Introduction

 map of the North German Confederation, click to enlarge

The Franco-Prussian War was waged between France and Prussia and the German states from July 15, 1870 to Feb 1, 1871 . Napoleon I had smashed through the German states with ease during the Napoleonic wars . Now a generation later, the roles would be reversed .Even though the war was a short duration, it dramatically changed European history .The rapid and overwhelming victory of the German states under the leadership of Prussia in this conflict made possible the creation of a unified German Empire and brought the fall of the French empire of Napoleon III which was replaced by the Third Republic. The war also marked the final step in Germany's rise to the position of a major continental power . As part of the settlement, the territory of Alsace-Lorraine was taken by Germany, which would retain it until after World War I.

Causes of the Franco-Prussian War 

Otto von Bismarck

From 1868 on, Bismark ( Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck - April 1, 1815 – July 30, 1898 ) Chancellor of the North German Confederation , prepared to accomplish the unification of the German Protestant  states of the north and the German Catholic south through a provoked war with France .  Such a war would unite the German states quickly rather than the years or decades it might otherwise take . The Germans were divided culturally and politically, but they were united in their hatred for France since the Napoleonic Wars, when France had looted the German states and pressed an estimated 250,000 Germans into the French armies .

Napoleon III

Napoleon III sought to defeat Prussia and recover all or part of the Rhine frontier lost after the defeat of Napoleon I and bring the rising upstart power Prussia to heel .Prussia's victory over Austria in the recent Austro-Prussian War of 1866 increased tensions with France which felt Prussia was growing too strong . Since the defeat of 1815, France had become a subordinate power in Europe .

The French hoped that  Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte ( 20 April 1808 – 9 January 1873), the nephew of the famous Napoleon I,

could restore the power and prestige of France. Louis-Napoleon launched a major rebuilding plan for Paris to make it again the capital city of a new French led Europe .Louis-Napoleon was the popularly elected president of France in 1848, however, the French Constitution did not allow a president to serve more than one term of four years.  .Louis-Napoleon therefore staged a coup d'état and crowned himself emperor on December 2, 1851. The new French Empire of  Napoleon III needed a victory after the recent reverses such as the recent failed Mexican adventure which ended in 1867.  Napoleon III had broad support among the rural farmers, but there was growing discontent and even riots against his autocratic rule in urban areas . Napoleon III hoped a good short war would restore faith in his Empire .

Both Napoleon III and Bismark needed a war for political reasons . The war that started in 1870 could have started anytime after the Prussian victory against Austria in 1866 .It didn't because Napoleon III wanted more time to complete army reforms and Bismark need time to gather southern German support for a unified Germany .But it was inevitable that some event would trigger a war .

Prince Leopold

There remained only to find a pretext for war .This presented itself in 1869, when the Spanish Cortes or parliament offered the throne of Spain to Prince Leopold of  Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, nephew of King Wilhelm I of Prussia . The Spanish throne been vacant since a revolution in 1868 had deposed the Bourbons. Bismark saw the Spanish offer as another way to possibly provoke war with France if he could place Prince Leopold on the Spanish throne. If that happened, France would have two German Hohenzollern monarchies on its borders .

the Duc de Gramont

However, the prince and the king were not much interested in the offer .He might be chased from the throne as Maximilian had been in Mexico or Queen Isabella in Spain in 1868 . Upon Bismark's insistence, Leopold Accepted the offer . On July 2, 1870, the Spanish informed the French ambassador of their choice .When the  French minister of foreign affairs, Antoine Alfred Agénor, Duc de Gramont, heard of it he hurriedly convened the legislature and made a threatening speech .Gramont knew the French army was weaker than the Prussian army, but he assumed that if war came he would have the support of Austria , which lost a war to Prussia in 1866 and Denmark, which lost Schleswig and Holstein to Prussia in the Second Schleswig War of 1864 . However, there was no formal alliance between France and Austria and Denmark .

Gramont informed the French ambassador that he insisted the King Wilhelm renounce the offer .Bismark was away on holiday, and King Wilhelm, afraid of risking war, complied . Both Gramont and Bismark were disappointed by this .

Just as the crisis seemed to be coming to a close, Gramont rekindled it on July 12, 1870 by informing  the French ambassador to Prussia Count Vincent Benedetti, to inform King Wilhelm that he must sign and publish a document renouncing all claims to the Spanish throne . Wilhelm was insulted  and refused this request .A report of this incident was telegramed to Bismark,who was elated to hear of it . However, instead of declaring war right away, he sought a way to engineer the French into declaring war on Prussia first, so the south German states would join the north German alliance and insure the neutrality of the other great powers . Bismark reworded the telegram as to arouse a war fever in France and the Germanic states . As a result, the French Chamber on July 15, 1870 declared war on Prussia .There was not universal support for the war in the French legislative body as some republicans realized the bad position it would place France in  .The German states, seeing France as the aggressor, came to Prussia's support .

The Paris suburb of St. Cloud after the siege

The Germans, with a national army organized under universal military service, efficient use of railroads and innovative Group artillery quickly proved their superiority to the French and won a decisive battle at Sedan on Sept 1 - 2 1870,where Napoleon III was captured .

French surrender at Sedan

Paris surrendered in January 1871 after being under siege from Sept 19, 1870  .The treaty of Frankfurt was signed on May 10, 1871 . France ceded Alsace, except Belfort and eastern Lorraine to Germany and agreed that a German army could occupy northern France till an indemnity of five billion Francs was paid .

The proclamation of King William I as emperor at Versailles, by Anton von Werner

On Jan 18, 1871 at Versailles ( which was made the German military headquarters ) William I was proclaimed The German emperor ( Kaiser ) .The creation of a unified German Empire destroyed the balance of power that had been created with the Congress of Vienna after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Germany quickly established itself as the main power in Europe with one of the most powerful and professional armies in the world . In France, anger at the Germans over the loss of Alsace and Lorraine and the large indemnity would led to a permanent state of crises between the two states and their seeking revenge with a large indemnity against Germany after their defeat in World War I and trigger events which would lead to World War II .

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 Franco-Prussian War, by Michael

Howard

La Debacle, novel of the Franco-Prussian Warby Amile Zola

 concerns the dramatic events of the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune of 1870-71. During Zola's lifetime it was the best-selling of all his novels