The Franco-Prussian War Essay

During the period of 1864 to 1871, Bismarck led Prussia into three significant wars. As said by G.A Craig in The Germans, 1991, the unified Germany was “created in 1871 by Bismarck’s diplomacy and Prussian military power.” The first of these wars was the war with Denmark over the provinces of Schleswig-Holstein in 1864. Prussia and Austria combined their military forces and won against the much weaker Denmark with considerable ease. This was a contributing factor in the second of the three wars, which was fought against Austria, as the two states

“Under Prussian leadership, all the German states north of the Main River now formed the North German Confederation” (698). Bismarck had finally achieved his goal by unifying Germany, but he had the southern German states to get. In the Franco-Prussian War, Bismarck created another war by creating friction between Prussia and France through a telegram. During the war, North German Confederation supported France, while the southern German states helped Prussia. The war eventually led to the defeat of France and at the Battle of Sedan, they were able to capture Napoleon III.

France was a crucial part of World War 1. In 1914, France was an extraordinary force. France was the first European country to move from a feudal state towards a nation state. One of the geographic features of France includes the French Alps; it made it harder for other countries to invade France so, they had to go through Belgium because it was a flat country. France did not benefit from the protection of saltwater frontiers, such as: Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and other rivers.

Paris 1919 brought a political move that would alter history in ways its creators never foresaw. The Treaty of Versailles, written at the Paris Peace Conference by the Big Four allied nations, officially ended World War I and stated the terms of settlement. Representatives from the United States, Britain, France, and Italy made up the Big Four: Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau, and Vittorio Orlando respectively. Although Orlando eventually walked out because he wasn’t getting everything he wanted (Meyer 610). These four men each had his own ideas of what the treaty would entail and what the repercussions for the war would be. Britain had already accomplished what it set out to by the end of the war, so Prime Minister

The groundwork for World War I was laid down far before the July Crisis could have any effect on the start of the war. The ticking time bomb that was Europe contained countries bent on imperialism and maintaining the best situation for themselves, causing great tensions to form between nations. One such rivalry developed between Germany, known as Prussia at the time, and France. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, Prussia managed to capture Alsace-Lorraine, a part of France. The French were unsettled by their defeat and loss of land, determined to reclaim Alsace-Lorraine as a representation of their power and authority in Europe. This goal led to revanchism in France, where they would “suddenly one day rise [to] regain Lorraine [and] recapture Alsace.” A

The Franco-Prussian War started in 1870. The two countries that the war surrounded was France and Germany. Both sides really wanted this war. The German Prime Minister Otto Von Bismark thought that this war would unify his country, while France who was led by Napoleon III who wanted military glory. Both of these countries had something to gain if they won. Germany could have two important pieces of land, which were Alsace and Lorraine. The French wanted to humiliate Prussia. With both leaders and their armies in hand war was waged, the German’s besieged Paris and began blocking food

The mastery Bismarck demonstrated in foreign policy was such that he was able to outwit all other powers and make their leaders appear inadequate. Bismarck believed that the unification of German states was determined by Prussia’s foreign policy. He was also persuaded that "nothing but a change in our foreign attitude can liberate the position of the Crown in domestic matters from the pressure which it will otherwise be impossible to resist." On September 30, 1862 Bismarck followed through on this belief in his famous blood and iron speech, which implied that if Germany was to unify it would be with the use of military force. These armies would than be used in three wars which Bismarck intentionally started though an aggressive foreign policy to unify the country. The Ems Telegram of 1870 was a prime example of Bismarck’s ability to use a hostile foreign policy to outwit a country. After editing a letter sent to Napoleon, Bismarck ensured that the amended version was released to the newspapers and telegraphed to all of Prussia's foreign embassies. French court circles

According to the textbook,” the southern German states honored their military alliances with Prussia and joined the war effort against the French. (P. 668).” On September 2, 1870, The Prussia armies advanced into France and at Sedan, and that they captured the whole French army and Napoleon himself. Even when the second Empire of French collapsed, the war did not stop, the war kept on going. However, after a couple of months, Paris was capitulated. Paris was capitulated in January 28,1871. The Peace Treaty was officially signed in May. The France had to pay 5 billion Francs which is about 1 billion dollars, and the France had to give up the Provinces of Alsace to the German state. The French people weren’t pleased with this treaty. The

The Franco-Prussian War was fought between France and Prussia from 1870 into 1871. The circumstances leading into the war were contentious with Prince Leopold receiving candidacy for the Spanish throne, but did not present a situation in which war was imminent. Hostilities between the two nations were minimal until July of 1870 when a series of events prompted the war to commence on the 19th when France declared war on Prussia. What or who provided this catalytic evolution of tensions between France and Prussia? Two significant political leaders lead France headlong into the Franco-Prussian war, Antoine-Agénor-Alfred the Duke of Gramont and Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck Prussia’s chief minister.

The First World War was the first war that used mechanized weaponry. It is shown to be a revolutionary advancement from the old war style that featured hand-to-hand combat and only minimal use of comparably incompetent mechanic weapons. The improvement of these war technologies was so huge and their powers were overlooked. These new inventions had also brought unexpected horror to the soldiers serving in the war. The estimated deaths in both military and citizens were 16.5 million ("Casualties | WW1 Facts", 2016). Therefore, the First World War is a war, much more horrific compared to previous wars, because a mass number of people were killed due to inventions of modern weapons like machine guns and poison gas which were used in an industrial scale.

After the Franco-Prussian War the unification of Germany occurred. It seemed impossible to unify states in Europe that were of different ideals; however they all spoke the same language. This only occurred due to the fact that Otto Van Bismarck was able to perform strategic moves that made the situation he was in, was advantageous to him. Ever move he made was calculated, he was several steps ahead of his enemy. He made the unification of Germany possible, but it would be amazing to see him in work, as well as, seeing all the events that occurred in order for it to happen. Such as the wars that were fought in order to gain territory, advantage, or even alliances, that benefited Prussia. Prussia was the first state that fought for unification.

World War Ⅰ was such a significant war in history, that contributed to many changes to the world today. From 1914 to 1918 the “Great War” was being fought between the central and allied forces. The trench warfare during the rough years provided a stalemate, a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible. So, as a result the allied forces made a peace treaty to finally end the prolonged bloodshed.

He used the crisis as a casus belli, or a situation justifying war. Prussia, with its strategic “ally” Austria, easily defeated Denmark. Prussia and Austria jointly occupied the newly acquired territory. After the war, Bismarck persuaded Austria to agree to terms outlined in the Gastein Convention. These terms favored Prussia and maintained the rivalry between Prussia and Austria. Bismarck never wanted to establish a cordial relationship with Austria because he knew that he could fabricate a claim for war, defeat Austria, and claim the German states under the influence of Austria. He realized he could force Austria into an uncomfortable situation in which Austria would likely renege on some of the terms of the Gastein Convention. If Austria reneged, the German Confederation would have a valid casus belli, allowing the German Confederation to bring the other German states under its control. This action would transform the loose German Confederation into a tighter-knit North German Confederation, which was a huge step towards

As mentioned prior, in 1907, Le Châtelier was elected to the French Academy of Sciences, where most of his work was dedicated to directing his students’ research work at the Sorbonne and the École des Mines (where he worked as a professor). In an incredible opportunity, Le Châtelier due to his position, and respect given from his colleagues and achievements, he was chosen as a scientific perspective within many government committee meetings concerned with such issues, such as the manufacture of explosive materials and military equipment (his experience within the Franco-Prussian War was a great advantage). This position in the French government allowed him to preview and sit through many plans regarding France’s attacks and military nuclear

Historians disagree about the causes of the Great War as there are numerous different sources of the conflict, both long term and short term. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is considered the catalyst that sparked the war but there are deeper, more complex reasons for its beginning. The extensive alliance system throughout Europe, as well as the German foreign policy of expansionism helped to ignite what was a relatively small international conflict into a worldwide war. Imperial tensions also added to the friction in 20th century Europe and these three factors all contributed to Great War beginning in July 1914.