The Franco-Prussian War took place in the period 1870-1871 between France and an alliance of German states led by Prussia (later the German Empire), which ended with the collapse of the French Empire, revolution and the establishment of the Third Republic.

Causes of the Franco-Prussian War

The root causes of the conflict were the determination of the Prussian chancellor to unite Germany, where it occupies a fundamental role, and as a step towards this goal, it was necessary to eliminate French influence on Germany. On the other hand, the Emperor of France, Napoleon III, sought to regain, both in France and abroad, the prestige lost as a result of numerous diplomatic failures, especially those caused by Prussia in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. Besides, military power Prussia, as the war with Austria showed, posed a threat to French dominance in Europe.

The event that directly provoked the Franco-Prussian War was the candidacy of Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmarinen, declared for the empty Spanish throne, vacated after the Spanish Revolution of 1868. Leopold, under the persuasion of Bismarck, agreed to take the vacant seat.

The French government, alarmed by the possibility of creating a Prussian-Spanish alliance as a result of the occupation of the Spanish throne by a member of the Hohenzollern dynasty, threatened war if Leopold's candidacy was not withdrawn. The French ambassador to the Prussian court, Count Vincent Benedetti, was sent to Ems (a resort in northwestern Germany), where he met with King William I of Prussia. Benedetti was instructed to demand that the Prussian monarch order Prince Leopold to withdraw his candidacy. Wilhelm was angry, but fearing an open confrontation with France, he persuaded Leopold to withdraw his candidacy.

The government of Napoleon III, still dissatisfied, decided to humiliate Prussia even at the cost of war. Duke Antoine Agenor Alfred de Gramont, French Foreign Minister, demanded that Wilhelm personally write a letter of apology to Napoleon III and assured that Leopold of Hohenzollern would not make any encroachments on the Spanish throne in the future. In negotiations with Benedetti at Ems, the Prussian king rejected French demands.

On the same day, Bismarck received Wilhelm's permission to publish a telegram of a conversation between the King of Prussia and the French ambassador, which went down in history as the "Ems dispatch". Bismarck edited the document in such a way as to increase French and German resentment and cause conflict. The Prussian chancellor believed that this move would in all likelihood hasten the war. But, knowing Prussia's readiness for a possible war, Bismarck expected that the psychological effect of France's declaration of war would rally the South German states and push them towards an alliance with Prussia, thereby completing the unification of Germany.

Beginning of the Franco-Prussian War

On July 19, 1870, France went to war with Prussia. The South German states, fulfilling their obligations under treaties with Prussia, immediately joined King Wilhelm in the common front of the struggle against France. The French were able to mobilize about 200,000 troops, but the Germans quickly mobilized an army of about 400,000. All German troops were under the supreme command of Wilhelm I, the general staff was headed by Count Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke. Three German armies invaded France, led by three generals Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz, Prince Friedrich-Karl and crown prince Friedrich Wilhelm (who later became King of Prussia and German Emperor Frederick III).

The first small battle took place on August 2, when the French attacked a small Prussian detachment in the city of Saarbrücken, near the Franco-German border. However, in major battles near Weissenburg (August 4), at Werth and Spicher (August 6), the French under the command of General Abel Douai and Count Marie-Edme-Patrice-Maurice de MacMahon were defeated. MacMahon was ordered to retreat to Chalons. Marshal François Bazin, who was in command of all French troops east of the city of Metz, pulled his troops to the city to hold positions, having received orders to defend Metz at any cost.

These orders divided the French forces, which subsequently failed to reunite. On August 12, the French emperor transferred the supreme command to Bazaine, who was defeated at the battle of Vionville (August 15) and Gravelotte (August 18) and was forced to retreat to Metz, where he was besieged by two German armies. Marshal McMahon was assigned to free Metz. On August 30, the Germans defeated McMahon's main body in Beaumont, after which he decided to withdraw his army to the city of Sedan.

Battle of Sedan

The decisive battle of the Franco-Prussian War took place at Sedan on the morning of September 1, 1870. At about 7 o'clock in the morning, MacMahon was seriously wounded, and an hour and a half later, the supreme command passed to General Emmanuel Felix de Wimpfen. The battle continued until five o'clock in the afternoon, when Napoleon, who arrived at Sedan, took over the supreme command.

Recognizing the hopelessness of the situation, he ordered the white flag to be raised. The terms of surrender were discussed all night, and the next day Napoleon, along with 83,000 soldiers, surrendered to the Germans.

The news of the capitulation and capture of the French emperor caused an uprising in Paris. The Legislative Assembly was dissolved and France was declared a republic. Until the end of September, Strasbourg surrendered - one of the last outposts on which the French hoped to stop the German advance. Paris was completely surrounded.

On October 7, Léon Gambetta, minister of the new French government, made a dramatic escape from Paris on hot-air balloon. The city of Tours became the temporary capital, from where the headquarters of the government of national defense directed the organization and equipment of 36 military units. However, the efforts of these troops were useless, and they withdrew to Switzerland, where they were disarmed and interned.

Siege of Paris and German occupation at the final stage of the Franco-Prussian War

On October 27, Marshal Bazin surrendered at Metz, and with him 173,000 men. Meanwhile, Paris was under siege and bombardment. Its citizens, trying to stop the enemy with improvised weapons and going from lack of food to the use of pets, cats, dogs and even rats, were forced on January 19, 1871 to begin negotiations for surrender.

On the eve of January 18, an event took place that was the culmination of Bismarck's tireless efforts to unify Germany. King Wilhelm I of Prussia was crowned Emperor of Germany in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. The formal surrender of Paris took place on 28 January, followed by a three-week truce. The French National Assembly, elected for peace negotiations, met in Bordeaux on February 13 and elected Adolphe Thiers as the first president of the Third Republic.

In March, an uprising broke out again in Paris and a revolutionary government, known as the anti-truce, came to power. Supporters of the revolutionary government fought desperately against the government troops sent by Thiers to suppress the uprising. Civil War dragged on until May, when the revolutionaries surrendered to the authorities.

The Treaty of Frankfurt, signed on May 10, 1871, ended the Franco-Prussian War. According to the treaty, France transferred to Germany the provinces of Alsace (except for the territory of Belfort) and Lorraine, including Metz. In addition, France paid an indemnity of 5 billion gold francs ($1 billion). The German occupation was to continue until France paid the sum in full. This heavy duty was lifted in September 1873, and within the same month, after almost three years of occupation, France was finally free of German soldiers.

He sought to unite all the German lands under his rule, and the French Emperor Napoleon III prevented this, not wanting to see another one in Europe. strong state, and even neighboring France.

Causes and reason for war

All that remained for the Prussian chancellor to create a united Germany was to annex the South German states. But Bismarck was not going to limit himself to this: the Prussians were attracted by the French provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, rich in coal and iron ore, which were so necessary for German industrialists.

So the reasons Franco-Prussian War were there, it only remained to find a reason. Both sides actively searched for him, and he was soon found. In July 1870, the Spanish government, concerned about finding a candidate for the royal throne, left without a master after another revolution, turned to a relative of the Prussian king, Prince Leopold. Napoleon III, who did not want to see another crowned representative next to France, began to negotiate with Prussia. The French ambassador was successful in this. But, as it turned out later, there was a provocation lurking here. Bismarck wrote a telegram to the French emperor about Prussia's renunciation of the Spanish throne in a rather insulting tone for the French, and even published it in the newspapers. The result was predictable - enraged Napoleon III declared war on Prussia.

balance of power

The international situation in which the Franco-Prussian war began was more favorable for Prussia than for France. On the side of Bismarck, the states that were part of the French emperor were left without allies. Russia adhered to a neutral position, diplomatic relations with Britain and Italy were hopelessly damaged due to the mediocre policy of Napoleon III. The only state that could enter the war on its side was Austria, but the Austrian government, which had recently been defeated in the war with Prussia, did not dare to get involved in a new fight with a recent enemy.

From the very first days, the Franco-Prussian war revealed weak sides French army. Firstly, its numbers were seriously inferior to the enemy - 570 thousand soldiers against 1 million in the North German Union. The weapons were also worse. The only thing the French could be proud of was faster-firing. But the most important thing is the absence of a clear plan of military operations. It was compiled hastily, and much in it was unrealistic: both the timing of mobilization and the calculations for a split between the allies.

As for Prussia, the Franco-Prussian war, of course, did not take either the king or the chancellor by surprise. Her army was distinguished by discipline and excellent weapons, was created on the basis of universal service. dense network railways in Germany, it made it possible to quickly transfer military units to the right place. And, of course, the Prussian command had a clear plan of action, developed long before the war.

Military actions

In August 1870, the offensive began. The French corps were defeated one after another. On September 1, near the fortress of Sedan, in which Napoleon III was located, the battle began. The French command could not avoid the encirclement, on top of that, the army suffered huge losses from the cross shelling. As a result, the very next day Napoleon III was forced to surrender. Taking 84 thousand prisoners, the Prussians moved to the French capital.

The news of the defeat at Sedan caused an uprising in Paris. Already on September 4, the Republic was proclaimed in France. The new government began to form new armies. Thousands of volunteers became under arms, but the new authorities could not organize the defense of the country from the enemy. On October 27, the huge army of Marshal Bazin capitulated, numbering almost 200 thousand people. According to historians, the marshal could well have rebuffed the Prussians, but chose to surrender.

On other fronts, Bismarck was also lucky. As a result, on January 28, 1871, an armistice was signed at Versailles. The Franco-Prussian War is over. In the same place, in the palace of the French kings, it was proclaimed Half a century will pass, and the Germans will sign in the same hall after Germany is defeated in the First World War. But so far this was far away: in May of the same year, the parties signed a peace treaty, according to which France not only lost Alsace and Lorraine, but also a tidy sum of 5 billion francs. Thus, the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871. not only united Germany, but also significantly weakened France economically.

The Franco-Prussian War was the result of a long-standing confrontation between the two largest European powers. The object of the dispute was the territories of Alsace and Lorraine. The slightest pretext was enough to start hostilities.

France and Prussia on the eve of the war

The main reason for the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. lies in the desire of the two powers to occupy leading position in Europe.

By this time, France had lost its dominant position on the continent. Prussia grew stronger, uniting most of the German lands.

Napoleon III planned to wage a victorious war against dangerous neighbor. In this way, he could strengthen the regime of his personal power.

The grandiose plans of the emperor were insufficiently supported organizationally and military-technically.

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Rice. 1. Map.

Prussia by this time had military reform, which gave her a well-trained mass army. great attention was given to the future theater of operations.

Prussia led the movement for the national unification of the German lands, which raised the morale of the soldiers high.

Cause of the Franco-Prussian War

In 1869, the Spanish government invited a relative of the King of Prussia, Wilhelm I, Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern, to the throne. With the consent of the king, the prince accepted the offer, but soon declined.

Napoleon III protested strongly, demanding that William I "for all future times" undertake not to support the prince's candidacy as king of Spain.

Rice. 2. Otto von Bismarck. F. Ehrlich.

Wilhelm I, who was in the city of Ems, on July 13, 1870, refused such a promise. His refusal was deliberately distorted by Chancellor Bismarck and published in the press. The insulting “Ems Despatch” caused a scandal in Paris and became the pretext for war, declared by Napoleon III on July 19, 1870.

The course of the war

The fighting was extremely unsuccessful for France:

  • Bazaine's army was blockaded in the fortress of Metz;
  • On September 1, 1870, McMahon's troops were defeated at Sedan.
  • The French emperor was taken prisoner by Prussia.

Rice. 3. Battle of Sedan 1870.

Convincing Prussian victories led to political crisis and the collapse of the Second Empire in France. On September 4, 1870, the Third Republic was proclaimed.

On September 19, 1870, Prussian troops began the siege of Paris. Gradually, fuel and food supplies were running out in the capital.

Results of the Franco-Prussian War

Under these conditions, the government was forced to surrender. At the end of January 1871, an act of surrender was signed in Versailles.

  • transfer of Alsace and eastern Lorraine to Germany;
  • an indemnity of 5 billion francs;
  • France was obliged to maintain the German troops, who remained on its territory until the indemnity was paid in full.

German Empire was formed on January 18, 1871 in Versailles. At this time, the siege of Paris was still ongoing.

France suffered huge human and material losses. Despite the long-awaited peace, already in mid-March an uprising broke out in the capital, as a result of which the Paris Commune was formed.

The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 is a military conflict between the empire of Napoleon III and the German states, led by Prussia seeking European hegemony. The war, provoked by the Prussian Chancellor O. Bismarck and formally launched by Napoleon III, ended in the defeat and collapse of France, as a result of which Prussia managed to transform the North German Confederation into a single German Empire. Causes of the war

1. The rivalry of France and Prussia for hegemony (i.e., dominance) in Europe.

2. The desire of the ruling circles of France to overcome internal crisis Second empire through war.

3. The firm intention of Prussia to complete the unification of all German lands under its rule, to annex the southern German lands to the North German Confederation

Reason for war

Succession dispute in Spain

In the summer of 1870, a dispute arose between the French emperor and Bismarck over which of their henchmen would get the Spanish crown. The proposal to take the Spanish throne was received by a relative of William I, opposed by the French government. Wilhelm I was peaceful, but Bismarck did not like it. And when the German king sent a telegram to Napoleon III, Bismarck intercepted it and corrected the text, adding insulting facts. The telegram was handed over to the newspapers for publication. The French took this message as an insult. And they declared war on Prussia on July 19, 1870

The first battles turned out to be the bitterness of defeat for France. Prussia launched an offensive war, and France was forced to defend itself. The real disaster occurred on September 1, 1870 at Sedan. The French lost the battle, and the remnants of the army took refuge in the fortress of Sedan. The Germans occupied all the heights around Sedan, their artillery smashing the encircled troops. The French troops fought courageously, but could not get through. On September 2, 1870, Napoleon III ordered the white flag to be raised. The second empire in France ceased to exist. By the end of the year, the Prussian troops managed to advance deep into France, take the fortress of Metz and completely blockade Paris. A peace treaty was signed.

Results

1. On January 18, 1871, the establishment of the German Empire was proclaimed at Versailles, consisting of the North German Confederation and the southern German states. The unification of Germany was completed.

2. The reunification of Italy is over. France withdrew its troops from Rome, the Roman region became part of Italy. Rome became the capital of the Italian kingdom.

3. The provinces of Alsace and Lorraine passed to Germany.

4. France pledged to pay an indemnity of 5 billion francs in gold.

The consequences of the war for France Napoleon lost the crown, in his place came Adolphe Thiers. He became the first president of the Third Republic, which was proclaimed after the Paris Commune. During the war years, France lost 1,835 field guns, 5,373 fortress guns, more than 600,000 guns. The human losses were enormous: 756,414 soldiers (of which almost half a million prisoners), 300,000 civilians killed (in total, France lost 590,000 civilians, including demographic losses). Through the Frankfurt Peace former empire conceded to Germany Alsace and Lorraine (1,597,000 inhabitants, or 4.3% of its population). In these areas, 20% of all mining and metallurgical reserves of France were concentrated.

The consequences of the war for France Even after the conclusion of peace in France there were 633,346 German soldiers (569,875 infantry and 63,471 cavalry) with 1,742 guns. At any moment, at least 250,000 more soldiers could be called up from Germany, which in total would give the Germans a huge numerical advantage over an already defeated enemy. The French army had only eight corps, and this is approximately 400,000 soldiers. But of these, there were actually no more than 250,000 in service, the rest, according to the testimony of the Germans, were listed only on paper. Proclamation of the German Empire at Versailles. Bismarck (in white in the center of the picture) wanted to unite the warring German principalities in order to achieve the creation of a conservative, Prussian-dominated German state. He embodied this three military victories: the Second War of Schleswig against Denmark in 1864, the Austro-Prussian-Italian War against Austria in 1866, and the Franco-Prussian War against France in 1870-1871.

Consequences of the war for Prussia On January 18, 1871, at Versailles, Bismarck and Wilhelm I announced the creation of the German Empire. Bismarck's dream came true - he created a single German state. The Empire was quickly joined by states that were not part of the North German Confederation - Saxony and other South German countries. Austria did not become part of Germany. The five billion francs that the French paid to the Germans as an indemnity became a solid foundation for the German economy. Bismarck became the second man in Germany, but this is only formal. In fact, the prime minister was practically the sole ruler, and Wilhelm I was not persistent and greedy for power. So a new powerful state appeared on the continent - the German Empire, the territory of which was 540,857 km², the population was 41,058,000 people, and the army reached almost 1 million soldiers.

In any case, the people around him, who influenced him, first of all, his wife, Empress Eugenia, who said that she needed the Franco-Prussian war, that this was her war. The main motive for Bismarck was the desire to complete the unification of Germany begun by the Austro-Prussian war of 1866, which was prevented by Napoleon III. Other reasons that pushed Bismarck to war were the desire to prevent the possibility of an alliance with France of Austria, which did not put up with the results of the war of 1866, and to attach to the united Germany those France torn away from it in the 16th - 18th centuries. lands with a German population. The history of the Franco-German border is very old story, beginning at least with the division of the monarchy of Charlemagne in the middle of the ninth century, is therefore a thousand years old. There was a time when the eastern regions of France with a purely Romanesque population were part of medieval Germany, but then the regions with a German population began to join France: in the middle of the 16th century. Metz, in the middle of the 17th century Alsace, at the end of this century Strasbourg, in the middle of the 18th century Lorraine. The desire of the French kings became to push their state to the Rhine, as the "natural border" of France. During the Revolution and the wars of Napoleon I Bonaparte, this was achieved, but then France lost the acquisitions of the late XVIII and early XIX in., retaining, however, Alsace and Lorraine. In 1840, a war almost broke out between the French and the Germans, which would have anticipated the Franco-Prussian one, and then the song "Guards on the Rhine" was composed, which later became the national German anthem.

French Emperor Napoleon III, one of the main initiators of the Franco-Prussian War. Portrait by F.K. Winterhalter, 1855

Napoleon III resumed the tradition of the French movement to the Rhine and not only made plans, but even entered into negotiations regarding the accession to France of the Bavarian Palatinate, the Hessian possessions on the left bank of the Rhine and Luxembourg. The main obstacle in the implementation of the plans of Napoleon III was Prussia, that is, Bismarck, who beckoned Napoleon III with promises, then did not fulfill them, and even pointed out how dangerous French policy was for the integrity of Germany. Prussia in the eyes of Napoleon III and those around him became conceited. By means of a victorious Franco-Prussian war, she had to be taught a lesson, punished for her intrigues, once again cover the French weapons with glory and thereby further strengthen the empire and dynasty in France, which had just been strengthened. plebiscite of 1870. Both governments thus had important reasons for wanting war. They both had in their hands and different ways excitation of Franco-Prussian national enmity in the form of official and hired press, artificially created patriotic manifestations of the masses, etc.

The only difference was that Prussia was very well prepared for the war, while France was not ready. Chief of the Prussian General Staff, Moltke, developed a plan for the Franco-Prussian war to the smallest detail, and everything was calculated in advance with accuracy in order to quickly mobilize, everything was provided for, everything was in store, while the French turned out to have a lot that existed only on paper, vehicles and provisions were unorganized, with units there were maps of the frontier areas of Germany counting on an offensive war, but there were no maps of the French outskirts, without which it was impossible to wage a defensive war. The Prussians, moreover, attacked France during the reorganization of her army. In addition, Prussia, which was at the head of the North German Confederation, had secret agreements with the South German states, so that France had to fight all of Germany in the Franco-Prussian war, and the danger from Austria, only four years before defeated by Prussia, was eliminated by a special an agreement with Russia, which was supposed to keep Austria from attacking Prussia. Bismarck foresaw everything well, and by his diplomacy prepared international conditions for a future war that would be convenient for Prussia. France, on the contrary, found itself without allies. True, Napoleon III, in anticipation of the Franco-Prussian war, entered into negotiations with Austria and Italy in advance, but the first did not enter into an alliance, since the second did not participate in it, and this latter put the annexation of papal Rome at the price of the alliance, i.e. such a condition which Napoleon III considered unacceptable for himself. Negotiations were also conducted at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian war, but with the first failures of France they stopped.

Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, one of the main initiators of the war with France. Photo 1871

Cause for the Franco-Prussian War

Bismarck was more in a hurry to use the situation that had arisen. All that was needed was a pretext that would force Napoleon III to be the first to declare war on Prussia. The occasion was not slow to present itself.

Was overthrown in 1869 Spanish queen Isabella and the Spanish Parliament (Cortes) drafted a new constitution for their country. Then the provisional government began to look for a candidate for the vacant throne among the European princes: they turned to Italy, then to Portugal, but everywhere they were refused, until - not without the assistance of Bismarck - they found a candidate in the person of Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen from the Catholic line of the reigning Prussian family. The French government immediately, in response to a request, declared in the legislative body that such a candidate was inadmissible on its part, and, - added the foreign minister who made this statement, - if the wisdom of the German nation and the friendship of the Spanish nation did not avert such a danger to the political equilibrium of Europe, erection Hohenzollern to the throne of Charles V, "we, strong with the support of yours, gentlemen, and of the whole nation, would be able to fulfill our duty without hesitation and weakness." Behind this ornate phrase was a direct threat to start a Franco-Prussian war. Following this, the French government demanded that the candidacy of Prince Leopold be abandoned by the Prussian king. William I. The king replied that this was a matter that did not concern him, but that if the prince had refused the candidacy, then he, Wilhelm I, would have approved.

All these events immediately preceding the Franco-Prussian war took place in the early days of July 1870, on July 12, a telegram from Madrid officially announced the renunciation of Prince Leopold from the Spanish throne. Nevertheless, the next day, by order of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, the French ambassador at the Berlin court, Benedetti, personally demanded from the Prussian king Wilhelm I, who was then treated in Ems, a promise to continue never to give his consent at all, if the prince put forward his candidacy again. Wilhelm I considered it humiliating for himself to comply with such a demand, but on the new order from Paris and on the same day, Benedetti asked the Prussian king for an audience, to which Wilhelm I conveyed to him through his adjutant that he had nothing more to add to what had been said. The next day, Benedetti nevertheless found an opportunity to see the Prussian king at railway station and received the same answer in a very discreet and quite polite manner. Meanwhile, Wilhelm I sent a telegram to Bismarck with a story about what had happened, and the chancellor, who wanted to provoke a Franco-Prussian war, published it in the newspapers, giving it his own wording, insulting to French pride. Newspaper comments made a whole scandal out of the Ems incident, in which the impudence of the French ambassador figured, and good lesson, which was given to the impudent king of Prussia. In Germany they began to talk about the insult inflicted on the Prussian king, in France - about the insult of the French ambassador by the Prussian king, as if rudely turning his back on him.

Prussian King Wilhelm I and french ambassador Benedetti in Ems

On July 15, the French government demanded a loan of 50 million from the legislature for the "war that is being imposed on France." Famous figure Thiers insisted that France was essentially satisfied, and that Franco-Prussian war should not be declared over trifles, even without knowing well what was the matter, but his speech was booed by the majority, and the ministers calmed the legislature with their statements. Olivier said that he "with a light heart" accepts responsibility for possible start Franco-Prussian War; the minister of foreign affairs hinted that one could count on Austria and Italy, and the military man added: "we are ready, arch-ready to the very last button." The loan was voted by an overwhelming majority and Franco-Prussian war was declared on 19 July. At the very beginning of the conflict, representatives of foreign courts advised the French government to be satisfied with the answer received, but all their attempts to prevent the war were in vain. Both the court and the ministry, and newspaper and street patriots, who called the opponents of the Franco-Prussian war traitors, wanted war. Even independent publicists wrote that the Prussians should be driven with rods across the Rhine. Led by agents of a certain sort, crowds of people walked the streets shouting: “To Berlin! to Berlin! In the house of the "traitor" and "Prussian" Thiers, windows were broken. There was no doubt about an easy victory over Prussia: in the entourage of Napoleon III, they said that on August 15, on his birthday, the emperor would make a solemn entry into Berlin.