Franco-Prussian War

It’s the late 1860s. No one country called Germany exists yet, but instead a collection of different states. In the north is the North German Confederation, led by the state of Prussia. Prussia is ruled by King Wilhelm, along with Minister President Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck has a grand plan.

He wants to bring together all the German states into one country: to form a unified Germany. He’s already managed to claim the northern states, through a war with Austria a few years ago. But to complete his plan, he needs to gain the southern states, over which the French and German have long been fighting. Bismarck knows that if the French declare war on Prussia, the southern states will likely unify with Prussia against the ‘warmongers’. If only Bismarck could find a way to push the French into declaring war… In July 1870, a letter arrives from King Wilhelm describing an exchange he just had with a French ambassador.

The ambassador had approached him about concerns over the Spanish throne: He wanted Wilhelm’s promise that the throne would never go to a German prince, since a Spanish-German alliance could threaten France. Wilhelm’s response was a polite “no”. Aha!, thinks Bismark. A dispute between the French and the Prussians… With a little careful editing, Bismarck can make this seem much more ugly! He cuts out the polite parts of Wilhelm’s letter, so it sounds as if the French ambassador and Prussian King were highly insulting to each other.

Then, he releases the letter to the public. Bismarck’s scheme works. The edited letter infuriates the French. Days after its release, they declare war against Prussia. France’s leader, Napoleon III, travels to the north of France and there takes command of the French army.

He orders his troops to march towards the border and from there they begin their invasion of German territories. The French are confident they can keep moving north, taking land, but the Prussians have their own, meticulously laid plans. They gather troops in surrounding areas so that they can encircle the French. And just as Bismarck predicted, the German states join Prussia’s side, becoming part of the German Confederation. Prussia’s army is now much larger than the French army, and their soldiers are more highly trained, too.

The Prussians gradually kill or capture more and more French troops, battle after battle, until Napoleon III himself is taken captive. When news of the French army’s plight reaches Paris, people there become angry. Their leaders are weak! The French people force them from power and a new, temporary government takes over. The new government refuses to surrender to the Prussians, who respond by making their way to Paris and encircling the city.

No-one can enter or leave. Months pass. People are desperate, starving. Eventually, the government realises that Paris can’t go on like this any longer. In January 1871, France surrenders.

The war has brought the southern states under the German Confederation, just as Bismarck hoped, and on January 18th, the North German Confederation becomes a unified Germany. King Wilhelm is proclaimed Emperor, and Bismarck, Chancellor. France is forced to give two key regions to the new Germany: Alsace and Lorraine become Reichsland Elsass-Lothringen. The German conquest of France and the unification of Germany has upset the power balance in Europe. Britain’s fears about Germany’s new powerful status, along with French determination to win back Alsace-Lorraine, will eventually lead Europe into a much larger war.