Cornudet: Franco-Prussian War

France had a general distrust of Germany. There was a great fear that if more serious measures to stop Germany were not made then the next generation would be seeking a war of revenge. The French public opinion earnestly desired a just peace, and would not take up arms again until compelled by a clear threat.3 This pacifism played an extremely important role in French policy. "Whether from ignorance or misunderstanding, many of the French people were apathetic, or just did not care enough to want action."4 The people were divided into two forces, the Left and Right, the Right favoring

“Soldiers of my Old Guard: I bid you farewell. For twenty years I have constantly accompanied you on the road to honor and glory. In these latter times, as in the days of our prosperity, you have invariably been models of courage and fidelity. With men such as you our cause could not be lost; but the war would have been interminable; it would have been civil war, and that would have entailed deeper misfortunes on France.

World War I changed the landscape of Europe, particularly France, like no war had ever before. The memoir, A Life of Her Own, depicts the experiences of Emilie Carles, a politically active French women. The memoir depicts the country’s history throughout, not only World War I, but most of the 20th century. Carles brother, Joseph, was caught in a German Prisoner of War camp for a good portion of the war. While there, he would write to the Carles and documented the horrors of war. The article A Republic of Letters: The Epistolary Tradition in France during World War I accurately demonstrates the letters exchanged between Joseph and his family throughout the duration of the war. The French economy needed an influx of workers to cope with the departure of abled bodied men while the war took place. For example, The Carles had to sacrifice any leisure time they had to deal with losing another worker on the family farm. These workers were replaced by immigrants. The impact of these new laborers is documented in Workers in France during World War I. The story of Emilie Carles and her family was just one of many examples of families that were dismantled emotionally and economically due to World War I.

Throughout the book “Au Revoir Les Enfants” Louis Malle highlights at several points the typical associations which the majority of people have when discussing the role of the Germans during the war. However Malle approaches the topic from a more complex angle thus forcing the reader to question the general stereotypes and examine the varying attitudes of both the French and Germans, by portraying them in certain situations in which they adopt a sometimes unexpected attitude.

The French Revolution was spreading and Prussia and Austria had grown fearful; therefore, to stop the spreading of the revolution the countries waged war against France, gaining land, troops, and power bringing fear to the French. The neighboring countries in the awakening of the revolution, August 1791, formed an alliance wreaking havoc in the French cities. (Doc A) When the guillotining of Louis the 16th occurred Austria became fearful and angry hoping for the safety of the queen and beloved sister Marie Antoinette. (Doc A) The raging war went on for many years but in 1794 the invasion of foreign enemies grew short and the French are close to stopping them. (Doc A) In the words of Robespierre “We must smother the … external enemies of the Republic or perish.”(Doc G)

The importance of nationalism within the French Revolution was due to a conscription, called the Levee en Masse, that was encouraged by Napoleon Bonaparte. During the War of the First Coalition, Bonaparte encourages his troops by preaching that the republican troops of France are the only ones who were able to endure the battles the infatntry troops are the continued glory of France(Doc 6). Ideally, Bonaparte desired for his distressed troops to be joyous that they are in battle for the French. The intended audience for Bonaparte’s speech is for the soldiers who were forced to be in war who did want to fight for the corrupt government in France. Since many of the conscripted men were not fighting for what they believed in, the soldiers did not make an attempt to win a battle. With most of the soldiers without motivation, Bonaparte attempts to cause the soldiers who are against the war to become imperious through nationalism. Nationalism in France was not only expressed through speeches, but also through art. The painting, “The Planting of the Liberty Tree,” by Pierre Antoine Lesueur emphasizes French nationalism by depicting the National Assembly digging the hole for the tree, and the people planting the tree. Leseur purposely depicts the National Assembly digging the hole for the liberty tree, since the National Assembly led the way for liberty in France. While, Leseur depicted the people planting the tree since without the people, there can not be liberty. This nationalistic painting emphasizes that the French should be proud that there is a way for the possibility of liberty, equality, and fraternity. This magnificent painting describes the ideal nationalistic society that should exist in France for the French Revolution to

The post D-Day Allied assault that swept through France was halted by Hitler’s unexpected counter-attack through the Ardennes, resulting in a confrontation named the Battle of the Bulge.

Throughout history, a theme for many writers has been the conflict between peace and calamity in life. In his work The Red Keep, Allen French has also thoroughly ingrained this idea. Whether it be the forces of the Sauval against the defenders of the Red Keep or internal conflict amongst the people of Burgundy, this work not only portrays the relationship between an ordered society and chaotic behavior, but also discusses the manner in which the people of Burgundy ultimately achieve order.

Her need to see her enemies destroyed is so strong that it overrides any other emotion that Madame Defarge may have left, and it leaves her “absolutely without pity” (367). She cannot see the monster she has become because she is so focused on immolating every last aristocrat or enemy of the republic. France may have suffered from poverty,

A refugee can be defined as an individual forced to leave their country for circumstances out of their control such as disease, famine or war. For Camille Pissarro, it was the Franco Prussian War that turned him into a refugee. Mona Hatoum suffered the same consequences as Pissarro when war broke out in her home of Lebanon in 1975. For the students at Project 658, it could have been any of the aforementioned reasons. Whether it be 100 or 150 years apart what they all have in common is their desire to keep creating. Even after having everything has been taken, there is still hope and that can be seen in the beauty of the artwork created.

The violence in France will not stop until equality is reached. The revolutionaries picture a time when all the people of France live equal. This reasoning is the core factor of why they are fighting against the system. When we learned the motive for Madame Defarge’s reasoning for hating the Marquis and anyone associated with him, she replies that everyone against the revolution should “...tell the Wind and Fire where to stop; not me!” (326). We learn here that she has not intent to stop until she gets even with the Evrémonde family. Madame Defarge’s idea of equality is the death of Charles Darnay and everyone associated with him. When Madame Defarge and Defarge were discussing the end of the revolution Defarge asked the question, “but one must stop somewhere. After all, the question is still where?” (324). Defarge questions Madame Defarge’s intent to stop somewhere but Madame Defarge replies with “At extermination” (324). This strengthens the fact that Madame Defarge believes the revolution will be complete with the death

The Franco-Prussian War is a suitable war for Crisis because it was a military disaster that could have easily been avoided, created the French Third Republic, and changed the course of European history. The astounding victory of the North German Federation, led by Prussia, convinced the southern German states to leave the French sphere of influence and join the German Federation, completing German unification. In fact, King Wilhelm I of Prussia was crowned the Emperor of Germany at the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles when the Prussian troops were besieging Paris. However, none of this would have happened if the French did not blunder at the Battles of Metz and Sedan. For example, the French surrendered at Sedan because they were outmaneuvered

One country in Europe had land and power in which other countries could not withstand, Germany. But France, on the other hand, wanted back their territory which Germany took, attempted to overthrow the unconquered Germans, and was not victorious. When France began to mobilize their troops, there were horses without harnesses, canons without ammunition, and machine guns with men who had no idea how to use them (“Franco-German War”). The Germans knew about their power and took the advantage of many countries at the time. Many wars were affected by the “snowball effect”, where after one problem, there are many other drawbacks following the problem before; for instance, the Franco-Prussian War. The history between France and Germany displayed many strengths and weaknesses which led to the inflation within the government, to proceeding to very important land lost that was owned by the French, as

The French Revolution began as an expression of rebellion against centuries of absolute rule in France. After an interim of experimental liberalism under the rule of Jacobins and Girondins and then the infamous reign of terror, the people of French were drawn to a man who promised them a return to stability, and  honor through the expansion of empire. France and it’s people had long yearned for this sens eof honour, it had seemed, and could finally sens eit in a lasting rpesence under the rule of their prodigious, unbeatable general, Napoleon Bonaparte. He would soon take the reigns of civil government as well and become yet another Absolutist ruler, yet this

In the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu are in authority in France, each struggling to gain absolute power. As a result conflicts emerge that will lead to the progress of France. France was constantly in external conflicts with England and in internal conflicts with the Huguenots that provoked war against the Catholics and even the King, but never against the Cardinal (Dumas, 1). Queen Anne’s romance to the Duke of Buckingham, who at the time was an enemy of France, was not unknown to the Cardinal, like nothing else that escaped him from knowing it. The story’s protagonist, D’Artagnan faces the most dangerous spy of the Cardinal, Lady de Winter. This lady is the one entrusted with the