Indeed, many Europeans found the South inspiring, analogizing their cause to the wave of anti-monarchy revolutions that swept Europe in 1848. Capitalists, aristocrats, and monarchists in Europe were also excited by the war. It was a sight to behold: the radical, dangerous democratic experiment of America falling apart at last. In France, Napoléon III hoped to see the United States split into two weak nations, which would make his plan to invade Mexico easier.
