France could also control the flow of goods and services through Southern and Central America. The French saw their actions as justified because of the sweeping and threatening United States annexation of California, Arizona and New Mexico, even more so than Mexico's nonpayment of debt (Cinco de Mayo, 2010, Think Quest). Given that the United States was embroiled in its own Civil War at the time, France thought that it was an ideal moment to install a puppet government in Mexico, as there were no American military resources to spare to curtail France's imperialistic efforts. The French were exceedingly proud of their military strength, and the defeat of Mexico at the hands of the United States -- even before the Mexican Civil War and Reform Wars weakened the nation still further -- convinced the French that the conquest of Mexico would be easy. After all, the French army had not been defeated by any nation in fifty years. The Emperor took the precaution of sending its most elite forces, including the French Foreign Legion, on its journey to Mexico. France's determination to establish a monarchy at this critical time was manifested in the fact that Maximilian, a Hapsburg Prince, and his wife, Carlota, accompanied the invading French military, in contrast to the other European forces that simply came with soldiers (Cinco history, 2006, Viva Cinco de Mayo).

After other invading European powers negotiated a settlement with Mexico's newly elected constitutional government and left, France began to wage war. Many of the Mexican conservatives and land owners of Mexico who feared the new democracy...

President Benito Juarez's indigenous heritage was seen as a threat to their dominance, as many of the landowners had European ancestry. Juarez had made efforts to liberalize and secularize the Mexican government and had abolished many of the special privileges accorded to the clergy that had formerly existed in Mexico. As a result, the Catholic Church actively supported the French monarchist effort to conquer Mexico. Additionally, the Pope feared the rise of radical, secular governments in Europe, and saw a parallel in Mexico's liberal revolution to the revolutions that had shaken so many European monarchies in 1848 (Tuck 2008).
Despite the triumphant and improbable victory of General Zaragoza on the 5th of May, Mexican efforts to dominate the superior French forces flagged. In 1863 the French drove Juarez out of Mexico City and the French General Forey and his conservative Mexican allies called for Maximilian of Hapsburg to come and rule Mexico in Juarez's place (Tuck 2008). However, Maximilian surprised many of his supporters by being more independent than expected. When presented by a papal nuncio with a six-point memorandum demanding the abolition of Juarez's Reform Laws and the restoration of the privileges of the clergy, Maximilian refused. As Maximilian's support began to ebb away, Napoleon began to withdraw his forces (Tuck 2008).

Ultimately, Maximilian was executed by Juarez's restored government. Although militarily superior to the Mexican army, the French decided that it was not worth the trouble to expend the resources necessary to control Mexico. The coalition of the French, and the conservative Mexicans and the clergy was faltering. Maximilian's wife Carlota ended her life in an insane asylum (Tuck 2008). And although the French were not expelled by military force the triumph of Cinco de Mayo as a celebration of Mexican determination and democracy lives on.