ry to force payment while still respecting Mexican sovereignty. However, Napoleon III of France along with a group of Mexican Conservatives had other plans (Cinco de Mayo http://zedilloworld.presidencia.gob.mx).
With America occupied by the Civil War, Napoleon III saw this as an opportunity for France to expand its empire. In January 1862, France demanded twelve million pesos from the Mexican government û a sum beyond MexicoÆs capacity to pay. The Spanish and English promised the Mexican government that they would not meddle in the countryÆs affairs, but the French had other goals. When Napoleon III persisted in his demand of twelve mi
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