Nana takes place in the final three years of the Second French Empire, 1867-1870. Sandwiched between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, the Second Empire lasted from 1852-1870. Prior to the Second Empire, a revolution in 1848 ousted the French monarchy and installed republican government instead. This only lasted four years, however, and in 1852, Napoleon III, the President of France at that time, staged a coup by dissolving the elected governing body, the National Assembly, and re-establishing the monarchy with himself as Emperor.

While the characters in Nana do not talk about politics extensively, the reader does get glimpses into their political opinions from time to time. Muffat, of course, is a staunch monarchist with complete loyalty to Napoleon III, as he is a member of court, a chamberlain to the Empress. In Chapter 10, Nana expresses support for the Emperor, which Muffat is relieved to hear. When Nana’s friends gather around her bedside in Chapter 14, Gaga recalls life during the Second Republic (1848-1852) as miserable, saying that she could never be certain that basic needs like food would be met during that precarious time, and praising Napoleon III for ensuring France’s prosperity.

The Second Empire came to an end in 1870 because of the Franco-Prussian War, a disastrous loss for France.