December 16, 1850.
Amidst the expectations of all citizens of France (the Second Republic had been nominally dissolved), France once again initiated a referendum.
To prepare for this referendum, Jerome Bonaparte deliberately relaxed the voting restrictions, granting military personnel and temporary residents the right to vote. For the military, the Bonaparte name symbolizes wealth; no one would refuse to follow a Bonaparte into victory.
The content of the referendum was also quite cunning. In Paris, the referendum asked, "Do you support the President in establishing a new Republic?" while in the Outer Provinces, it asked, "Do you support Jerome Bonaparte becoming the Governor of France?"
Though different in wording, both versions of the referendum spoke of the same thing, thereby maximizing the weakening of resistance from the opposition in France.
