why did bismarck provoke france into war?

The remaining German kingdoms and principalities maintained a steadfastly parochial attitude towards Prussia and German unification. . Bismarck argued that by bringing the dispute in front of the german diet the agreement between Prussia and Austria to govern Schleswig Holstein together was breached. In 1862, King Wilhelm I appointed Bismarck as Minister President of Prussia, a position he would hold until 1890 (except for a short break in 1873). As a consequence of her defeat in the Franco-Prussian war, France Had to pay Prussia 5 billion Francs for indemnity, give eastern frontier provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to Prussia. With that accomplished by 1871, he skillfully used balance of power diplomacy to maintain Germanys position in a Europe which, despite many disputes and war scares, remained at peace. Crown Prince Friedrich, later Friedrich III, stands on his fathers right. Since 1863, Bismarck had made efforts to cultivate Russia, co-operating, amongst other things, in dealing with Polish insurgents. Remember the French have been leading airborne combat operations in Somalia, even though they have not declared their entry into that war. The loss of Alsace-Lorraine was a major cause of anti-German feeling in France in the period from 1871 to 1914. Bismarck 's aim was to use the prospect of French invasion to frighten the s German states into joining the North German Confederation dominated by Prussia. This important move gained for Bismarck the neutrality of Russia if Prussia went to war, and it also prevented Austria from taking sides with France as Austria fully supported the Poles. He publicly did not support the Sejm resolution and did not recognize Friedrich's rights, for which he was sharply criticized in Prussia. Bismarck knew that to achieve his goal of uniting Germany under Prussian dominance Austria couldn`t be a part of Germany or interfere in the politics of the German states. 256 Parisians were killed and 629 were wounded by German shells. How did Otto Von Bismarck unify Germany? - History Flame "[39] On 19 July 1870 "Le Sourd, the French Charg d'Affaires, delivered Napoleon's declaration of war at the Foreign Office" in Berlin. C. Graf von Krockow: Bismarck (Stuttgart 1997). The king of the Netherlands, William III, was under a personal union with Luxembourg that guaranteed its sovereignty. The next step on the way to the unification of Germany was to bring the german states to the South, for example, Bavaria under its fairy tale king Ludwig II, into a confederation under Prussian control. The Prussian chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, and Spains de facto leader, Juan Prim, persuaded the reluctant Leopold to accept the Spanish throne in June 1870. By the way, Wilhelm I. of Prussia would become the first German emperor and was the Grandfather of emperor Wilhelm II who would rule the German Empire during the first World War. If German forces were, for any reason, bogged down in the west, then Prussia's eastern and southern flanks would have been highly vulnerable. The French emperor, Napoleon III, declared war on Prussia on July 19, 1870, because his military advisers told him that the French army could defeat Prussia and that such a victory would restore his declining popularity in France. Naturally I told him that I had as yet received no news, and as he was earlier informed about Paris and Madrid than myself, he could clearly see that my government once more had no hand in the matter. In 1870, the region could be used as a step by the French for a German invasion. 18 January 1871: The proclamation of the German Empire in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. Many historians praise him as a visionary who was instrumental in uniting Germany and, once that had been accomplished, kept the peace in Europe through adroit diplomacy. The city of Luxembourg's fortifications were considered "the Gibraltar of the North" and neither side could tolerate the other controlling such a strategic location. Bismarck essentially tricked France into starting the war themselves, creating the illusion that Prussia was merely defending the German states. Why are there so many fortified cities in Alsace-Lorraine? By the way, it was during that conflict that Bismarck held his famous Blood and Iron speech and became known as the Iron Chancellor. Russian forces reached the outskirts of Kyiv on Friday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the invading troops were targeting civilians and explosions could be heard in the besieged capital. Were Kamikazes used in the Attack on Pearl Harbor ? Napoleon III had taken note that the king had amassed certain personal debts that would make a sale of Luxembourg to France possible. Otto von Bismarck was a Prussian aristocrat and was, as such, opposed to this policy of the King of Prussia and his ministers. More on the Civil war and why the South seceded immediately after the election of 1860 in my article here. Der preuische Deutsche (Kln 1991). But the situation was already negatively charged since Austria had already reinforced their troops on the Austro-Prussian border in March of 1866. The years from 1871 to 1914 were marked by an extremely unstable peace, since Frances determination to recover Alsace-Lorraine and Germanys mounting imperialist ambitions kept the two nations constantly poised for conflict. Napoleon transformed large parts of the Holy Roman Empire into the Confederation of the Rhine which was a French satellite state. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_of_Germany, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wernerprokla.jpg, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-worldhistory/. [24] When Alexander II came to France on an official visit in 1867, he was at the receiving end of an unsuccessful assassination attempt by Polish-born Anton Berezovski while riding with Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie. It was considered necessary to Bismarck that there be a war with France to rally German sentiment and to show to the south Germans that Prussia could beat the old enemy. The Russian tsar Alexander II, a nephew of the Prussian king Wilhelm I for example only asked his uncle to not march into Vienna and to treat the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I like one monarch would treat another monarch. Reasons: The bloodshed was unpopular at home in France. A series of swift Prussian and German victories in eastern France, culminating in the Siege of Metz and the Battle of Sedan, saw Napoleon III captured and the army of the Second Empire decisively defeated. France pressured Leopold into withdrawing his candidacy. Bismarck opposed colonial acquisitions, arguing that the burden of obtaining, maintaining, building up and defending such possessions would outweigh any potential benefit. This is Why & How Bismarck provoked Austria into war in 1866 [32], The Spanish throne had been vacant since the revolution of September 1868, and the Spanish offered the throne to the German prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, a Catholic as well as a distant cousin of King Wilhelm of Prussia. It was Bismarck's dream to unite German Austria with the German Empire; but it remained only a dream until Hitler turned it into a reality in 1938. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. This move greatly alarmed France, who felt threatened by a possible combination of Prussia and Spain directed against it. He felt that colonies did not pay for themselves, that the German bureaucratic system would not work well in the easy-going tropics. Because of that superior firepower and Bismarcks superior diplomacy, the war was over within 7 weeks. The true views of Napoleon III on the subject of the balance of power in Europe can be found in a state circular handed to every diplomatic representative for France. The Germans had superiority of numbers, since, true to Bismarcks hopes, the South German states (Bavaria, Wrttemberg, and Baden) regarded France as the aggressor in the conflict and had thus sided with Prussia. He possessed not only a long-term national and international vision but also the short-term ability to juggle complex developments. Causes of the Second World War; Practices of the Second . With his usual skill, Bismarck moved carefully to sidestep the nightmare. Within the German Confederation that was founded in 1815, Prussia and Austria were the main rivals for the dominant position. The fatal mistake would soon come as a result of Gramont's inexperience, for he counted on alliances that only existed in his mind.[36]. He attacked Denmark to gain the German-speaking territories of Schleswig-Holstein and two years later. War with France gave Bismarck an opportunity to unite the Prussian-led Trapped against the Belgian frontier, the French lost 17,000 men and were compelled to surrender on September 2. The idea of getting Alsace and Lorraine back was used to fire up the nationalism of the young French men going to war. An equally important asset was the Prussian armys general staff, which planned the rapid, orderly movement of large numbers of troops to the battle zones. Benedetti brought with him a secret proposal by Napoleon III that France would approve of Bismarck's acquisition of the northern German states if Prussia remained neutral while France annexed Belgium and Luxembourg. French resistance was carried on against desperate odds by a new government of national defense, which assumed power in Paris on September 4, 1870, and proclaimed the deposition of the emperor and the establishment of the Third Republic. The confederation of the Rhine that was dependent on France was reorganized into the German Confederation without any ties to France. [41], At the outbreak of the war, European public opinion heavily favored the Germans. War appeared to have been averted, at the cost of thwarting French desires. Why did Otto von Bismarck instigate a war with France, and why did he why did bismarck provoke france into war? Most importantly, Germanys annexation of Alsace-Lorraine aroused a deep longing for revenge in the French people. Cavour and the 1859 war with Austria | Student Notes Flying Saucers Uncensored | America Wiki | Fandom

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