Why did Napoleon III invade Mexico?
A. to gain access to the country's gold supply
B. to collect old debts and establish a new empire
C. to save Mexico from financial disaster
D. to steal Mexico's oil
The correct answer is B) to collect old debts and establish a new empire. Benito Juarez, who was then the president of Mexico suspended interest rates to foreign countries. Napoleon III also wanted to establish a Hapsburg republic run by an Austrian noble. He hoped this would give him access to Mexico's rich silver mines and more access to other riches and mines in Latin America. After the French-Mexican War, in which the French were defeated, the French troops were forced to return home and the new Hapsburg empire collapsed.
