuronga. Zvinhu zvakawedzera kuipa muma 1860 sezvo Napoleon akapotsa akanganisa kupinda muhondo neUnited States muna 1862, nepo kupindira kwake kweMexico muna 1861-1867 kwakava njodzi yakakwana. Pakupedzisira pakupedzisira akaenda kuhondo nePrussia muna 1870 apo kwakanga kwava kunonoka kumisa kubatanidzwa kwavaGermany vose, kunze kweAustria, pasi pokutungamirirwa nePrussia. Napoleon akanga atsausa munhu ari wose; pashure pokukundikana kuwana mubatanidzwa neAustria neItaly, France yakanga isina vasonganiri uye yakakamuraniswa zvikuru kumusha. Rakakundwa zvine ngwavaira munhandare yehondo, richirasikirwa neAlsace neLorraine. A. J. P. Taylor anotaura pachena kuti: "akaparadza France sesimba guru".