Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871)

The Franco-Prussian War 1870-71 was one of the most significant wars of the nineteenth century. It changed the balance of power in Europe and resulted in the relative decline of France and confirmed the rise of a United Germany as the major power on the continent. This war had enormous implications for international relations not only in Europe but around the Globe. The Franco-Prussian War laid the foundation for the First World War.

Origins of the War

A Prussian prince was one of the candidates for the Throne of Spain. However, France feared encirclement by Prussia and forced the prince to renounce his claims, to the Kingdom of Spain. This was a national humiliation for Prussia. Bismarck, wanted a war with France and so devised a plan to provoke France into declaring war on his country, he changed a telegram sent by the Prussian King to Napoleon III, to make it appear insulting. This became known as the Ems telegram. The French public were enraged, when Bismarck made public the telegram, and the government in Paris declared war on Prussia.

Franco-Prussian War

The French army advanced into the Rhineland and captured the German city of Saarbrucken. The army of Napoleon III was ill-prepared for war as many of its best troops were fighting in the colonies, such as Algeria and Vietnam. Alarmed at the French invasion, the southern German states eventually put their armies under the command of the Prussian Army. Suddenly, France was faced with a united Germany, under the leadership of Prussia. The German forces, under the command of Field Marshal Helmut Von Moltke, gradually pushed the French army back into eastern France. Gradually, a large section of the French army became encircled in the city of Metz. The French public was alarmed at this and demanded the lifting of the siege. A large French army was assembled and advanced to break the German siege at Metz. The French as they advanced towards Metz were lured into a trap at Sedan by the Prussian and German forces. The French army suffered a catastrophic defeat at Sedan and this battle decided the war in Prussia's favor.

France had lost most of its army and was defenseless before the German army. During the battle, Napoleon III, France’s leader was captured by Prussian forces. The war continued, and the French refused to surrender. Napoleon III abdicated and he was replaced by a government of National Defense, who carried on the war. The Germans advanced to Paris and besieged the city, where the Prussian Kaiser was crowned the monarch of a united Germany in Versailles. The Government of National Defense, after increasingly heavy French losses during the siege of Paris, accepted the inevitable and agreed to a Peace Treaty with the newly created German Empire. Effects of the Franco-Prussian War 1. Changes the balance of power in Europe 2. Unified the German states and Germany becomes a country 3. Germany makes France pay reparations ($1 Billion) for the war 4. Germany annexed French Territory 5. France hates Germany and wants revenge 6. Leads to World War I