Quoted from The Rise of France by M. Essex:
In 1846 France was no longer the country it had been ten years earlier. The timid and uncertain foreign policy established in the wake of the 1830 revolution had been supplanted by a new assertive stance on the world stage. Almost all of Belgium and much of the Netherlands had been reincorporated into France, and northern Africa was dominated by France. The Western Mediterranean Sea was increasingly a French lake. The French even held territory in Southeast Asia, a harbinger of things to come.
Though France was not officially allied to any nation, relations with other major powers had not declined significantly. In fact Anglo-French relations were improving as were relations with Russia. Ongoing diplomatic initiatives had smoothed the anxious nerves of the other great powers. The French military was large, although there had not been any significant revision of technology or tactic in the previous decade. Nevertheless those armies strong enough to defend the fatherland if necessary and increased numbers of reserves insured that in any major conflict, the people of the French nation would remain secure.
Economically, the French nation was competitive, though not superior in its industrial pursuits. Territorial expansion had put some strain on the French economy, which hindered its growth. The population of the nation had risen by over ten million, much of that by acquisition of new territory.
In cultural affairs, France stood shoulders above her competitors. No civilized nation attracted the galaxy of thinkers and philosophers as did France. The prestige of the nation was on the rise. France stood poised to make the best of the next few decades.