The Franco-Prussian War
During the first half of the nineteenth century, Germany was made up
of more than 30 small states, the largest and most dominant of which
was Prussia. Prussia had decided that all of the states should all be
united to create a bigger and better country, Germany. By the end of
1870 it had forced all of the German states to accept its authority
and create the German Empire with the King of Prussia at its head (the
Hohenzollen's). Everything was going to plan as Chancellor Prince Otto
Von Bismarck (person who was behind the unification of Germany) had
anticipated apart from the four large states in southern Germany who
remained independent. Bismarck now needed a way to unite these states
with the German Empire that he was creating, so he decided that in
order to do this he believed that it was necessary to defeat France.
The French Emperor Napoleon III was the main obstacle in the way of
Bismarck as Napoleon distrusted Bismarck and believed that he was
trying to dominate Europe. Luckily Bismarck had already motivated wars
against Denmark and Austria (1864 and 1866), managing to provoke his
enemies declaring war against Prussia. So in the eyes of other
countries Prussia was innocent and Denmark and Austria seemed like the
perpetrators.
Meanwhile in Spain, 1868, there had been a revolution, the outcome of
this was that Queen Isabella had been overthrown and now there was a
vacancy for the throne of Spain. They reduced this problem by asking
Leopold of Hollenzollern (the King of Prussia's nephew) to step in for
them, if Leopold accepted then there would be a link between Spain and
Prussia, isolating France.
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...ellor was secured, the four independent states in the South
agreed to join the German Empire, Germany was now the most powerful
country in Europe, and the German Army had proved itself invincible
and the German Economy began to quickly dominate Europe. But what
Bismarck feared the most was the French desire for revenge, and
planned to keep France isolated.
However the effects of the War and the Treaty on France were
completely different. Their pride for their army and country was
shattered, and the treaty was treated with disgust and rage. As a
consequence of this Napoleon III left the country to live in exile in
Britain and a republic was set up. The loss of Alsace and Lorraine
ashamed France, and was a national disgrace. The French were seething
at the Germans for humiliating them and secretly dreamed of revenge.
At the end of the 18th century, an undeclared war was going on between the United States and France because of the recent XYZ affair; triggering a positive reaction by Federalists like Fisher Ames to convince the authorities to make the war official. Not knowing what to do, President John Adams appointed former-President George Washington as commander of the army to hopefully resolve the issue with France through diplomacy (as was Washington's stance).
Bismarck believed that Germany should be united under Prussian leadership and that Austria should have nothing to do with Germany. Bismarck was chosen as chancellor by the Prussian king as he had a proven record as a monarchist and had little time for liberal and excessive parliamentary ideas. Bismarck helped his long term plan to unite Germany and to be the ruler by getting in a strong position with the king. The king owned Bismarck a 'favour´ as Bismarck had solved the king´s constitutional crisis. Bismarck played a crucial part in the unification of Germany as he helped to set up the Northern German Confederation after defeating Austria in the second of three wars.
The German state was forged out of the fires of the Franco-Prussian war in 1871 by the Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Prussia was by far the largest and most dominant state of the 25 unified in the creation of Germany, with the King of Prussia automatically becoming the Kaiser (Emperor) of the German Reich. In 1888, Kaiser Wilhelm II ascended to the throne, obtaining absolute and total control of the country. However, there is still debate as to whether Wilhelm II exercised full control of Germany or if true power lay in the hands of others in the years preceding the First World War.
Great Britain emerged from the Treaty of Paris triumphant; France had been chased out of most of North America and Britain had won control of the eastern third of the continent. However, while the war was a military success, its effects caused trouble for Britain and its American colonies. The war had altered the political and economic landscape, and the changes opened an ideological divide between the two peoples that caused the Colonists to question their ties to Britain. So while the French and Indian War was a success militarily for Great Britain, it brought about the beginnings of the American Revolution.
The harshness of the Treaty and the way in which it blamed Germany for World War I crippled Germany. Much of its territory was taken away from it, including West Prussia that went to form a new Polish Corridor to the sea. Plus the Treaty forced Germany to reduce its army, demilitarise the Rhineland and get rid of its navy. The Treaty also forced harsh reparations for the War resulting in a great deal of the German people resenting the Allies. And it was later that Hitler used the bitter memories of Versailles to gain public support for his actions.
The French and Indian War or the Seven Years War was one of the major events that led to the American Revolution. The French and Indian War started in 1754 when George Washington and General Edward Braddock tried to defend the British land that they felt the French were taking with their expansion into the Ohio River valley. In 1755 Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts had many French settlers in the Nova Scotia region moved from that region to avoid any confrontation if these settlers sided with their home country. These people were exiled from their home and moved into British colonies in a very cruel and violent fashion. This is one of the first examples of Britain’s oppressive nature towards people they consider a threat to what they feel is the best solution. The British military effort, at this time, was not as impassioned or successful. Both George Washington and General Braddock suffered major defeats at the hands of the French and their allies, General Braddock was even killed in one of the early battles before this war was officially started. It was not until later in the war that the British were able to successfully defeat the French. The war officially began in 1756 and ended in 1763 but this war is far less important than the major event it caused. More than anything this war was the first step to the American Revolution.
1. What is the difference between Introduction 2. What is the difference between History 3. What is the difference between a's Planning / Preparation 4.
World War I was a fascinating, yet dramatic war for which there are a lot of different points of view. Some people argue that it was only Germanys fault, where-as others think that it had to do with the pressure put upon them by the other leading powers. Some of the things which triggered the war were the enormous rise in population, which happened very rapidly, caused by the Industrial Revolution. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the population of Europe was roughly 50 million; by 1820 it was about 100 million, and by 1870 it had reached the 200-million mark. By 1914 it had topped 300 million. (Stokesbury 11-12). With all the leading powers focused on the Balkans, war, to many, seemed inevitable. The new countries abused their power which was given to them by their major allies, causing enormous problems, and unnecessary tension to be built up. Alliances also caused a lot of problems like the one between Japan and England, where-after the Russians suffered a humiliating defeat against the Japanese in the East. This did not exactly improve the chances for England to ally with Russia, but luckily did not interfere too much in their relationships, and after some time they even turned out becoming allies, together with France, at the end even making military plans together. They also shared the responsibilities of protecting areas, just like England and France who protected both the Mediterranean as well as the Channel separately, making it easier for each country to focus on one area.
The name Civil War is misleading because the war was not a class struggle, but a sectional combat, having its roots in political, economic, social, and psychological elements. It has been characterized, in the words of William H. Seward, as the “irrepressible conflict.” In another judgment the Civil War was viewed as criminally stupid, an unnecessary bloodletting brought on by arrogant extremists and blundering politicians. Both views accept the fact that in 1861 there existed a situation that, rightly or wrongly, had come to be regarded as insoluble by peaceful means.
This ensured that Germany would not have support from the smaller countries in Europe (Document B). Belgium had aligned itself with France previously, and it continued to do so, but Czechoslovakia and Poland joined in the new alliance (Document B).... ... middle of paper ... ...
All in all Spain was weak. Their armed forces were exhausted and Franco did not have the resources to fight a war against or with Germany. Franco also knew that Germany and Italy could not have won the war in Europe against France, England, the Soviet Union, and United States. There were two very powerful enemies on two of Spain’s fronts. For them to have joined the Axis it would have been a military suicide which could have led to the fall of the newborn regime and the return to power of communist and socialist parties in Spain. This was the greatest fear of Franco because his dictatorship may have ceased to exist. Instead, it lasted until his death.
From the 1790s to 1814 French troops successively conquered and occupied the area that later constituted the German Empire. French domination helped to modernize and consolidate Germany and -- toward the end -- sparked the first upsurge of German nationalism. In different ways the French emperor Napoleon I helped German unification. It was important that he encouraged many of the middle-sized German states to absorb huge numbers of small independent territories, mostly bishoprics, church lands, and local principalities.
The results of this war were all in favour of Bismarck. the treaty of Frankfurt was signed. France had to pay compensation. of five billion francs and lost the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. So between France and Germany there were still open wounds.
In order to determine the importance of the alliance system as a cause for the war we must first explore the origins of these alliances. We will take high-point of the Bismarck system in 1878 as our starting point as the Franco-Prussian war is a key factor for the development of this system. The alliance system ideated by the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck kept peace in Europe but its main aim was, however, to forestall the possibility that, in the event of war, Germany would have to fight it on two fronts (basically France and Russia). This was achieved by diplomatically isolating France so that its dream of recapturing its lost provinces of Alsace-Lorraine couldn't be fulfilled.
Prior to unification in 1871 the territory that would become Germany was comprised of thirty-nine independent states and city states joined together in a loose German Confederation. The most powerful among these states was Prussia, both geographically the largest state and that with the largest population. The influential politicians and policies that came out of Prussia were instrumental in the gradual formation of a united Germany. Beginning with the rise of Napoleon, the nineteenth century was a time of incredible change which dramatically altered the political balance of Europe. In order to understand the factors that culminated in official German unification on January 18 1871, it is necessary to examine the preceding decades. No single factor can be credited for the unification of the German states. Rather, the combined forces of social change, economic strength within a unified customs union, the moral justifications provided by nationalism, Bismarck’s careful manipulation of internal politics and the advantages gained through military action resulted in the unification of Germany.