romikgosai/squad_modified huggingface dataset:
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: A series of Prussian and German victories took place in what part of France?
A: eastern France', '
Q: What seige did these victories lead to?
A: Siege of Metz', '
Q: What battle was a result of the Prussian and German victories in eastern France?
A: Battle of Sedan', '
Q: Which army definitively defeated Napolean III?
A: the army of the Second Empire', '
Q: On what date did the Government of National Defence declare the the Third Republic in Paris?
A: 4 September']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Some historians counter that Napolean III sought what?
A: war', '
Q: Napoleon III belived he would win the Astro-Prussian war and win a conflict with what country?
A: Prussia', '
Q: It is also argued that Napoleon III thought a war would resolve the growing issue of what?
A: domestic political problems', '
Q: Before the war, French voters overwhelming supported what program of Napoleon III?
A: a national plebiscite', '
Q: Who proposed that Emperor needed no war to increase his public appeal?
A: Milza']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What did Napoleon III plan to relieve pressure from an expected German attack?
A: invasion of northern Germany', '
Q: What country were the French hoping to be allied with?
A: Denmark', '
Q: What military strength could Denmark to France in a war?
A: the Royal Danish Navy', '
Q: What had Prussia been discovered building around big north German ports?
A: defences', '
Q: What did the French navy lack in engaging coastal defenses?
A: heavy guns']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What was the Prussian Army composed of, instead of regulars?
A: conscripts', '
Q: Service was mandatory for all men sharing which feature?
A: of military age', '
Q: Together, Prussia and Germany expected to amass how many soldiers?
A: 1,000,000', '
Q: What is an example of a German encirclement battle?
A: Cannae', '
Q: German tactics relied on what type of battle strategy?
A: encirclement battles']
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."

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What Prussian system was superior to the French example?
A: military education', '
Q: Prussian military officers were trained to exude what type thinking?
A: independent thinking', '
Q: What commander of the General Staff held the expectaion of independent thinking in his officers?
A: Moltke', '
Q: What did the French dearth of an education and promotion system stifle?
A: intellectual development', '
Q: Which military historian criticized the French system as being defective?
A: Dallas Irvine']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What aspect of the Chassepot was superior to the German needle gun?
A: longer range', '
Q: What French weapon was considered a rough prototype of the first machine gun? 
A: the mitrailleuse', '
Q: How many barrels did the mitrailleuse feature?
A: thirty-seven barrels', '
Q: What was the range of the mitrailleuse?
A: 1,200 yd (1,100 m)', '
Q: Treating the mitrailleuse like what rendered it far less effective
A: artillery']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: The French Marines and naval infantry were dispatched to reinforce what?
A: French Army of Châlons', '
Q: The French navy fell captive where?
A: at Sedan', '
Q: Who also was captured at Sedan?
A: Napoleon III', '
Q: The autumn storms of what sea forced the return of yet more French ships?
A: the North Sea', '
Q: On which rough date did the French navy abandon their blockade?
A: September 1870']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Which marshal was closest to Wissembourg?
A: Marshal MacMahon', '
Q: How many divisions did MacMahon command?
A: four divisions', "
Q: Over how many miles did MacMahon's divisions cover?
A: 20 miles", '
Q: Whose conduct made a bad situation worse?
A: General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot', '
Q: What group did General Ducrot command?
A: the 1st Division']
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).

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What became highly politicised during the war?
A: Paris National Guard', '
Q: In what type of neighborhoods did the occur especially?
A: working-class neighbourhoods', '
Q: What did the National Guard refuse to wear?
A: uniforms', '
Q: What did the National Guard refuse to obey?
A: commands from the national government', '
Q: On which dates did La Semaine Sanglante occur in Paris?
A: 21–28 May']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who commanded the French army at the battle of Worth?
A: General MacMahon', '
Q: Which German divisison did MacMahon engage?
A: German 3rd Army', '
Q: Who commanded the German 1st Army?
A: Steinmetz', '
Q: What did a German patrol spot that led them to believe that Frossard had retreated?
A: decoy fires', "
Q: Whose plan did German armies ignore in attacking Frossard?
A: Moltke's"]
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who were the casualties especially terrible for?
A: the attacking Prussian forces', '
Q: What was the grand total of German casualties and those missing in action?
A: 20,163', '
Q: What were the number of French killed and wounded?
A: 7,855', '
Q: What was the number of French prisoners?
A: 4,420', '
Q: What did most Prussians fall under?
A: French Chassepot rifles']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What was the republican government amenable to?
A: war reparations', '
Q: Who declared that France would not yield "an inch of its territory?"
A: Favre', '
Q: Who was Favre speaking on behalf of?
A: Government of National Defense', '
Q: When did Favre make the declaration concerning colonial territories?
A: 6 September', '
Q: What did this cause the Republic to renew?
A: declaration of war']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who was the Prussian Minister of War?
A: Albrecht von Roon', '
Q: What was the time span that von Roon acted as minister?
A: 1859 to 1873', '
Q: He instituted a series of what regarding the Prussian military?
A: reforms', '
Q: What was the first step in the reforms?
A: a reorganization of the army', '
Q: What was the second reform?
A: the conscription of every male']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What type of artillery were the French equipped with?
A: bronze, rifled muzzle-loading', '
Q: What newer artillery were Prussians using?
A: steel breech-loading guns', '
Q: What did the French believe was overly wasted in artillery with a higher rate of fire?
A: ammunition', '
Q: The Prussian artillery batteries had what percentage more of guns than the French?
A: 30% more', '
Q: What was the typical range that Prussian guns could fire?
A: 2–3 kilometres']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: On what date did the Government of National Defence negotiate an armistice?
A: 28 January 1871', '
Q: With whom did the French government negotiate?
A: the Prussians', '
Q: What consequence of war were Parisians suffering?
A: starving', '
Q: Which French minister traveled to Versailles to discuss peace?
A: Favre', '
Q: What was the date on which jFarve and Bismarck met?
A: 24 January']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: How many were killed by the Communards?
A: 500 people', '
Q: Which religious official was also killed during the fighting?
A: Archbishop of Paris', '
Q: What type of buildings were especially targeted to be burned down?
A: government buildings', '
Q: What famous palace was also burned down?
A: Tuileries Palace', '
Q: What is the rough estimate of the number of people killed?
A: between 6,000 and 10,000']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: At the start of the war, how many German troops were focused on the French frontier?
A: 462,000', '
Q: How many French troops were available to stand again the Germans?
A: 270,000', '
Q: What is the literal meaning of the Prussian word "Kreis?"
A: literally "circle"', '
Q: What did the French military numbers suffer from the most?
A: having lost 100,000 stragglers']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: The events of the Franco-Prussian War had great influence on what?
A: military thinking', '
Q: Lessons garnered from the war included recognizing the need for what kind of system?
A: general staff system', '
Q: Who adopted the Prussian artillery tactics in 1914?
A: European armies', '
Q: What was the French 75 optimised to directly support?
A: advancing infantry', '
Q: Evidence from what war suggested the increased benefits of smokeless poweder rifles?
A: Russo-Japanese War']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: A unified German Empire ended the balance of power in which congress?
A: Congress of Vienna', '
Q: At the end of the Napoleonic wars, Germany had established itself as what, in continental Europe?
A: the main power', '
Q: Who remained the dominant world power at this time?
A: Great Britain', '
Q: British involvement in European matters in the late 19th century was considered what?
A: very limited', "
Q: The Crown Prince's marriage to whom was considered the most prominent of German-British royal liasons?
A: the daughter of Queen Victoria"]