Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871 briefly. Causes of the Franco-Prussian War

Franco-Prussian War- the confrontation between France and a whole coalition of countries, which included Prussia, the states of South Germany and the North German Confederation, accompanied by military operations. It lasted only one year (1870-1871), but led to significant changes in the policies of European countries. The reason was the deep contradictions between France and Prussia. The main goals of Prussia were the completion of the unification with Germany, and the weakening of France, as well as its influence in Europe.

France dreamed of inflicting a decisive defeat on Prussia, which in turn would rule out the possibility of German unification. Thus, France will be able to maintain its influence in Europe, which will lead to a halt in the revolutionary movement and help prevent the political crisis of the Second Empire. On the eve of the Franco-Prussian War, the Prussian army was the strongest, numbering more than 1 million people. While the French army in size did not exceed 570 thousand people. The reason that served as the trigger for the start of the war was the diplomatic conflict between France and Prussia. The cause of the conflict was the candidacy for the Spanish throne. According to the Spanish government, this place should have been taken by a relative of the Prussian king Wilhelm - Leopold Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. It was to him that they turned in 1870, and more specifically, on July 2.

But their wish was not destined to come true, through Napoleon III. He was provoked by Bismarck, and declared war on Prussia on July 19 of the same year. Despite the fact that the main goal that Prussia set for itself before the outbreak of the war was aggressive attacks, it voiced only the desire to remove obstacles to the complete unification of Germany. The entire French Army of the Rhine was concentrated in Lorraine and Alsace. And the troops of the German army were stationed between Strasbourg and Metz (the territory of the Middle Rhine). At first, only small skirmishes were made, and later large-scale battles took place, in which the advantage remained with the Prussian army. The decisive day was September 2 - the capitulation of the Chalon army and Napoleon III. Acceleration of the fall of the empire of Napoleon III was provoked by the Sedan catastrophe. As a result, in 1870 (September 4) France was proclaimed a republic.

But this development of events did not suit Prussia, which wanted the annexation of Lorraine and Alsace. The second stage of the war became progressive for France, national liberation. The population of France demanded general armament. The new French army was huge and patriotic. As a result of the betrayal of one of the army commanders, she suffered considerable losses. This, as well as the unwillingness of the government to organize defense, deprivation and starvation, secret negotiations for a truce, became the reason for the uprising of workers in Paris (October 31). Later there were many fights that ended with alternate success for both sides. The end came on February 26, when a peace treaty (preliminary) was signed at Versailles. It was underscored by the signing of the Peace of Frankfurt on May 10, 1871.

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 a 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 a 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.

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" pledge 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 a 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.

The German Empire was formed on January 18, 1871 at 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 of key importance for understanding the processes that took place in world politics in the second half of the 19th century. It is especially important for understanding Russia's foreign policy. That is why this is one of those events that must be closely studied in order to understand the causal relationships of history during this period. In this article we will talk briefly about this war.

Background and reasons

France and Prussia are countries that constantly competed on the European continent. Their path to a unified statehood was not easy: both of them went through difficult times of revolutions and uncertainty, and in fact both unleashed international conflicts of a global scale.

By the second half of the 19th century, the contradictions between France and Prussia escalated. Their peculiarity was that they were included in the internal politics of both states. In France, since 1851, Napoleon III ruled, around whom a ruling clique of the richest and most influential bourgeoisie and aristocracy formed. For 20 years, this clique "drank" the blood of the common people, as a result of which the poor became poorer, and the rich, of course, became richer.

Finally, two decades of wild life did not benefit the people: the people began to actively show their discontent. The workers began to organize strikes more often, the peasantry was actively drawn to it. As a result, Napoleon the Third decided to "settle" the matter with the help of a "small and victorious war" (the expression belongs to V.K. Plehve, the Minister of the Interior of Russia in 1902-1904) with Prussia. Napoleon wanted to kill two birds with one stone: to calm the angry people (look how good we are, the Germans were kicked), and also to prevent the German lands from uniting into one state, which, of course, would prevent France from being a world and colonial power on the continent.

Prussia had its own interests. Rather, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, a brilliant politician of his time, had his own interests. In fact, the German lands were under the crown of the weak-willed and weak-willed King William the First. And Bismarck needed to unite the scattered German lands into one state. A victory over France would allow this to be done in one fell swoop, bypassing the king. Thus, both countries deliberately went to war.

Briefly about the alignment of forces. England was inclined to support Prussia in order to oppose her on the Continent to the colonial ambitions of France. Russia also supported Prussia, because it sharpened its teeth against France for the shameful peace of 1856, concluded by her following the shameful Crimean (Eastern) War.

Spark

The reason for the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871 was an event called the "Ems dispatch". The fact was that in 1868 the vacant Spanish throne was vacated, and the Spaniards wanted to put a representative of Germany there, Prince Anton of Hohenzollern. Of course, France was against such a development of events. The French ambassador Benedetti became so insolent that he personally appeared several times to King William and asked him to give first a verbal promise that this would not happen, and then a written one.

The German king put all this in a dispatch and, not knowing what to do, sent the dispatch to Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck, having dinner with his colleagues: General Helmuth von Moltke and War Minister von Roon, received the dispatch and read it aloud. Then he asked his colleagues if the German army was ready to defend the Fatherland? He was told that yes, definitely ready. As a result, Bismarck retired to a room, crossed out the middle of the dispatch and published it in the press.

It turned out that France was fumbling for something and currying favor with the German king, asking her not to put Anton Hohenzollern on the throne. Napoleon took this as an insult and declared war on Germany on July 19, 1870.

Course of events

If France had only ambitions and unstable rears like the raging masses of the people behind it, then Germany had an excellent brand new army, which was staffed according to the latest draft training system at that time. As a result, while France was fumbling with the collection of troops, Germany mobilized its army and put it into motion. As a result, the German army easily pushed the French to the city of Metz and laid siege to the city. Thus began this war.

Napoleon III handed over command of the army to his general. But this did not help. On September 2, 1870, at the Battle of Sedan, near Metz, the French army raised a white flag, which meant complete surrender. Thus, in less than a month, the war was actually won by Germany.

On September 4, 1870, another revolution broke out in Paris, as a result of which Napoleon III was deposed, and power was transferred to the government of the "National Defense". Meanwhile, this government was headed by the same bourgeois who truly feared that the workers' and peasants' army, after repulsing the enemies, would turn their weapons against their oppressors. And so this government secretly colluded with Germany. As a result, it began to be referred to only as the "government of national treason."

Results

On May 10, 1871, in Frankfurt, France signed an extremely difficult peace with Germany, according to which the disputed border territories of Alsace and eastern Lorraine departed in favor of the latter, plus the French paid a huge indemnity of five million francs. For example, in Paris at that time, for 2 francs, you could buy an excellent dinner with wine in the most expensive restaurant in the city.

Effects

The German army helped put down the popular revolution: on May 28, 1871, the Paris Commune was crushed. France lost in this war 140 thousand people killed, Prussia - 50 thousand.

The consequence of this war was the unification of Germany into one state: on January 18, 1871, King Wilhelm became emperor.

Russia also took advantage of this defeat of France and unilaterally denounced the articles of the Paris Peace Treaty of 1856, shameful for itself, according to which it did not have the right to have a fleet on the Black Sea. To this end, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia A.M. Gorchakov sent a dispatch. By the way, you can watch it live by this link.

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After the convincing victory of Prussia over Austria in the war of 1866 and the subsequent creation of the North German Confederation under the hegemony of the Prussian King Wilhelm I, the unification of the German state was not completed, and the South German states remained outside the union created by Prussia.

On the way to the final unification of Germany stood the reactionary government of France headed by Napoleon III. a single powerful German state in central Europe threatened French hegemony on the continent.

Despite the defeat of Austria by the Prussian army four years earlier, the French generals and Emperor Napoleon III himself were skeptical about the Prussian military machine. The war with Prussia, which was rapidly gaining influence in Europe, allowed Napoleon III to solve two problems - to weaken Prussia and prevent the further unification of Germany, on the one hand, and, secondly, to stop the growth of the revolutionary movement in France, directed against the regime of the Second Empire.

In turn, the de facto ruler of Prussia and the North German Confederation, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, provoked France in every possible way to go to war. He hoped, as a result of rapid successful military operations, to complete the unification of Germany and reunite with the South German states, which is considered by historians as the beginning of a just and progressive war for the unification of a single German people. However, the plan of the Prussian government to seize the mineral-rich French territories of Alsace and Lorraine must be seen as part of the aggressive and aggressive policy of Prussia.

So, both sides of the conflict were looking for a pretext for war, which was not long in coming. The offer by the new Spanish government after the revolution of 1868 of the vacant Spanish throne to Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern, the head of the senior Catholic branch of the German Brandenburg royal dynasty, who was a relative of the Prussian king Wilhelm I, caused great indignation of the French government. At first, in negotiations on the Spanish throne with King Wilhelm I, Benedetti, the ambassador of Napoleon III in Prussia, was a diplomatic success. However, the intrigue masterfully carried out by Chancellor Bismarck - the publication of the so-called "Ems dispatch" in the German press - caused a storm of indignation in France, and on July 19, 1870, the North German Reichstag was officially informed that France had declared war on Prussia, which Bismarck wanted - to force France to formally start a war. first.

parties to the conflict.

All the states of the North German Confederation and South Germany came out on the side of Prussia. France found itself without allies, which was greatly facilitated by the Russian position of neutrality on the one hand, and the mediocre policy of Napoleon III in relations with the British Empire and Italy, on the other. Thirsty for revenge for the humiliating defeat in the war of 1866, Austria did not dare to open a second front against Prussia until the last moment and did not start hostilities.

The Prussian army was superior to the French in many respects - in numbers, combat training, steel artillery of the Krupp factories in Germany against the bronze guns of the French. Germany's well-branched railway network made it possible to quickly mobilize and transfer German troops to the front line, which the French could not afford. The superiority of French small arms - the Chasseau rifle of the 1866 model - over the Prussian Dreyse rifle of the 1849 model, could in no way change the course of hostilities in favor of the French army.

The plan of the French government was to deliver the main blow in the Bavarian Palatinate, the intention to advance along the border of the North German Confederation and thus separate it from South Germany. Napoleon III also believed that after the first successes of the French army, Austria and Italy would conclude an alliance with him and begin military operations against Prussia.

The outstanding Prussian military leader, Field Marshal Helmut Moltke Sr., who, along with Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and Field Marshal Albrecht von Roon, must be considered one of the founders of the united German state, developed a strategic plan providing for a swift offensive in the Alsace and Lorraine directions, defeating the main enemy forces in a general battle and the subsequent capture of Paris. Moltke's plan also took into account the possibility of hostilities against Austria if the latter entered the war against Prussia on the side of France.

Fighting between France and Prussia.

Contrary to French plans, the mobilization of the army was extremely slow and unsatisfactory, which was generally facilitated by the confusion that reigned within the Second Empire. By August 1870, the French troops managed to concentrate at the borders in Lorraine and Alsace only 220 thousand people with 800 guns. The troops were consolidated into one Rhine army under the command of Emperor Napoleon III himself.

In contrast to France, Prussia very quickly mobilized its armed forces and, by August 1870, its three armies, numbering over 400 thousand people with 1600 modern guns, entered the Bavarian Palatinate and southwestern Prussia in full combat readiness. The 3rd Army, in addition to the Prussians, also included South German troops. The commander-in-chief of the united German army was the chief of the general staff, Field Marshal Moltke Sr.

On August 2, the French corps went on the offensive and drove out the Prussian garrison from Saarbrücken, but already on August 4, the 3rd Prussian army launched an offensive in the direction of Alsace and defeated the French division near Weissenburg.

After this first defeat, Napoleon III relinquished supreme command of the French armed forces and the Army of the Rhine was divided into two armies: the 1st (1st, 5th and 7th corps, located in Alsace) under the command of Marshal MacMahon and 2 yu (2nd, 3rd and 4th corps, located in Lorraine) under the command of Marshal Bazin.

The Prussian 3rd Army invaded Alsace, and MacMahon had to withdraw to Châlons-sur-Marne. In the 20th of August, a new French grouping was formed - the Chalon army under the command of McMahon. Napoleon III intended to send this army to Paris, since the 3rd German army had already begun to develop an offensive in the direction of the French capital.

On August 6, the 1st and 2nd Prussian armies went on the offensive against the Bazaine army in Lorraine. The French retreated to the fortified fortress of Metz, and, after being defeated at the battles of Gravolta and Saint-Privas, Marshal Bazin decided to lock himself in the fortress. The Germans regrouped their forces and formed the 4th Meuse Army, which was supposed to move in the direction of Paris and at the same time, together with the 3rd Prussian Army, act against the French Army of Chalons, Marshal McMahon.

The French government made the wrong decision and, instead of protecting Paris, sent the army of Chalons to help the besieged troops of Bazaine.

On September 1, 1870, the Chalon army was surrounded by German troops near the weakly fortified fortress of Sedan and cut off from Metz; The Prussian 3rd Army cut off the retreat of McMahon's group southwest to Reims. After a bloody battle, the Prussian troops occupied the dominant heights above Sedan and began a merciless artillery shelling of the French. Having suffered enormous losses during the shelling carried out by the Prussian troops, the French army of Chalons was forced to raise a white flag and begin negotiations on surrender. Under the terms of surrender, the entire Chalon army, together with Emperor Napoleon III, who was with her, surrendered. As a result of the battle near Sedan, the French troops lost about 17 thousand people killed and wounded, as well as over 100 thousand prisoners. Prussian losses amounted to about 9 thousand people killed and wounded. On September 4, the 3rd and 4th Prussian armies continued their attack on Paris.

After the defeat of the French army near Sedan, a coup took place in Paris, as a result of which the government of Napoleon III was overthrown and the Third Republic was proclaimed. The new French government proclaimed itself the Government of National Defense and set about forming new armies in the provinces. Military, sailors and volunteers flocked to Paris from all over France. By September 17, there were about 80,000 regular troops in Paris and more than 300,000 irregulars. On September 17, the Prussian armies approached Paris and blockaded it.

On October 27, 1870, the French army of Marshal Bazin, besieged in Metz, capitulated to the Prussian troops. Many historians consider Bazin a traitor, because. The 2nd French Army was quite large and quite combat-ready. One way or another, the surrender of Bazaine made it possible for the Prussian command to send the 1st army to the north, and the 2nd to the Loire.

On December 4, the approaching 2nd Prussian Army managed to push back the newly formed French Army of the Loire across the Loire River and capture Orleans.

Despite the fact that the French people heroically defended their country, the government of the National Defense was unable to organize a worthy rebuff to the German troops. The uprising that broke out in Paris on October 31, 1870 against the government, which was pursuing a mediocre policy of defending France, was brutally suppressed by regular units of the French National Guard.

On January 26, 1871, the French government signed an agreement on the surrender of Paris, and on the 28th concluded a truce with the enemy.

The January 28 truce did not extend to the eastern departments of France, where it was supposed to come into force after an agreement was reached on the demarcation line between the warring parties in these areas.

The army of the Loire was driven back by the Prussians to Switzerland, where it had to lay down its arms. The hero of Italy, Giuseppe Garibaldi, fought on the side of the French and commanded a corps, and later the international volunteer army of the Vosges, but was unable to support the French Loire army.

On February 18, 1871, the French fortress of Belfort capitulated, and the last hostilities in France ended.

Results of the Franco-Prussian War.

The National Assembly appointed the French statesman Louis Adolphe Thiers as head of the new government (later President of the Republic). Following this, on March 18, 1871, a rebellion broke out in Paris, and power in the capital passed to the Paris Commune. A bloody civil war broke out between the Commune and the supporters of Thiers.

On May 10, 1871, in Frankfurt, the Thiers government was forced to sign a peace treaty with Germany on very difficult terms for France. Alsace and East Lorraine went to Germany, and France was obliged to pay a huge indemnity of 5 billion francs.

The most important consequence of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871 was the completion of the unification of Germany under Prussian hegemony. On January 18, King Wilhelm I of Prussia was proclaimed German Emperor.

The military losses of France (killed, from wounds, from diseases, in captivity) amounted to over 140 thousand people. Losses of Prussia and allies - about 50 thousand people. Humiliating and hardest for France, the Peace of Frankfurt in 1871 was for a long time a bleeding wound for the French Republic. The outbreak of the First World War of 1914-1918 was largely due to the consequences of the Franco-Prussian War and the catastrophic defeat of France in this war.

The results of the Franco-Prussian War were summed up by the Treaty of Frankfurt in 1871. France lost Alsace and a significant part of Lorraine with a population of one and a half million, two-thirds German, one-third French, undertook to pay 5 billion francs (that is, 1875 million rubles at the current exchange rate) and had to undergo German occupation east of Paris before payment of indemnity. Germany immediately released the prisoners captured in the Franco-Prussian War, and at that moment there were more than 400 thousand of them.

France became a republic and lost two provinces. The North German Confederation and the South German states united to form the German Empire, whose territory was enlarged by the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine.
Austria, still not losing hope of avenging Prussia for its defeat in the war of 1866, finally abandoned the idea of regaining its former predominance in Germany. Italy took possession of Rome, and the centuries-old secular power of the Roman high priest (pope) thus ceased.

The Franco-Prussian war had important results for the Russians as well. Emperor Alexander II took advantage of the defeat of France in order to announce to the rest of the powers in the autumn of 1870 that Russia no longer recognizes itself bound by the Paris Treaty of 1856, which forbade it to have a navy on the Black Sea.
England and Austria protested, but Bismarck proposed to settle the matter at a conference, which met in London at the beginning of 1871. Russia had to agree here in principle that international treatises should be observed by all, but the new treaty drawn up at the conference nevertheless satisfied Russian demand.
The Sultan was forced to come to terms with this, and Turkey, having lost its protector and patron in the person of Napoleon III, fell under the influence of Russia for a while.

After the Franco-Prussian War, the political predominance in Europe, which belonged to France under Napoleon III, passed to the new empire, just as France itself, due to its victories in the Crimea, took this predominance from Russia at the end of the reign of Nicholas I.
That role in international politics, which was played by the "Tuileries Sphinx" Louis Napoleon, following the results of the Franco-Prussian War, passed to the "Iron Chancellor" of the German Empire, and Bismarck became the scarecrow of Europe for a long time. It was expected that after the war on three fronts (with Denmark, Austria and France) he would start a war on the fourth front, with Russia.
It was expected that Germany would want to take possession of all the lands where there were only Germans, that is, the German parts of Austria and Switzerland and the Baltic provinces of Russia, and, in addition, Holland with its rich colonies; Finally, they expected a new war with France, which would not put up with the loss of two provinces, and in which the idea of "revenge" was very strong, that is, revenge for the defeat and return of the lost regions.
Bismarck, after the Franco-Prussian War, at every opportunity declared that Germany was "quite saturated" and would only protect the common peace, but they did not believe him.

Peace, however, was not broken, but it was an armed peace. After the Franco-Prussian War, the strengthening of militarism followed: the introduction in various states of universal conscription along the Prussian model, an increase in the size of the armies, the improvement of weapons, the reconstruction of fortresses, the strengthening of military fleets, etc., etc.
Something like a race began between the great powers, which was accompanied, of course, by a constant increase in military budgets, and with them taxes and especially public debts.
Entire branches of industry connected with military orders received extraordinary development after the Franco-Prussian War. One "cannon king" Krupp in Germany, in the second half of the eighties, could boast that more than 200,000 guns were manufactured at his factory by order of 34 states.

The fact is that secondary states also began to arm themselves, reform their troops, introduce universal military service, etc., fearing for their independence or, as was the case in Belgium and Switzerland, for their neutrality in the event of a new major clash, like Franco-Prussian War.
The peace between the great powers was not disturbed after 1871, as between 1815 and 1859; only Russia in the late seventies waged a new war with Turkey.

Eyewitness account: I.S. Turgenev "LETTERS ON THE FRANCO-PRUSIAN WAR" http://rvb.ru/turgenev/01text/vol_10/05correspondence/0317.htm