Franco-Prussian War

The **Franco-Prussian War** **(1870-1871)** was a war between France and Prussia, which was helped by German allies of Prussia. The war was provoked by Prussian prime minister Otto von Bismarck, who wanted to unite Germany under Prussian rule by making its states fight together against a common enemy. Bismarck tricked French Emperor Napoleon III into declaring war on 19 July 1870. The war ended by a Prussian victory on 10 May 1871.

## Causes

France feared a strong Germany on its border. The French had helped Prussia beat Austria during the Austro-Prussian War (1866) but would not allow the North German Confederation and the South German states to unify. In 1869, the throne of Spain was offered to a prince of the Catholic cousin of the Prussian Hohenzollern royal family, which was Protestant.

France found out about the offer and demanded Prussia to reject it since France did not want to be surrounded by Hohenzollerns. The prince refused, but the French wanted Prussia to do the same. Prussian King Wilhelm I sent a telegram from Ems that assured French Emperor Napoleon III that the prince would not become king of Spain.

Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck publicly released a version that he had edited or doctored to make it seem falsely that his king and the emperor's ambassador had insulted each other. That was part of his plan to unify the German states. Both sides exchanged angry words, and France declared war. On July 19 1870 the war started, and Prussia was fully supported by the South German states.

## Results

With its German allies and universal conscription, Prussia brought together a bigger army than the French. The Prussian Army also had better weapons, training and leadership. For example, the Prussian General Staff were very well organised. The army had some old-fashioned equipment like the Dreyse needle gun, but its Krupp mobile artillery (heavy-duty guns) were far better than the old French muzzleloaders. Notable Prussian victories occurred at Sedan, Mars-la-Tour, Gravelotte and Metz. The Germans captured Napoleon in Metz, but republicans overthrew the Second French Empire and continued the war for a few months. prussia conquered Paris and then made peace.

After the war, France had to give Prussia most of Alsace and some of Lorraine, regions that had long been under French control though they mostly spoke German dialects. Prussia took steps to unite the independent German states into one country, the German Empire. The historical term for the process is the Unification of Germany.

## Infobox (military conflict)

- **partof**: the German Unification Wars, wars of Unification of Germany, German unification
- **conflict**: Franco-Prussian War
- **image**: Franco-Prussian War Collage.jpg
- **caption**: (clockwise from top right)
- **date**: 19 July 1870 – 28 January 1871
()
- **place**: France and Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia
- **result**: German victory, Treaty of Frankfurt (1871), Treaty of Frankfurt
*Fall of the Second French Empire
*Formation of the French Third Republic
*Beginning of Franco-German enmity
- **territory**: *Unification of Germany and Proclamation of the German Empire, formation of the German Empire
*German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine
- **combatant1**:

Grand Duchy of Baden, Baden

Kingdom of Württemberg, Württemberg
- **combatant1a**: ****
- **combatant2**: **Second French Empire, French Empire**
- **combatant2a**: **French Third Republic, French Republic**
*Army of the Vosges, Foreign volunteers
- **strength1**: **Total deployment**:
*1,494,412
**Initially**:
*938,424
** 730,274 regulars and reservists
** 208,150 _Landwehr_
**Peak field army strength**:
*949,337
- **strength2**: **Total deployment**:
*2,000,740
**Initially**:
*909,951
** 492,585 active, including 300,000 reservists
** 417,366 _Garde Mobile_
**Peak field army strength**:
*710,000
- **casualties1**: **144,642**
* 44,700 dead
* 89,732 wounded
* 10,129 missing or captured
- **casualties2**: **756,285**
* 138,871 dead
* 143,000 wounded
* 474,414 captured or interned
- **casualties3**: ~250,000 civilians dead, including 162,000 Germans killed in a smallpox epidemic spread by French POWs