Franco-Prussian_War

qas: question: Under what Prussian king did the German empire unite as a nation-state?
answers: text: Wilhelm I

question: What was the date of the Treaty of Frankfurt?
answers: text: 10 May 1871

question: The Treaty of Frankfurt gave Germany which Imperial territory?
answers: text: Alsace-Lorraine

question: Following the unification of Germany, who maintained great authority in international affairs for two decades?
answers: text: Otto von Bismarck

question: Which specific fear was a factor in causing World War I?
answers: text: another Franco-German war
context: The German states proclaimed their union as the German Empire under the Prussian king, Wilhelm I, uniting Germany as a nation-state. The Treaty of Frankfurt of 10 May 1871 gave Germany most of Alsace and some parts of Lorraine, which became the Imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine (Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen).The German conquest of France and the unification of Germany upset the European balance of power, that had existed since the Congress of Vienna in 1815 and Otto von Bismarck maintained great authority in international affairs for two decades. French determination to regain Alsace-Lorraine and fear of another Franco-German war, along with British apprehension about the balance of power, became factors in the causes of World War I.

qas: question: What telegram had the intended effect on French public opinion?
answers: text: Ems telegram

question: Following the Ems telegram, what reaction did the French foreign minister report that he felt?
answers: text: he felt "he had just received a slap"

question: In Parliament, who was the leader of the monarchists?
answers: text: Adolphe Thiers

question: Which French prime minister believed he had done all that he could to prevent a war?
answers: text: Emile Ollivier

question: On which date did France issue a declaration of war to the Prussian government?
answers: text: 19 July 1870
context: The Ems telegram had exactly the effect on French public opinion that Bismarck had intended. "This text produced the effect of a red flag on the Gallic bull", Bismarck later wrote. Gramont, the French foreign minister, declared that he felt "he had just received a slap". The leader of the monarchists in Parliament, Adolphe Thiers, spoke for moderation, arguing that France had won the diplomatic battle and there was no reason for war, but he was drowned out by cries that he was a traitor and a Prussian. Napoleon's new prime minister, Emile Ollivier, declared that France had done all that it could humanly and honorably do to prevent the war, and that he accepted the responsibility "with a light heart." A crowd of 15–20,000 people, carrying flags and patriotic banners, marched through the streets of Paris, demanding war. On 19 July 1870 a declaration of war was sent to the Prussian government. The southern German states immediately sided with Prussia.

qas: question: In which battle did the Dreyse needle gun gain its fame?
answers: text: Battle of Königgrätz

question: At the start of the Franco-Prussian War, what was the age of the Dreyse gun's design?
answers: text: 25-year-old design

question: What was the Dreyse rifle's tactical range?
answers: text: 600 m (2,000 ft)

question: What was the name of the famous cannon issued to Prussian soldiers at the time?
answers: text: Krupp

question: What type of shell did the Krupp weapon fire?
answers: text: a contact-detonated shell
context: The army was still equipped with the Dreyse needle gun of Battle of Königgrätz fame, which was by this time showing the age of its 25-year-old design. The rifle had a range of only 600 m (2,000 ft) and lacked the rubber breech seal that permitted aimed shots. The deficiencies of the needle gun were more than compensated for by the famous Krupp 6-pounder (3 kg) steel breech-loading cannons being issued to Prussian artillery batteries. Firing a contact-detonated shell, the Krupp gun had a longer range and a higher rate of fire than the French bronze muzzle loading cannon, which relied on faulty time fuses.

qas: question: What was the date of the first action of the Franco-Prussian War?
answers: text: 4 August 1870

question: On that date, which elements were assisted by Prussian artillery forces?
answers: text: Bavarian and two Prussian corps

question: Who initially held a strong position during the battle at the border? 
answers: text: General Douay of I Corps

question: Douay's initial success was credited by what?
answers: text: long-range fire of the Chassepots

question: What threatened the French avenue of retreat?
answers: text: the encirclement of the town by the Prussians
context: The first action of the Franco-Prussian War took place on 4 August 1870. This battle saw the unsupported division of General Douay of I Corps, with some attached cavalry, which was posted to watch the border, attacked in overwhelming but uncoordinated fashion by the German 3rd Army. During the day, elements of a Bavarian and two Prussian corps became engaged and were aided by Prussian artillery, which blasted holes in the defenses of the town. Douay held a very strong position initially, thanks to the accurate long-range fire of the Chassepots but his force was too thinly stretched to hold it. Douay was killed in the late morning when a caisson of the divisional mitrailleuse battery exploded near him; the encirclement of the town by the Prussians threatened the French avenue of retreat.

qas: question: What factor were the French unaware of at the start of the battle?
answers: text: German numerical superiority

question: Which French commander miscalculated the severity of the battle?
answers: text: Frossard

question: What was a key factor in Frossard's disasterous retreat to the south?
answers: text: Seriously flawed communications

question: What factor was credited to the large number of German casualties?
answers: text: effectiveness of the chassepot rifle

question: What outcome surprised the Germans the following day?
answers: text: Frossard had abandoned his position
context: The French were unaware of German numerical superiority at the beginning of the battle as the German 2nd Army did not attack all at once. Treating the oncoming attacks as merely skirmishes, Frossard did not request additional support from other units. By the time he realized what kind of a force he was opposing, it was too late. Seriously flawed communications between Frossard and those in reserve under Bazaine slowed down so much that by the time the reserves received orders to move out to Spicheren, German soldiers from the 1st and 2nd armies had charged up the heights. Because the reserves had not arrived, Frossard erroneously believed that he was in grave danger of being outflanked as German soldiers under General von Glume were spotted in Forbach. Instead of continuing to defend the heights, by the close of battle after dusk he retreated to the south. The German casualties were relatively high due to the advance and the effectiveness of the chassepot rifle. They were quite startled in the morning when they had found out that their efforts were not in vain—Frossard had abandoned his position on the heights.

qas: question: On which date was the Battle of Gravelotte?
answers: text: 18 August

question: Which battle was considered the biggest in the war?
answers: text: The Battle of Gravelotte

question: Where was the location of the Battle of Gravelotte? 
answers: text: 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Metz

question: Under which Field Marshall were the combined German forces commanded?
answers: text: Count Helmuth von Moltke

question: Who commanded the French Army of the Rhine?
answers: text: Marshal François-Achille Bazaine
context: The Battle of Gravelotte, or Gravelotte–St. Privat (18 August), was the largest battle during the Franco-Prussian War. It was fought about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Metz, where on the previous day, having intercepted the French army's retreat to the west at the Battle of Mars-La-Tour, the Prussians were now closing in to complete the destruction of the French forces. The combined German forces, under Field Marshal Count Helmuth von Moltke, were the Prussian First and Second Armies of the North German Confederation numbering about 210 infantry battalions, 133 cavalry squadrons, and 732 heavy cannons totaling 188,332 officers and men. The French Army of the Rhine, commanded by Marshal François-Achille Bazaine, numbering about 183 infantry battalions, 104 cavalry squadrons, backed by 520 heavy cannons, totaling 112,800 officers and men, dug in along high ground with their southern left flank at the town of Rozerieulles, and their northern right flank at St. Privat.

qas: question: What factor forced the French to retreat to Metz?
answers: text: the defeat of Marshal Bazaine's Army

question: At Metz, what was the approximate number of Prussian troops?
answers: text: over 150,000

question: Who formed the new French Army of Chalons?
answers: text: Napoleon III and MacMahon

question: Along with the Army of the Meuse, what other army did Moltke march north with?
answers: text: the Prussian Third Army

question: How many casualties did Moltke suffer at Beaumont?
answers: text: 5,000 men
context: With the defeat of Marshal Bazaine's Army of the Rhine at Gravelotte, the French were forced to retire to Metz, where they were besieged by over 150,000 Prussian troops of the First and Second Armies. Napoleon III and MacMahon formed the new French Army of Châlons, to march on to Metz to rescue Bazaine. Napoleon III personally led the army with Marshal MacMahon in attendance. The Army of Châlons marched northeast towards the Belgian border to avoid the Prussians before striking south to link up with Bazaine. The Prussians, under the command of Field Marshal Count Helmuth von Moltke, took advantage of this maneuver to catch the French in a pincer grip. He left the Prussian First and Second Armies besieging Metz, except three corps detached to form the Army of the Meuse under the Crown Prince of Saxony. With this army and the Prussian Third Army, Moltke marched northward and caught up with the French at Beaumont on 30 August. After a sharp fight in which they lost 5,000 men and 40 cannons, the French withdrew toward Sedan. Having reformed in the town, the Army of Châlons was immediately isolated by the converging Prussian armies. Napoleon III ordered the army to break out of the encirclement immediately. With MacMahon wounded on the previous day, General Auguste Ducrot took command of the French troops in the field.

qas: question: At the start of the war, which country did European public opinion champion?
answers: text: the Germans

question: In which city did many Italians attempt to proffer their services to the Prussian embassy?
answers: text: Florence

question: What caused a dramatic shift in Italian sentiment toward the war?
answers: text: Bismarck's demand for the return of Alsace

question: To whom is the quote, "Rescue the French Republic by every means" attributed?
answers: text: Garibaldi

question: What army did Garibaldi gain command of in France?
answers: text: the Army of the Vosges
context: When the war had begun, European public opinion heavily favored the Germans; many Italians attempted to sign up as volunteers at the Prussian embassy in Florence and a Prussian diplomat visited Giuseppe Garibaldi in Caprera. Bismarck's demand for the return of Alsace caused a dramatic shift in that sentiment in Italy, which was best exemplified by the reaction of Garibaldi soon after the revolution in Paris, who told the Movimento of Genoa on 7 September 1870 that "Yesterday I said to you: war to the death to Bonaparte. Today I say to you: rescue the French Republic by every means." Garibaldi went to France and assumed command of the Army of the Vosges, with which he operated around Dijon till the end of the war.

qas: question: On which date did hostilities between the German and French troops begin near Orleans?
answers: text: 10 October

question: Which side was initially successful at the Battle of Coulmiers?
answers: text: the Germans

question: On which date did the French triump over the Germans at the Battle of Coulmiers?
answers: text: 9 November

question: On which date were the French forced to abandon Orleans?
answers: text: 4 December

question: Of the three battles that occured north of Paris, which was the first that forced the French army to retreat?
answers: text: Battle of Amiens
context: On 10 October, hostilities began between German and French republican forces near Orléans. At first, the Germans were victorious but the French drew reinforcements and defeated the Germans at the Battle of Coulmiers on 9 November. After the surrender of Metz, more than 100,000 well-trained and experienced German troops joined the German 'Southern Army'. The French were forced to abandon Orléans on 4 December, and were finally defeated at the Battle of Le Mans (10–12 January). A second French army which operated north of Paris was turned back at the Battle of Amiens (27 November), the Battle of Bapaume (3 January 1871) and the Battle of St. Quentin (13 January).

qas: question: What was public opinion in Paris strongly opposed to?
answers: text: any form of surrender

question: On what date did president Trochu resign?
answers: text: 25 January

question: Who replaced President Trochu?
answers: text: Favre

question: In which French city was the surrender made official?
answers: text: Versailles

question: Who disregarded the surrender and launched a failed attack on the Germans?
answers: text: Gambetta
context: Although public opinion in Paris was strongly against any form of surrender or concession to the Prussians, the Government realised that it could not hold the city for much longer, and that Gambetta's provincial armies would probably never break through to relieve Paris. President Trochu resigned on 25 January and was replaced by Favre, who signed the surrender two days later at Versailles, with the armistice coming into effect at midnight. Several sources claim that in his carriage on the way back to Paris, Favre broke into tears, and collapsed into his daughter's arms as the guns around Paris fell silent at midnight. At Tours, Gambetta received word from Paris on 30 January that the Government had surrendered. Furious, he refused to surrender and launched an immediate attack on German forces at Orleans which, predictably, failed. A delegation of Parisian diplomats arrived in Tours by train on 5 February to negotiate with Gambetta, and the following day Gambetta stepped down and surrendered control of the provincial armies to the Government of National Defence, which promptly ordered a cease-fire across France.

qas: question: What stunned neutral observers about the end of the war?
answers: text: The quick German victory

question: What outcome had most people expected from the war?
answers: text: French victory

question: Whose strategic advantages were not appreciated until after the war over?
answers: text: the Germans

question: What German advantages were discerned by other countries in the aftermath? 
answers: text: their military system

question: What is at least one German innovation that other countries would later adopt in other wars?
answers: text: highly detailed mobilization systems
context: The quick German victory over the French stunned neutral observers, many of whom had expected a French victory and most of whom had expected a long war. The strategic advantages possessed by the Germans were not appreciated outside Germany until after hostilities had ceased. Other countries quickly discerned the advantages given to the Germans by their military system, and adopted many of their innovations, particularly the General Staff, universal conscription and highly detailed mobilization systems.

qas: question: The effect of German victory and ensuing influence stems back to what factor?
answers: text: pre-war preparations

question: What was the Prussian General staff quick to utilize at the onset of the war?
answers: text: detailed mobilization plans using the railway system

question: What was one factor behind the inefficiency of the French railway system?
answers: text: multiple competing companies

question: What factor especially affected travel to the front in Alsace and Lorraine?
answers: text: frequent changes between trains

question: Who was responsible for dealing with chaotic train yards and unloaded wagons?
answers: text: nobody
context: The effect of these differences was accentuated by the pre-war preparations. The Prussian General Staff had drawn up minutely detailed mobilization plans using the railway system, which in turn had been partly laid out in response to recommendations of a Railway Section within the General Staff. The French railway system, with multiple competing companies, had developed purely from commercial pressures and many journeys to the front in Alsace and Lorraine involved long diversions and frequent changes between trains. Furthermore, no system had been put in place for military control of the railways, and officers simply commandeered trains as they saw fit. Rail sidings and marshalling yards became choked with loaded wagons, with nobody responsible for unloading them or directing them to the destination.

qas: question: Who commanded the Prussian 12 Cavalry Brigade?
answers: text: General Adalbert von Bredow

question: What did General von Bredow lead a charge against at the Battle of Mars-la-Tour?
answers: text: a French artillery battery

question: What did von Bredow's Pyrrhic victory become known as?
answers: text: von Bredow's Death Ride

question: What military tactic proved to be unsuccessful on the 1914 battlefields?
answers: text: Use of traditional cavalry

question: What was one of two factors that led von Bredow's narrow success on the battlefield?
answers: text: favorable terrain that masked his approach
context: At the Battle of Mars-la-Tours, the Prussian 12th Cavalry Brigade, commanded by General Adalbert von Bredow, conducted a charge against a French artillery battery. The attack was a costly success and came to be known as "von Bredow's Death Ride", which was held to prove that cavalry charges could still prevail on the battlefield. Use of traditional cavalry on the battlefields of 1914 proved to be disastrous, due to accurate, long-range rifle fire, machine-guns and artillery. Von Bredow's attack had succeeded only because of an unusually effective artillery bombardment just before the charge, along with favorable terrain that masked his approach.

qas: question: In which Prussian province did a large Polish population reside?
answers: text: Posen

question: What was there strong support of in Posen?
answers: text: the French

question: What calls were made for the Polish recruits?
answers: text: to desert from the Prussian Army

question: On what date did Bismarkck receive the disturbing report on the Posen situation?
answers: text: 16 August 1870

question: What significant consequence was a result of German-Polish relations?
answers: text: prolonged period of repressive measures
context: In the Prussian province of Posen, with a large Polish population, there was strong support for the French and angry demonstrations at news of Prussian-German victories—a clear manifestation of Polish nationalist feeling. Calls were also made for Polish recruits to desert from the Prussian Army—though these went mainly unheeded. An alarming report on the Posen situation, sent to Bismarck on 16 August 1870, led to the quartering of reserve troop contingents in the restive province. The Franco-Prussian War thus turned out to be a significant event also in German–Polish relations, marking the beginning of a prolonged period of repressive measures by the authorities and efforts at Germanisation.

qas: question: What are the causes of the Franco-Prussian War deeply rooted in?
answers: text: the unification of Germany

question: In the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian war, formed what group?
answers: text: North German Confederation

question: What was the effect of that new group on the European balance of power?
answers: text: new power destabilized

question: What established the European balance of power in 1815?
answers: text: the Congress of Vienna

question: As Prussia sought to incorporated several German kingdoms, what stance did France assume?
answers: text: strongly opposed to any further alliance of German states
context: The causes of the Franco-Prussian War are deeply rooted in the events surrounding the unification of Germany. In the aftermath of the Austro–Prussian War of 1866, Prussia had annexed numerous territories and formed the North German Confederation. This new power destabilized the European balance of power established by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 after the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon III, then the emperor of France, demanded compensations in Belgium and on the left bank of the Rhine to secure France's strategic position, which the Prussian chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, flatly refused. Prussia then turned its attention towards the south of Germany, where it sought to incorporate the southern German kingdoms, Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden and Hesse-Darmstadt, into a unified Prussia-dominated Germany. France was strongly opposed to any further alliance of German states, which would have significantly strengthened the Prussian military.

qas: question: In peacetime, what the approximate number of French soldiers?
answers: text: 400,000

question: Veterans of the French Army had prviously fought in which war in Italy?
answers: text: the Franco-Austrian War

question: The "Seven Weeks War" was between which two countries?
answers: text: Prussia and Austria

question: Who reformed the low numbers of troops by implementing universal conscription?
answers: text: Marshal Adolphe Niel

question: If a citizen was for some reason not conscripted, in what militia were they were registered?
answers: text: the Garde Mobile
context: The French Army consisted in peacetime of approximately 400,000 soldiers, some of them regulars, others conscripts who until 1869 served the comparatively long period of seven years with the colours. Some of them were veterans of previous French campaigns in the Crimean War, Algeria, the Franco-Austrian War in Italy, and in the Franco-Mexican War. However, following the "Seven Weeks War" between Prussia and Austria four years earlier, it had been calculated that the French Army could field only 288,000 men to face the Prussian Army when perhaps 1,000,000 would be required. Under Marshal Adolphe Niel, urgent reforms were made. Universal conscription (rather than by ballot, as previously) and a shorter period of service gave increased numbers of reservists, who would swell the army to a planned strength of 800,000 on mobilisation. Those who for any reason were not conscripted were to be enrolled in the Garde Mobile, a militia with a nominal strength of 400,000. However, the Franco-Prussian War broke out before these reforms could be completely implemented. The mobilisation of reservists was chaotic and resulted in large numbers of stragglers, while the Garde Mobile were generally untrained and often mutinous.

qas: question: What entity controlled the Prussian army?
answers: text: the General Staff

question: Who commanded the General Staff?
answers: text: Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke

question: What was the unique purpose of the Prussian Army during peacetime?
answers: text: to prepare the overall war strategy

question: The officers of the General Staff were hand-selected from which place?
answers: text: Prussian Kriegsakademie (War Academy)

question: What new technologies in particular were courted by Moltke?
answers: text: the railroad and telegraph
context: The Prussian army was controlled by the General Staff, under Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke. The Prussian army was unique in Europe for having the only such organisation in existence, whose purpose in peacetime was to prepare the overall war strategy, and in wartime to direct operational movement and organise logistics and communications. The officers of the General Staff were hand-picked from the Prussian Kriegsakademie (War Academy). Moltke embraced new technology, particularly the railroad and telegraph, to coordinate and accelerate mobilisation of large forces.

qas: question: On which date did Frossard's and Bazaines's troops cross the German border?
answers: text: 2 August

question: Which regiment did their respective corps force from the town of Saarbrucken?
answers: text: the Prussian 40th Regiment of the 16th Infantry Division

question: What proved its worth against the Dreyse rifle?
answers: text: The Chassepot rifle

question: How many casualties did the French suffer at Saarbrucken?
answers: text: 86 casualties

question: How many casualties did the Prussians suffer at Saarbrucken?
answers: text: 83 casualties
context: General Frossard's II Corps and Marshal Bazaine's III Corps crossed the German border on 2 August, and began to force the Prussian 40th Regiment of the 16th Infantry Division from the town of Saarbrücken with a series of direct attacks. The Chassepot rifle proved its worth against the Dreyse rifle, with French riflemen regularly outdistancing their Prussian counterparts in the skirmishing around Saarbrücken. However the Prussians resisted strongly, and the French suffered 86 casualties to the Prussian 83 casualties. Saarbrücken also proved to be a major obstacle in terms of logistics. Only one railway there led to the German hinterland but could be easily defended by a single force, and the only river systems in the region ran along the border instead of inland. While the French hailed the invasion as the first step towards the Rhineland and later Berlin, General Le Bœuf and Napoleon III were receiving alarming reports from foreign news sources of Prussian and Bavarian armies massing to the southeast in addition to the forces to the north and northeast.

qas: question: What diplomatic crisis was Bismarck credited with skillfully creating? 
answers: text: succession to the Spanish throne

question: A dispatch was edited about a meeting between the French ambassador and what Prussian king?
answers: text: King William

question: What was the purpose of editing the dispatch?
answers: text: to make it appear that the French had been insulted

question: On which date did the French parliament vote to declare war on Prussia?
answers: text: 16 July 1870

question: Where did the quickly mobilised troops first invade in France?
answers: text: northeastern France
context: According to some historians, Bismarck adroitly created a diplomatic crisis over the succession to the Spanish throne, then edited a dispatch about a meeting between King William of Prussia and the French ambassador, to make it appear that the French had been insulted. The French press and parliament demanded a war, which the generals of Napoleon III assured him that France would win. Napoleon and his Prime Minister, Émile Ollivier, for their parts sought war to solve their problems with political disunity in France. On 16 July 1870, the French parliament voted to declare war on the German Kingdom of Prussia and hostilities began three days later. The German coalition mobilised its troops much more quickly than the French and rapidly invaded northeastern France. The German forces were superior in numbers, had better training and leadership and made more effective use of modern technology, particularly railroads and artillery.

qas: question: Which town's people surrendered to the Germans?
answers: text: Wissembourg

question: In which direction did the French troops who did not surrender head?
answers: text: westward

question: How many dead troops leave behind?
answers: text: 1,000 dead

question: How many prisoners did the French leave behind?
answers: text: 1,000 prisoners

question: What weapon once again increased the effectiveness of the infantry attacks?
answers: text: French Chassepot
context: The fighting within the town had become extremely intense, becoming a door to door battle of survival. Despite a never-ending attack of Prussian infantry, the soldiers of the 2nd Division kept to their positions. The people of the town of Wissembourg finally surrendered to the Germans. The French troops who did not surrender retreated westward, leaving behind 1,000 dead and wounded and another 1,000 prisoners and all of their remaining ammunition. The final attack by the Prussian troops also cost c. 1,000 casualties. The German cavalry then failed to pursue the French and lost touch with them. The attackers had an initial superiority of numbers, a broad deployment which made envelopment highly likely but the effectiveness of French Chassepot rifle-fire inflicted costly repulses on infantry attacks, until the French infantry had been extensively bombarded by the Prussian artillery.

qas: question: What is the Franco-Prussian War also known as?
answers: text: Franco-German War

question: What was the war often referred to in France as?
answers: text: the War of 1870

question: In the conflict, who lead the German states of the North German Confederation?
answers: text: the Kingdom of Prussia

question: Whose ambitions are credited with causing the conflict?
answers: text: Prussian ambitions

question: Which Prussian chancellor's motives in the conflict are still disputed?
answers: text: Otto von Bismarck
context: The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War (German: Deutsch-Französischer Krieg, lit. German-French War, French: Guerre franco-allemande, lit. Franco-German War), often referred to in France as the War of 1870 (19 July 1870 – 10 May 1871), was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the German states of the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. The conflict was caused by Prussian ambitions to extend German unification. Some historians argue that the Prussian chancellor Otto von Bismarck planned to provoke a French attack in order to draw the southern German states—Baden, Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse-Darmstadt—into an alliance with the North German Confederation dominated by Prussia, while others contend that Bismarck did not plan anything and merely exploited the circumstances as they unfolded.

qas: question: In whose cadidacy did the immediate cause of war reside?
answers: text: Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

question: What did France fear by an alliance between Prussia and Spain?
answers: text: encirclement

question: Who goaded the French into war by editing a telegram sent by William I?
answers: text: Otto von Bismarck

question: What was the name of the famous telelgram?
answers: text: Ems Dispatch

question: What was the reaction of the French people to the deceptively crafted offense in the Ems Dispatch?
answers: text: inflamed public opinion
context: The immediate cause of the war resided in the candidacy of a Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, a Prussian prince, to the throne of Spain. France feared encirclement by an alliance between Prussia and Spain. The Hohenzollern prince's candidacy was withdrawn under French diplomatic pressure, but Otto von Bismarck goaded the French into declaring war by altering a telegram sent by William I. Releasing the Ems Dispatch to the public, Bismarck made it sound as if the king had treated the French envoy in a demeaning fashion, which inflamed public opinion in France.

qas: question: What battle began when two armies collided in the town of Froschwiller?
answers: text: The Battle of Wörth

question: On what date did the Battle of Worth begin?
answers: text: 6 August

question: What was the estimated number of troops in Prussia's 3rd Army?
answers: text: 140,000 troops

question: What number of troops did France have to contend with?
answers: text: 35,000

question: Instead of pursuing the French as they retreated, the Germans decided to remain where?
answers: text: Alsace
context: The Battle of Wörth (also known as Fröschwiller or Reichshoffen) began when the two armies clashed again on 6 August near Wörth in the town of Fröschwiller, about 10 miles (16 km) from Wissembourg. The Crown Prince of Prussia's 3rd army had, on the quick reaction of his Chief of Staff General von Blumenthal, drawn reinforcements which brought its strength up to 140,000 troops. The French had been slowly reinforced and their force numbered only 35,000. Although badly outnumbered, the French defended their position just outside Fröschwiller. By afternoon, the Germans had suffered c. 10,500 killed or wounded and the French had lost a similar number of casualties and another c. 9,200 men taken prisoner, a loss of about 50%. The Germans captured Fröschwiller which sat on a hilltop in the centre of the French line. Having lost any hope for victory and facing a massacre, the French army disengaged and retreated in a westerly direction towards Bitche and Saverne, hoping to join French forces on the other side of the Vosges mountains. The German 3rd army did not pursue the French but remained in Alsace and moved slowly south, attacking and destroying the French garrisons in the vicinity.

qas: question: In which country was a war against France condsidered desirable?
answers: text: Prussia

question: What was the overarching Prussian motive in starting a war with France?
answers: text: unification of a great German empire

question: Who had no doubts that a Franco-German war was totally necessary?
answers: text: Chancellor Otto von Bismarck

question: Who did Bismarck feel needed to be viewed as the aggressor in the conflict?
answers: text: France

question: In bringing the southern German states to align with Prussia, what tactical outcome was achieved?
answers: text: Germans numerical superiority
context: In Prussia, some officials considered a war against France both inevitable and necessary to arouse German nationalism in those states that would allow the unification of a great German empire. This aim was epitomized by Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck's later statement: "I did not doubt that a Franco-German war must take place before the construction of a United Germany could be realised." Bismarck also knew that France should be the aggressor in the conflict to bring the southern German states to side with Prussia, hence giving Germans numerical superiority. Many Germans also viewed the French as the traditional destabilizer of Europe, and sought to weaken France to prevent further breaches of the peace.

qas: question: On what date did the battle begin?
answers: text: 18 August

question: Who order the First and Second armies to advance against the French?
answers: text: Moltke

question: Which general opened the battle with artillery from the 25th Infantry Division?
answers: text: General Manstein

question: Who did the battle first appear to favor?
answers: text: the French

question: Who was the commander of the First Army?
answers: text: General Steinmetz
context: On 18 August, the battle began when at 08:00 Moltke ordered the First and Second Armies to advance against the French positions. By 12:00, General Manstein opened up the battle before the village of Amanvillers with artillery from the 25th Infantry Division. But the French had spent the night and early morning digging trenches and rifle pits while placing their artillery and their mitrailleuses in concealed positions. Finally aware of the Prussian advance, the French opened up a massive return fire against the mass of advancing Germans. The battle at first appeared to favor the French with their superior Chassepot rifle. However, the Prussian artillery was superior with the all-steel Krupp breech-loading gun. By 14:30, General Steinmetz, the commander of the First Army, unilaterally launched his VIII Corps across the Mance Ravine in which the Prussian infantry were soon pinned down by murderous rifle and mitrailleuse fire from the French positions. At 15:00, the massed guns of the VII and VIII Corps opened fire to support the attack. But by 16:00, with the attack in danger of stalling, Steinmetz ordered the VII Corps forward, followed by the 1st Cavalry Division.

qas: question: What modern, mass-produced weapon were the French infantry provided?
answers: text: Chassepot rifle

question: What was the maximum effective range of the Chassepot rifle?
answers: text: 1,500 metres (4,900 ft)

question: In which type of warfare did the French best utilize the Chassepot?
answers: text: trench-warfare

question: What precedent of the machine gun did the French troops also possess?
answers: text: the mitrailleuse

question: On what was the mitrailleuse mounted?
answers: text: on an artillery gun carriage
context: French infantry were equipped with the breech-loading Chassepot rifle, one of the most modern mass-produced firearms in the world at the time. With a rubber ring seal and a smaller bullet, the Chassepot had a maximum effective range of some 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) with a short reloading time. French tactics emphasised the defensive use of the Chassepot rifle in trench-warfare style fighting—the so-called feu de bataillon. The artillery was equipped with rifled, muzzle-loaded La Hitte guns. The army also possessed a precursor to the machine-gun: the mitrailleuse, which could unleash significant, concentrated firepower but nevertheless lacked range and was comparatively immobile, and thus prone to being easily overrun. The mitrailleuse was mounted on an artillery gun carriage and grouped in batteries in a similar fashion to cannon.

qas: question: On which date did the battle begin with the Army of Chalons attacking various Prussian divisions?
answers: text: 1 September 1870

question: Who commanded the French V Corps in reserve?
answers: text: General De Wimpffen

question: As the French were hard-hit by the Prussian artillery, what continued to show up to the battlefield?
answers: text: more Prussian troops

question: Which commander of the French calvary led three desperate attacks on Floing?
answers: text: General Marguerite

question: How many casualties did the French suffer?
answers: text: over 17,000 men
context: On 1 September 1870, the battle opened with the Army of Châlons, with 202 infantry battalions, 80 cavalry squadrons and 564 guns, attacking the surrounding Prussian Third and Meuse Armies totaling 222 infantry battalions, 186 cavalry squadrons and 774 guns. General De Wimpffen, the commander of the French V Corps in reserve, hoped to launch a combined infantry and cavalry attack against the Prussian XI Corps. But by 11:00, Prussian artillery took a toll on the French while more Prussian troops arrived on the battlefield. The French cavalry, commanded by General Marguerite, launched three desperate attacks on the nearby village of Floing where the Prussian XI Corps was concentrated. Marguerite was killed leading the very first charge and the two additional charges led to nothing but heavy losses. By the end of the day, with no hope of breaking out, Napoleon III called off the attacks. The French lost over 17,000 men, killed or wounded, with 21,000 captured. The Prussians reported their losses at 2,320 killed, 5,980 wounded and 700 captured or missing. By the next day, on 2 September, Napoleon III surrendered and was taken prisoner with 104,000 of his soldiers. It was an overwhelming victory for the Prussians, for they not only captured an entire French army, but the leader of France as well. The defeat of the French at Sedan had decided the war in Prussia's favour. One French army was now immobilised and besieged in the city of Metz, and no other forces stood on French ground to prevent a German invasion. Nevertheless, the war would continue.

qas: question: Pre-war, who planned for a strong French offensive?
answers: text: Marshal Niel

question: From Thionville towards Trier, what was the final destination of the offensive?
answers: text: the Prussian Rhineland

question: Niel's plan was cast aside in favour of a plan by General Frossard and what other general??
answers: text: Bartélemy Lebrun

question: The new plan called for which army to remain in a defensive grouping at the German border?
answers: text: Army of the Rhine
context: A pre-war plan laid out by the late Marshal Niel called for a strong French offensive from Thionville towards Trier and into the Prussian Rhineland. This plan was discarded in favour of a defensive plan by Generals Charles Frossard and Bartélemy Lebrun, which called for the Army of the Rhine to remain in a defensive posture near the German border and repel any Prussian offensive. As Austria along with Bavaria, Württemberg and Baden were expected to join in a revenge war against Prussia, I Corps would invade the Bavarian Palatinate and proceed to "free" the South German states in concert with Austro-Hungarian forces. VI Corps would reinforce either army as needed.

qas: question: Which disaster made French planning supremely essential?
answers: text: the disaster at Wissembourg

question: Which general was determined to go on the attack over Saar?
answers: text: General Le Bœuf

question: Planning for the next battle was less based on emotion and more focused on what?
answers: text: the reality of unfolding events

question: Who told LeBoeuf that supply beyond the Saar would be impossible?
answers: text: General Wolff

question: What did the French armies decide on to protect against every possible attack point?
answers: text: a defensive position
context: On the French side, planning after the disaster at Wissembourg had become essential. General Le Bœuf, flushed with anger, was intent upon going on the offensive over the Saar and countering their loss. However, planning for the next encounter was more based upon the reality of unfolding events rather than emotion or pride, as Intendant General Wolff told him and his staff that supply beyond the Saar would be impossible. Therefore, the armies of France would take up a defensive position that would protect against every possible attack point, but also left the armies unable to support each other.

qas: question: What army's defeats turned Gambetta to the Army of the North?
answers: text: Army of the Loire's

question: Who led the Army of the North?
answers: text: General Faidherbe

question: Several smaller victories were acheived by the protection of what?
answers: text: belt of fortresses

question: The belt of fortresses were in what area of France?
answers: text: northern France

question: This position in the north allowed whose men to launch fast attacks against Prussian units?
answers: text: Faidherbe's
context: Following the Army of the Loire's defeats, Gambetta turned to General Faidherbe's Army of the North. The army had achieved several small victories at towns such as Ham, La Hallue, and Amiens and was protected by the belt of fortresses in northern France, allowing Faidherbe's men to launch quick attacks against isolated Prussian units, then retreat behind the fortresses. Despite access to the armaments factories of Lille, the Army of the North suffered from severe supply difficulties, which depressed morale. In January 1871, Gambetta forced Faidherbe to march his army beyond the fortresses and engage the Prussians in open battle. The army was severely weakened by low morale, supply problems, the terrible winter weather and low troop quality, whilst general Faidherbe was unable to command due to his poor health, the result of decades of campaigning in West Africa. At the Battle of St. Quentin, the Army of the North suffered a crushing defeat and was scattered, releasing thousands of Prussian soldiers to be relocated to the East.

qas: question: What odds were at stake for the attack launched by the III Corps?
answers: text: four to one

question: What town were the III Corps able to capture?
answers: text: Vionville

question: In capturing Vionville, what was further blocked in the west?
answers: text: escape attempts

question: With battle at Metz, what factor shattered the efforts of III Corps?
answers: text: incessant cavalry charges

question: The Germans recorded how many causualties in the battle?
answers: text: 15,780
context: Despite odds of four to one, the III Corps launched a risky attack. The French were routed and the III Corps captured Vionville, blocking any further escape attempts to the west. Once blocked from retreat, the French in the fortress of Metz had no choice but to engage in a fight that would see the last major cavalry engagement in Western Europe. The battle soon erupted, and III Corps was shattered by incessant cavalry charges, losing over half its soldiers. The German Official History recorded 15,780 casualties and French casualties of 13,761 men.

qas: question: Which prince ordered an artillery attack against Canrobert?
answers: text: Prince Frederick Charles

question: Which army's defeat compelled Prince Charles to attack?
answers: text: defeat of the First Army,

question: As the Second Army pushed into Ravine, the XII Corps cleared out which adjacent town?
answers: text: Roncourt

question: The surving soldiers of the 1st Guards Infantry Division launched a new attack against what?
answers: text: ruins of St. Privat

question: Which army was forced to retreat to Metz and surrender two months later?
answers: text: French Army of the Rhine
context: With the defeat of the First Army, Prince Frederick Charles ordered a massed artillery attack against Canrobert's position at St. Privat to prevent the Guards attack from failing too. At 19:00 the 3rd Division of Fransecky's II Corps of the Second Army advanced across Ravine while the XII Corps cleared out the nearby town of Roncourt and with the survivors of the 1st Guards Infantry Division launched a fresh attack against the ruins of St. Privat. At 20:00, the arrival of the Prussian 4th Infantry Division of the II Corps and with the Prussian right flank on Mance Ravine, the line stabilised. By then, the Prussians of the 1st Guards Infantry Division and the XII and II Corps captured St. Privat forcing the decimated French forces to withdraw. With the Prussians exhausted from the fighting, the French were now able to mount a counter-attack. General Bourbaki, however, refused to commit the reserves of the French Old Guard to the battle because, by that time, he considered the overall situation a 'defeat'. By 22:00, firing largely died down across the battlefield for the night. The next morning, the French Army of the Rhine, rather than resume the battle with an attack of its own against the battle-weary German armies, retreated to Metz where they were besieged and forced to surrender two months later.

qas: question: A blockade of what coastline was ordered by the French government at the start of the war?
answers: text: North German coasts

question: The small North German navy had how many ironclads at their disposal?
answers: text: only five

question: What was the name of the only turret ship that was able to conduct operations?
answers: text: SMS Arminius

question: How many ships was the French navy able to dispatch to sea?
answers: text: 470

question: In pursuing Prussian ships, what resource was quickly depleted?
answers: text: coal reserves
context: When the war began, the French government ordered a blockade of the North German coasts, which the small North German navy (Norddeutsche Bundesmarine) with only five ironclads could do little to oppose. For most of the war, the three largest German ironclads were out of service with engine troubles; only the turret ship SMS Arminius was available to conduct operations. By the time engine repairs had been completed, the French fleet had already departed. The blockade proved only partially successful due to crucial oversights by the planners in Paris. Reservists that were supposed to be at the ready in case of war, were working in the Newfoundland fisheries or in Scotland. Only part of the 470-ship French Navy put to sea on 24 July. Before long, the French navy ran short of coal, needing 200 short tons (180 t) per day and having a bunker capacity in the fleet of only 250 short tons (230 t). A blockade of Wilhelmshaven failed and conflicting orders about operations in the Baltic Sea or a return to France, made the French naval efforts futile. Spotting a blockade-runner became unwelcome because of the question du charbon; pursuit of Prussian ships quickly depleted the coal reserves of the French ships.

qas: question: Which battle was the second of three key French losses?
answers: text: Battle of Spicheren

question: On what date did the battle of Spicheren take place?
answers: text: 5 August

question: Moltke had originally planned to kee Bazaine's army on what river?
answers: text: the Saar River

question: Which general's zeal and lack of planning led to cutting off Prince Charles from his calvary?
answers: text: General von Steinmetz

question: Which town was the site of General von Steinmetz's grave error?
answers: text: Spicheren
context: The Battle of Spicheren, on 5 August, was the second of three critical French defeats. Moltke had originally planned to keep Bazaine's army on the Saar River until he could attack it with the 2nd Army in front and the 1st Army on its left flank, while the 3rd Army closed towards the rear. The aging General von Steinmetz made an overzealous, unplanned move, leading the 1st Army south from his position on the Moselle. He moved straight toward the town of Spicheren, cutting off Prince Frederick Charles from his forward cavalry units in the process.

qas: question: The General Staff developed by Moltke proved to be what?
answers: text: extremely effective

question: What was key factor did the Prussian General Staff study?
answers: text: previous Prussian operations

question: What was the goal in the General Staff studying past operations?
answers: text: learn to avoid mistakes

question: The structure also reinforced Moltke's ability control large formations spread out over what?
answers: text: significant distances

question: Who is essentially considered the commander in chief of the Prussian army?
answers: text: The Chief of the General Staff
context: The Prussian General Staff developed by Moltke proved to be extremely effective, in contrast to the traditional French school. This was in large part due to the fact that the Prussian General Staff was created to study previous Prussian operations and learn to avoid mistakes. The structure also greatly strengthened Moltke's ability to control large formations spread out over significant distances. The Chief of the General Staff, effectively the commander in chief of the Prussian army, was independent of the minister of war and answered only to the monarch. The French General Staff—along with those of every other European military—was little better than a collection of assistants for the line commanders. This disorganization hampered the French commanders' ability to exercise control of their forces.

qas: question: What did the Germans expect to negotiate?
answers: text: an end to the war

question: On what date was the encirclement of Paris complete?
answers: text: 20 September

question: Bismarck and Favre met on what date?
answers: text: 18 September

question: What was the location of Bismarck and Favre's meeting?
answers: text: the Château de Ferrières

question: Bismarck demanded the surrender of Strasbourg and what fortress city?
answers: text: Toul
context: The Germans expected to negotiate an end to the war but immediately ordered an advance on Paris; by 15 September Moltke issued the orders for an investment of Paris and on 20 September the encirclement was complete. Bismarck met Favre on 18 September at the Château de Ferrières and demanded a frontier immune to a French war of revenge, which included Strasbourg, Alsace and most the Moselle department in Lorraine of which Metz was the capital. In return for an armistice for the French to elect a National Assembly, Bismarck demanded the surrender of Strasbourg and the fortress city of Toul. To allow supplies into Paris, one of the perimeter forts had to be handed over. Favre was unaware that the real aim of Bismarck in making such extortionate demands was to establish a durable peace on the new western frontier of Germany, preferably by a peace with a friendly government, on terms acceptable to French public opinion. An impregnable military frontier was an inferior alternative to him, favoured only by the militant nationalists on the German side.

qas: question: By late afternoon, what were the Prussian southern attacks at risk of?
answers: text: breaking up

question: Which Prussian general commanded the attack against the French at St. Privat?
answers: text: General Canrobert

question: What factor immobilised the Prussian Guard?
answers: text: lethal French gunfire

question: By nightfall a major component of the VII and VII Corps withdrew towards what Prussian position?
answers: text: Rezonville
context: By 16:50, with the Prussian southern attacks in danger of breaking up, the Prussian 3rd Guards Infantry Brigade of the Second Army opened an attack against the French positions at St. Privat which were commanded by General Canrobert. At 17:15, the Prussian 4th Guards Infantry Brigade joined the advance followed at 17:45 by the Prussian 1st Guards Infantry Brigade. All of the Prussian Guard attacks were pinned down by lethal French gunfire from the rifle pits and trenches. At 18:15 the Prussian 2nd Guards Infantry Brigade, the last of the 1st Guards Infantry Division, was committed to the attack on St. Privat while Steinmetz committed the last of the reserves of the First Army across the Mance Ravine. By 18:30, a considerable portion of the VII and VIII Corps disengaged from the fighting and withdrew towards the Prussian positions at Rezonville.

qas: question: What did the Prussian Army hold in Paris on 17 February?
answers: text: a brief victory parade

question: Under what provision was the Prussian Army permitted to have a victory parade?
answers: text: the terms of the armistice

question: To hounour the armistice, Bismarck allowed train loads of what into Paris?
answers: text: food

question: France had to consent to pay how much in war indemnity?
answers: text: five billion franc

question: An ensuing mass exodus from Paris saw how many people head for the countryside?
answers: text: 200,000
context: The Prussian Army, under the terms of the armistice, held a brief victory parade in Paris on 17 February; the city was silent and draped with black and the Germans quickly withdrew. Bismarck honoured the armistice, by allowing train loads of food into Paris and withdrawing Prussian forces to the east of the city, prior to a full withdrawal once France agreed to pay a five billion franc war indemnity. At the same time, Prussian forces were concentrated in the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. An exodus occurred from Paris as some 200,000 people, predominantly middle-class, went to the countryside.

qas: question: Whose surrender hit Paris as big news?
answers: text: Napoleon III

question: Which empire was overthrown by a popular uprising in Paris?
answers: text: the Second Empire

question: The uprising forced a proclamation of what?
answers: text: Provisional Government and a Third Republic

question: How did the new government refer to itself?
answers: text: Government of National Defence

question: Bismarck desired an early piece but lacked what in the negotiation process?
answers: text: a legitimate French authority
context: When the news arrived at Paris of the surrender at Sedan of Napoleon III and 80,000 men, the Second Empire was overthrown by a popular uprising in Paris, which forced the proclamation of a Provisional Government and a Third Republic by general Trochu, Favre and Gambetta at Paris on 4 September, the new government calling itself the Government of National Defence. After the German victory at Sedan, most of the French standing army was either besieged in Metz or prisoner of the Germans, who hoped for an armistice and an end to the war. Bismarck wanted an early peace but had difficulty in finding a legitimate French authority with which to negotiate. The Government of National Defence had no electoral mandate, the Emperor was a captive and the Empress in exile but there had been no abdication de jure and the army was still bound by an oath of allegiance to the defunct imperial régime.

qas: question: A series of Prussian and German victories took place in what part of France?
answers: text: eastern France

question: What seige did these victories lead to?
answers: text: Siege of Metz

question: What battle was a result of the Prussian and German victories in eastern France?
answers: text: Battle of Sedan

question: Which army definitively defeated Napolean III?
answers: text: the army of the Second Empire

question: On what date did the Government of National Defence declare the the Third Republic in Paris?
answers: text: 4 September
context: A series of swift Prussian and German victories in eastern France, culminating in the Siege of Metz and the Battle of Sedan, saw the army of the Second Empire decisively defeated (Napoleon III had been captured at Sedan on 2 September). A Government of National Defence declared the Third Republic in Paris on 4 September and continued the war and for another five months, the German forces fought and defeated new French armies in northern France. Following the Siege of Paris, the capital fell on 28 January 1871 and then a revolutionary uprising called the Paris Commune seized power in the capital and held it for two months, until it was bloodily suppressed by the regular French army at the end of May 1871.

qas: question: Some historians counter that Napolean III sought what?
answers: text: war

question: Napoleon III belived he would win the Astro-Prussian war and win a conflict with what country?
answers: text: Prussia

question: It is also argued that Napoleon III thought a war would resolve the growing issue of what?
answers: text: domestic political problems

question: Before the war, French voters overwhelming supported what program of Napoleon III?
answers: text: a national plebiscite

question: Who proposed that Emperor needed no war to increase his public appeal?
answers: text: Milza
context: Some historians argue that Napoleon III also sought war, particularly for the diplomatic defeat in 1866 in leveraging any benefits from the Austro-Prussian War, and he believed he would win a conflict with Prussia. They also argue that he wanted a war to resolve growing domestic political problems. Other historians, notably French historian Pierre Milza, dispute this. On 8 May 1870, shortly before the war, French voters had overwhelmingly supported Napoleon III's program in a national plebiscite, with 7,358,000 votes yes against 1,582,000 votes no, an increase of support of two million votes since the legislative elections in 1869. According to Milza, the Emperor had no need for a war to increase his popularity.

qas: question: What did Napoleon III plan to relieve pressure from an expected German attack?
answers: text: invasion of northern Germany

question: What country were the French hoping to be allied with?
answers: text: Denmark

question: What military strength could Denmark to France in a war?
answers: text: the Royal Danish Navy

question: What had Prussia been discovered building around big north German ports?
answers: text: defences

question: What did the French navy lack in engaging coastal defenses?
answers: text: heavy guns
context: To relieve pressure from the expected German attack into Alsace-Lorraine, Napoleon III and the French high command planned a seaborne invasion of northern Germany as soon as war began. The French expected the invasion to divert German troops and to encourage Denmark to join in the war, with its 50,000-strong army and the Royal Danish Navy. It was discovered that Prussia had recently built defences around the big North German ports, including coastal artillery batteries with Krupp heavy artillery, which with a range of 4,000 yards (3,700 m), had double the range of French naval guns. The French Navy lacked the heavy guns to engage the coastal defences and the topography of the Prussian coast made a seaborne invasion of northern Germany impossible.

qas: question: What was the Prussian Army composed of, instead of regulars?
answers: text: conscripts

question: Service was mandatory for all men sharing which feature?
answers: text: of military age

question: Together, Prussia and Germany expected to amass how many soldiers?
answers: text: 1,000,000

question: German tactics relied on what type of battle strategy?
answers: text: encirclement battles

question: What is an example of a German encirclement battle?
answers: text: Cannae
context: The Prussian Army was composed not of regulars but conscripts. Service was compulsory for all of men of military age, and thus Prussia and its North and South German allies could mobilise and field some 1,000,000 soldiers in time of war. German tactics emphasised encirclement battles like Cannae and using artillery offensively whenever possible. Rather than advancing in a column or line formation, Prussian infantry moved in small groups that were harder to target by artillery or French defensive fire. The sheer number of soldiers available made encirclement en masse and destruction of French formations relatively easy.

qas: question: What Prussian system was superior to the French example?
answers: text: military education

question: Prussian military officers were trained to exude what type thinking?
answers: text: independent thinking

question: What commander of the General Staff held the expectaion of independent thinking in his officers?
answers: text: Moltke

question: What did the French dearth of an education and promotion system stifle?
answers: text: intellectual development

question: Which military historian criticized the French system as being defective?
answers: text: Dallas Irvine
context: In addition, the Prussian military education system was superior to the French model; Prussian staff officers were trained to exhibit initiative and independent thinking. Indeed, this was Moltke's expectation. The French, meanwhile, suffered from an education and promotion system that stifled intellectual development. According to the military historian Dallas Irvine, the system "was almost completely effective in excluding the army's brain power from the staff and high command. To the resulting lack of intelligence at the top can be ascribed all the inexcusable defects of French military policy."

qas: question: What aspect of the Chassepot was superior to the German needle gun?
answers: text: longer range

question: What French weapon was considered a rough prototype of the first machine gun? 
answers: text: the mitrailleuse

question: How many barrels did the mitrailleuse feature?
answers: text: thirty-seven barrels

question: What was the range of the mitrailleuse?
answers: text: 1,200 yd (1,100 m)

question: Treating the mitrailleuse like what rendered it far less effective
answers: text: artillery
context: The French breech-loading rifle, the Chassepot, had a far longer range than the German needle gun; 1,500 yards (1,400 m) compared to 600 yd (550 m). The French also had an early machine-gun type weapon, the mitrailleuse, which could fire its thirty-seven barrels at a range of around 1,200 yd (1,100 m). It was developed in such secrecy, that little training with the weapon had occurred, leaving French gunners with no experience; the gun was treated like artillery and in this role it was ineffective. Worse still, once the small number of soldiers who had been trained how to use the new weapon became casualties, there were no replacements who knew how to operate the mitrailleuse.

qas: question: The French Marines and naval infantry were dispatched to reinforce what?
answers: text: French Army of Châlons

question: The French navy fell captive where?
answers: text: at Sedan

question: Who also was captured at Sedan?
answers: text: Napoleon III

question: The autumn storms of what sea forced the return of yet more French ships?
answers: text: the North Sea

question: On which rough date did the French navy abandon their blockade?
answers: text: September 1870
context: The French Marines and naval infantry intended for the invasion of northern Germany were dispatched to reinforce the French Army of Châlons and fell into captivity at Sedan along with Napoleon III. A shortage of officers, following the capture of most of the professional French army at the Siege of Metz and at the Battle of Sedan, led naval officers to be sent from their ships to command hastily assembled reservists of the Garde Mobile. As the autumn storms of the North Sea forced the return of more of the French ships, the blockade of the north German ports diminished and in September 1870 the French navy abandoned the blockade for the winter. The rest of the navy retired to ports along the English Channel and remained in port for the rest of the war.

qas: question: Which marshal was closest to Wissembourg?
answers: text: Marshal MacMahon

question: How many divisions did MacMahon command?
answers: text: four divisions

question: Over how many miles did MacMahon's divisions cover?
answers: text: 20 miles

question: Whose conduct made a bad situation worse?
answers: text: General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot

question: What group did General Ducrot command?
answers: text: the 1st Division
context: Marshal MacMahon, now closest to Wissembourg, spread his four divisions over 20 miles (32 km) to react to any Prussian invasion. This organization of forces was due to a lack of supplies, forcing each division to seek out basic provisions along with the representatives of the army supply arm that was supposed to aid them. What made a bad situation much worse was the conduct of General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot, commander of the 1st Division. He told General Abel Douay, commander of the 2nd Division, on 1 August that "The information I have received makes me suppose that the enemy has no considerable forces very near his advance posts, and has no desire to take the offensive". Two days later, he told MacMahon that he had not found "a single enemy post ... it looks to me as if the menace of the Bavarians is simply bluff". Even though Ducrot shrugged off the possibility of an attack by the Germans, MacMahon tried to warn the other divisions of his army, without success.

qas: question: What became highly politicised during the war?
answers: text: Paris National Guard

question: In what type of neighborhoods did the occur especially?
answers: text: working-class neighbourhoods

question: What did the National Guard refuse to wear?
answers: text: uniforms

question: What did the National Guard refuse to obey?
answers: text: commands from the national government

question: On which dates did La Semaine Sanglante occur in Paris?
answers: text: 21–28 May
context: During the war, the Paris National Guard, particularly in the working-class neighbourhoods of Paris, had become highly politicised and units elected officers; many refused to wear uniforms or obey commands from the national government. National guard units tried to seize power in Paris on 31 October 1870 and 22 January 1871. On 18 March 1871, when the regular army tried to remove cannons from an artillery park on Montmartre, National Guard units resisted and killed two army generals. The national government and regular army forces retreated to Versailles and a revolutionary government was proclaimed in Paris. A Commune was elected, which was dominated by socialists, anarchists and revolutionaries. The red flag replaced the French tricolour and a civil war began between the Commune and the regular army, which attacked and recaptured Paris from 21–28 May in La Semaine Sanglante (Bloody week).

qas: question: Who commanded the French army at the battle of Worth?
answers: text: General MacMahon

question: Which German divisison did MacMahon engage?
answers: text: German 3rd Army

question: Who commanded the German 1st Army?
answers: text: Steinmetz

question: What did a German patrol spot that led them to believe that Frossard had retreated?
answers: text: decoy fires

question: Whose plan did German armies ignore in attacking Frossard?
answers: text: Moltke's
context: While the French army under General MacMahon engaged the German 3rd Army at the Battle of Wörth, the German 1st Army under Steinmetz finished their advance west from Saarbrücken. A patrol from the German 2nd Army under Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia spotted decoy fires close and Frossard's army farther off on a distant plateau south of the town of Spicheren, and took this as a sign of Frossard's retreat. Ignoring Moltke's plan again, both German armies attacked Frossard's French 2nd Corps, fortified between Spicheren and Forbach.

qas: question: Who were the casualties especially terrible for?
answers: text: the attacking Prussian forces

question: What was the grand total of German casualties and those missing in action?
answers: text: 20,163

question: What were the number of French killed and wounded?
answers: text: 7,855

question: What was the number of French prisoners?
answers: text: 4,420

question: What did most Prussians fall under?
answers: text: French Chassepot rifles
context: The casualties were horrible, especially for the attacking Prussian forces. A grand total of 20,163 German troops were killed, wounded or missing in action during the August 18 battle. The French losses were 7,855 killed and wounded along with 4,420 prisoners of war (half of them were wounded) for a total of 12,275. While most of the Prussians fell under the French Chassepot rifles, most French fell under the Prussian Krupp shells. In a breakdown of the casualties, Frossard's II Corps of the Army of the Rhine suffered 621 casualties while inflicting 4,300 casualties on the Prussian First Army under Steinmetz before the Pointe du Jour. The Prussian Guards Infantry Divisions losses were even more staggering with 8,000 casualties out of 18,000 men. The Special Guards Jäger lost 19 officers, a surgeon and 431 men out of a total of 700. The 2nd Guards Infantry Brigade lost 39 officers and 1,076 men. The 3rd Guards Infantry Brigade lost 36 officers and 1,060 men. On the French side, the units holding St. Privat lost more than half their number in the village.

qas: question: What was the republican government amenable to?
answers: text: war reparations

question: Who declared that France would not yield "an inch of its territory?"
answers: text: Favre

question: Who was Favre speaking on behalf of?
answers: text: Government of National Defense

question: When did Favre make the declaration concerning colonial territories?
answers: text: 6 September

question: What did this cause the Republic to renew?
answers: text: declaration of war
context: While the republican government was amenable to war reparations or ceding colonial territories in Africa or in South East Asia to Prussia, Favre on behalf of the Government of National Defense, declared on 6 September that France would not "yield an inch of its territory nor a stone of its fortresses." The republic then renewed the declaration of war, called for recruits in all parts of the country and pledged to drive the German troops out of France by a guerre à outrance. Under these circumstances, the Germans had to continue the war, yet could not pin down any proper military opposition in their vicinity. As the bulk of the remaining French armies were digging-in near Paris, the German leaders decided to put pressure upon the enemy by attacking Paris. By September 15, German troops reached the outskirts of the fortified city. On September 19, the Germans surrounded it and erected a blockade, as already established at Metz.

qas: question: Who was the Prussian Minister of War?
answers: text: Albrecht von Roon

question: What was the time span that von Roon acted as minister?
answers: text: 1859 to 1873

question: He instituted a series of what regarding the Prussian military?
answers: text: reforms

question: What was the first step in the reforms?
answers: text: a reorganization of the army

question: What was the second reform?
answers: text: the conscription of every male
context: Albrecht von Roon, the Prussian Minister of War from 1859 to 1873, put into effect a series of reforms of the Prussian military system in the 1860s. Among these were two major reforms that substantially increased the military power of Germany. The first was a reorganization of the army that integrated the regular army and the Landwehr reserves. The second was the provision for the conscription of every male Prussian of military age in the event of mobilization. Thus, despite the population of France being greater than the population of all of the German states that participated in the war, the Germans mobilized more soldiers for battle.

qas: question: What type of artillery were the French equipped with?
answers: text: bronze, rifled muzzle-loading

question: What newer artillery were Prussians using?
answers: text: steel breech-loading guns

question: What did the French believe was overly wasted in artillery with a higher rate of fire?
answers: text: ammunition

question: The Prussian artillery batteries had what percentage more of guns than the French?
answers: text: 30% more

question: What was the typical range that Prussian guns could fire?
answers: text: 2–3 kilometres
context: The French were equipped with bronze, rifled muzzle-loading artillery, while the Prussians used new steel breech-loading guns, which had a far longer range and a faster rate of fire. Prussian gunners strove for a high rate of fire, which was discouraged in the French army in the belief that it wasted ammunition. In addition, the Prussian artillery batteries had 30% more guns than their French counterparts. The Prussian guns typically opened fire at a range of 2–3 kilometres (1.2–1.9 mi), beyond the range of French artillery or the Chassepot rifle. The Prussian batteries could thus destroy French artillery with impunity, before being moved forward to directly support infantry attacks.

qas: question: On what date did the Government of National Defence negotiate an armistice?
answers: text: 28 January 1871

question: With whom did the French government negotiate?
answers: text: the Prussians

question: What consequence of war were Parisians suffering?
answers: text: starving

question: Which French minister traveled to Versailles to discuss peace?
answers: text: Favre

question: What was the date on which jFarve and Bismarck met?
answers: text: 24 January
context: On 28 January 1871 the Government of National Defence based in Paris negotiated an armistice with the Prussians. With Paris starving, and Gambetta's provincial armies reeling from one disaster after another, French foreign minister Favre went to Versailles on 24 January to discuss peace terms with Bismarck. Bismarck agreed to end the siege and allow food convoys to immediately enter Paris (including trains carrying millions of German army rations), on condition that the Government of National Defence surrender several key fortresses outside Paris to the Prussians. Without the forts, the French Army would no longer be able to defend Paris.

qas: question: How many were killed by the Communards?
answers: text: 500 people

question: Which religious official was also killed during the fighting?
answers: text: Archbishop of Paris

question: What type of buildings were especially targeted to be burned down?
answers: text: government buildings

question: What famous palace was also burned down?
answers: text: Tuileries Palace

question: What is the rough estimate of the number of people killed?
answers: text: between 6,000 and 10,000
context: During the fighting, the Communards killed c. 500 people, including the Archbishop of Paris, and burned down many government buildings, including the Tuileries Palace and the Hotel de Ville. Communards captured with weapons were routinely shot by the army and Government troops killed from 7,000–30,000 Communards in the fighting and in massacres of men, women, and children during and after the Commune. More recent histories, based on studies of the number buried in Paris cemeteries and in mass graves after the fall of the Commune, put the number killed at between 6,000 and 10,000. Twenty-six courts were established to try more than 40,000 people who had been arrested, which took until 1875 and imposed 95 death sentences, of which 23 were inflicted. Forced labour for life was imposed on 251 people, 1,160 people were transported to "a fortified place" and 3,417 people were transported. About 20,000 Communards were held in prison hulks until released in 1872 and a great many Communards fled abroad to England, Switzerland, Belgium or the United States. The survivors were amnestied by a bill introduced by Gambetta in 1880 and allowed to return.

qas: question: At the start of the war, how many German troops were focused on the French frontier?
answers: text: 462,000

question: How many French troops were available to stand again the Germans?
answers: text: 270,000

question: What is the literal meaning of the Prussian word "Kreis?"
answers: text: literally "circle"

question: What did the French military numbers suffer from the most?
answers: text: having lost 100,000 stragglers
context: At the outset of the Franco-Prussian War, 462,000 German soldiers concentrated on the French frontier while only 270,000 French soldiers could be moved to face them, the French army having lost 100,000 stragglers before a shot was fired through poor planning and administration. This was partly due to the peacetime organisations of the armies. Each Prussian Corps was based within a Kreis (literally "circle") around the chief city in an area. Reservists rarely lived more than a day's travel from their regiment's depot. By contrast, French regiments generally served far from their depots, which in turn were not in the areas of France from which their soldiers were drawn. Reservists often faced several days' journey to report to their depots, and then another long journey to join their regiments. Large numbers of reservists choked railway stations, vainly seeking rations and orders.

qas: question: The events of the Franco-Prussian War had great influence on what?
answers: text: military thinking

question: Lessons garnered from the war included recognizing the need for what kind of system?
answers: text: general staff system

question: Who adopted the Prussian artillery tactics in 1914?
answers: text: European armies

question: What was the French 75 optimised to directly support?
answers: text: advancing infantry

question: Evidence from what war suggested the increased benefits of smokeless poweder rifles?
answers: text: Russo-Japanese War
context: The events of the Franco-Prussian War had great influence on military thinking over the next forty years. Lessons drawn from the war included the need for a general staff system, the scale and duration of future wars and the tactical use of artillery and cavalry. The bold use of artillery by the Prussians, to silence French guns at long range and then to directly support infantry attacks at close range, proved to be superior to the defensive doctrine employed by French gunners. The Prussian tactics were adopted by European armies by 1914, exemplified in the French 75, an artillery piece optimised to provide direct fire support to advancing infantry. Most European armies ignored the evidence of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05 which suggested that infantry armed with new smokeless-powder rifles could engage gun crews effectively. This forced gunners to fire at longer range using indirect fire, usually from a position of cover.

qas: question: A unified German Empire ended the balance of power in which congress?
answers: text: Congress of Vienna

question: At the end of the Napoleonic wars, Germany had established itself as what, in continental Europe?
answers: text: the main power

question: Who remained the dominant world power at this time?
answers: text: Great Britain

question: British involvement in European matters in the late 19th century was considered what?
answers: text: very limited

question: The Crown Prince's marriage to whom was considered the most prominent of German-British royal liasons?
answers: text: the daughter of Queen Victoria
context: The creation of a unified German Empire ended the balance of power that had been created with the Congress of Vienna after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Germany had established itself as the main power in continental Europe with the most powerful and professional army in the world.[citation needed] Although Great Britain remained the dominant world power, British involvement in European affairs during the late 19th century was very limited, allowing Germany to exercise great influence over the European mainland.[citation needed] Besides, the Crown Prince's marriage with the daughter of Queen Victoria was only the most prominent of several German–British relationships.