The first half of Napoleon the Little is a powerful denunciation of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte’s 1851 coup d'etat. Hugo exposes how the fragile Second Republic, born from the 1848 Revolution, was manipulated and destroyed through propaganda, constitutional betrayal, and the suppression of civil liberties. Institutions like the press and legislature are silenced in favor of absolute rule. The coup is not only presented as a political crime but also a moral one, where the public is gradually deceived. Hugo dissects Bonaparte's dual persona?his public mask and his ruthless ambition. Although the conscience of society remains alive, it finds itself increasingly marginalized and voiceless.
