France continued to grapple with the legacy of the French Revolution. Some stability emerged with the rise of the Third French Republic which was created in 1870 and would last until WWII in 1940. Following the Election in December 1848, Louis Napoleon became the first and only president of the short lived Second French Republic. Louis used a plebiscite - just like his famous Uncle had done - to first give him dictatorial powers, and then to create an Empire. Louis Napoleon created the Second French Empire. The city of Paris went through a remarkable transformation during this time and became a modern city. Sanitation improved, and Paris became visually attractive. Napoleon III (formerly Louis Napoleon) led an authoritarian regime. Disenchantment with his reign was gained thanks to Napoleon III's easing of censorship. In 1859 he created a "Liberal Empire" making his state a constitutional monarchy. Soon after being captured in battle during the Franco-Prussian War, Napoleon was sent into exile in Britain, where he soon died. The Third Republic began when Napoleon III failed. By 1875, Republic was firmly established after eliminating anarchist threats, such as the Commune, and consisted of a bicameral parliamentary body, the president, with a relatively weak office, responsible to the lower house chamber of deputies. It proved to be the most durable of all French Republics.