The Struggle a Century Ago

The Struggle for Early Victories

Planning for a war in the early part of the Twentieth Century, leaders of the German army had hoped to sweep, uncontested, through Belgium and into France, seeking merely the quick capitulation of an their enemy who they had recently fought and beaten in the Franco-Prussian War, acquiring the territory of Alsace-Lorraine as part of their settlement, which was then re-acquired by the French after the Great War at the Treaty of Versailles. However, the Franco-Prussian War had lasted only several months, from July 15, 1870 to February 1, 1871.

During the Napoleonic wars Napoleon Bonaparte and his army had smashed through the German states with ease on their way to Russia. A generation later, roles would be reversed and the Franco-Prussian War changed European history. The rapid and overwhelming victory of the German states under the leadership of Prussia in this 19th Century conflict directly led to the creation of a unified Germany and brought down Napoleon III's empire, which was replaced by the Third Republic. Exiled, Napoleon III died in London in 1873.

Their impressive land forces ensured Imperial Germany was recognized and appreciated across Europe as a dominant military power and, aided by a modernized Navy, their guns assured their role as a global superpower as their acquisitions mounted. Prior to the ascension of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Germany had been divided primarily by religion, with the Protestants in the North and the Catholics in the South. Under Otto Von Bismarck, and his quick and successful wars, Germans were united in their hatred of France, who had conscripted 250,000 men into Napoleon's armies.

Under Bismarck's leadership, the German army trained and maintained formidable reserves, which led to victories against both Denmark and Austria, as well as subsequently France. Since its defeat by Wellington's combined armies at Waterloo in 1815, France had become a subordinate power in Europe. Napoleon III, hoping to defeat Prussia, sought to recover the Rhine frontier lost after the defeat of Bonaparte. Many French military leaders were shocked by the Prussian defeat of the Austrians an Koniggratz in 1866 and urged immediate military reforms.

Yet in 1869 a pretext for war presented itself when the Spanish parliament offered the throne of Spain to Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, nephew of King Wilhelm I of Prussia. The throne was vacant after a revolution in 1868 had deposed the Bourbons. If he could place Prince Leopold on the Spanish throne, Bismarck hoped to provoke war with France. Upon Bismarck's insistence, Leopold accepted the offer and on July 2, 1870, the Spanish informed the French ambassador of their choice. 

Two weeks later, rejecting Britain's offer to mediate, the French Chamber declared war on Prussia, as expected. The German states, seeing France as the aggressor, came to Prussia's support. The Germans, with a national army organized under universal military service, and an efficient use of new railroads, mobilized their forces, who quickly proved their superiority and won a decisive battle at Sedan in September, where Napoleon III was captured.

Following a three-month siege, Paris surrendered in January, and the Treaty of Frankfurt was signed on May 10, 1871, ending their war, crowning their aspirations. Previously, on Jan 18, at Versailles, the new German military headquarters, Wilhelm I was proclaimed Kaiser. France not only ceded Alsace and Lorraine to Germany but also agreed a German army could occupy northern France until an indemnity of five billion Francs was paid.

Under the new constitution the southern German states were annexed by the North German Federation. There were 25 states in the new unified Reich: 4 kingdoms (Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Württemberg), 6 grand duchies, 5 duchies, 7 principalities and 3 free cities, certainly upsetting the delicate balance of power that had been created with the Congress of Vienna in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars.

French anger at the Germans over the loss of Alsace and Lorraine, not to mention the large indemnity, would lead to a permanent state of crises between the two states and trigger events which would launch World War II . The First World War also influenced Italian history and its struggle for unification. With the outbreak of war, Napoleon withdrew his garrison from Rome. With this garrison gone, the Italian national army was able to overtake the Papal State of Rome in 1870.