Franco-Prussian War

Franco-Prussian War
	Part of the wars of German unification
	; (clockwise from top right) Battle of Mars-la-Tour, 16 August 1870; The Lauenburg 9th Jäger Battalion at Gravelotte; The Last Cartridges; The Defense of Champigny; The Siege of Paris in 1870; The Proclamation of the German Empire;
Date	19 July 1870 – 28 January 1871; (6 months, 1 week and 2 days)
Location	France and Prussia
Result	German victory, Treaty of Frankfurt Fall of the Second French Empire; Formation of the French Third Republic; Beginning of Franco-German enmity;
Territorial; changes	Unification of Germany and formation of the German Empire; German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine;
Belligerents
North German; Confederation; Baden; Bavaria; Württemberg	French Empirea
German Empirec	French Republicb Foreign volunteers;
Commanders and leaders
William I; Otto von Bismarck; Helmuth von Moltke; Crown Prince Friedrich; Prince Friedrich Karl; Karl F. von Steinmetz; Albrecht von Roon;	Napoleon III (POW); François Achille Bazaine (POW); Patrice de MacMahon (POW) ; Louis Jules Trochu; Léon Gambetta; Giuseppe Garibaldi;
Strength
Total deployment: 1,494,412; Initially: 938,424; 730,274 regulars and reservists; 208,150 Landwehr; Peak field army strength: 949,337;	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;
Casualties and losses
144,642 44,700 dead; 89,732 wounded; 10,129 missing or captured;	756,285 138,871 dead; 143,000 wounded; 474,414 captured or interned;
	~250,000 civilians dead, including 162,000 Germans killed in a smallpox epidemic spread by French POWs
	a Until 4 September 1870.; b From 4 September 1870.; c From 18 January 1871.;

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 Germans under Prussian rule by making them fight together against a common enemy. Bismarck irritated French Emperor Napoleon III into declaring war on 19 July 1870. The war ended by a Prussian victory on 10 May 1871.

Causes[change | change source]

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

France found out about the offer, and demanded for 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 assuring 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 that his king had insulted the emperor's ambassador. 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[change | change source]

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 victories occurred at Sedan, Mars-la-Tour, Gravelotte and Metz. The Germans captured Napoleon in Metz, but French Republicans overthrew the Second French Empire and continued the war for a few months. The Germans conquered Paris and then made peace.

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

References[change | change source]

↑ Clodfelter 2017, p. 184, 33,101 officers and 1,113,254 men were deployed into France. A further 348,057 officers and men were mobilized and stayed in Germany..
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 Clodfelter 2017, p. 184.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Howard 1991, p. 39.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Clodfelter 2017, p. 187.
↑ Clodfelter 2017, p. 187, of which 17,585 killed in action, 10,721 died of wounds, 12,147 died from disease, 290 died in accidents, 29 committed suicide and 4,009 were missing and presumed dead.
↑ Nolte 1884, pp. 526–527.
↑ Nolte 1884, p. 527.
↑ Clodfelter 2017, p. 187, of which 41,000 killed in action, 36,000 died of wounds and 45,000 died from disease.

[FOOTNOTEClodfelter201718433,101_officers_and_1,113,254_men_were_deployed_into_France._A_further_348,057_officers_and_men_were_mobilized_and_stayed_in_Germany.-1] Clodfelter 2017, p. 184, 33,101 officers and 1,113,254 men were deployed into France. A further 348,057 officers and men were mobilized and stayed in Germany..

[FOOTNOTEClodfelter2017184-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 Clodfelter 2017, p. 184.

[FOOTNOTEHoward199139-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Howard 1991, p. 39.

[FOOTNOTEClodfelter2017187-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Clodfelter 2017, p. 187.

[FOOTNOTEClodfelter2017187of_which_17,585_killed_in_action,_10,721_died_of_wounds,_12,147_died_from_disease,_290_died_in_accidents,_29_committed_suicide_and_4,009_were_missing_and_presumed_dead-5] Clodfelter 2017, p. 187, of which 17,585 killed in action, 10,721 died of wounds, 12,147 died from disease, 290 died in accidents, 29 committed suicide and 4,009 were missing and presumed dead.

[FOOTNOTENolte1884526–527-6] Nolte 1884, pp. 526–527.

[FOOTNOTENolte1884527-7] Nolte 1884, p. 527.

[FOOTNOTEClodfelter2017187of_which_41,000_killed_in_action,_36,000_died_of_wounds_and_45,000_died_from_disease-8] Clodfelter 2017, p. 187, of which 41,000 killed in action, 36,000 died of wounds and 45,000 died from disease.

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