Prussia and France

1
Prussia and France

• The Final Steps to Unification, 1866-71

2
Tension After 7 Weeks War

• Nap. shocked by speed of Biss victory
• Bis. excluded Nap. from Prague Treaty
  negotiations
• The planned division of Germany was presented to
  Napoleon as a reward for his neutrality
• But Nap. was looking for territory as
  compensation in the Rhineland !!

3
TASK Build-up to War

• Read pp. 44-47 of class reader. Take down a list
  of the events that led to the Franco-Prussian
  War. Use a table and explain what happened and
  how this led to growing tensions between Prussia
  and France.

4
Luxembourg Crisis, 1866

• King of Denmark also Duke of Lux.
• Part of German Con. Since 1815
• Prussia had a right since the Vienna Settlement
  of 1815 to garrison the fortress
• Nap. was stiring up anti-Prussia feeling in Lux.
  with a view to acquiring it.

5
Luxemburg Crisis, 1866

• Bis. talks of Lux. as German
• Bis. and Nap. diplomatic battles.
• King of Denmark offered Nap. Lux. for 5m
  guilders, but only if King of Prussia agreed he
  did not!!
• London conference decided that Lux. should be
  declared neutral. Prussian garrison was withdrawn
  and French failed to gain territory
• Humiliation for Nap!!
• Was Bis. trying to provoke Napoleon?

6
Hohenzollern Candidature, 1868-70

• 1868, Queen Isabella driven out of Spain by a
  revolution
• Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern (nephew of Wilhelm
  I) approached.
• Why was Wilhelm so reluctant to agree?

7
Hohenzollern Candidature, 1868-70

• Bis. persuaded Wilhelm and Leopold to accept.
• Nap. discovered plan
• Count Benedetti (French Ambassador) went to Ems
  to meet Wilhelm to seek an explanation.
• Wilhelm withdrew support for Leopold wished to
  avoid war with France.

8
Ems Telegram

• French clutched defeat from jaws of victory
  demanded public apology
• Wilhelm refused wrote a telegram to Bismarck
  for the French Ambassador
• Bismarck then edited the telegram before sending
  it to newspapers.
• When Wilhelm saw it he remarked, This is war.

9
Franco-Prussian War, 1870

• Ems Telegram caused fury in France. French public
  and newspapers demanded war.
• Nap. declared war on 19 July and Bis. gained the
  support of all German states by claiming that
  Nap. was the aggressor

10
Franco-Prussian War, 1870

• French mobilisation was chaotic Prussian swift
• Nap. had no aptitude for military affairs and
  Marshall Bazaine hopeless and found guilty of
  treason afterwards
• Moltke led the Prussian forces

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Franco-Prussian War, 1870

• Foreign powers remained neutral
• Russia promised to fight with Prussia if Austria
  joined France both stayed out
• Italy made too many demands of France for their
  support
• British interests were not affected (Bis. had
  informed Britain that Nap. wished to invade
  Belgium)

12
Franco-Prussian War, 1870

• Prussian technology (especially breech-loading
  rifle) and tactics were far superior.
• Prussia used 6 railway lines, France had 2
• Major battles occurred at Metz and Sedan
• Fearing defeat, Nap. rode around at Sedan
  looking for a bullet.
• Sept. 1870, Bis., Moltke and Nap. met to agree
  the surrender

13
French Surrender

• 84,000 French prisoners (inc. 39 generals and the
  Emperor)
• Nap. imprisoned at Cassel until 1872 then exile
  in Britain died 1873
• Revolution in France replaced 2nd Empire with 3rd
  Republic.
• War continued for a further 6 months and was
  ended in Jan. 1871 when Prussia laid siege to
  Paris.

14
Treaty of Frankfurt, May 1871

• France fined 200m
• Germany annexed Alsace and Lorraine (buffer-zone
  contained fortresses of Metz and Strasbourg
  rich in iron ore)
• Peace terms led to long lasting enmity between
  Germany and France
• Von Moltke What we have gained by arms in half
  a year, we must protect by arms for half a
  century.

15
TASK The German Empire

• Read pp. 91-94. Do you agree that Wilhelm was
  offered the crown by the people and princes of
  Germany?

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17
TASK The German Empire

• Write a headline and the opening paragraphs to
  appear alongside this picture (p. 93) in a
  newspaper of the following countries
• 1. Germany
• 2. Prussia
• 3. France
• 4. Britain
• 5. Austria
• 6. Russia