Victory in the Franco-Prussian War proved the capstone of the nationalist issue. 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. The idea of getting Alsace and Lorraine back was used to fire up the nationalism of the young French men going to war. Sensitive to the threat of a major power controlling the strategically significant Low Countries and the English Channel coastline, the United Kingdom government in particular took a decidedly cool attitude to these French demands, and the British people were disturbed by this subversive attempt at going back on Napoleon III's word. The confederation of the Rhine that was dependent on France was reorganized into the German Confederation without any ties to France. Using this to his advantage, Bismarck declared the German Confederation of 1815 null and void, and created a new network of states under Prussian control. The German states south of the Main were free to form a South German Confederation but that confederation never made it past early plans. Which view believes in survival of the fittest? In this paper dated September 1, 1866, the emperor saw the future of Europe after the Peace of Prague in this manner: France's position in Europe was now in danger of being overshadowed by the emergence of a powerful Prussia, and France looked increasingly flat-footed following Bismarck's successes. The Hohenzollern prince's candidacy was withdrawn under French diplomatic pressure, but Otto von Bismarck goaded the French into declaring war by altering a dispatch sent by William I. The integration of the former danish dutchies into the German Confederation increased Bismarcks reputation among the German public while Austria was seen as the diplomatic loser. o Religion was fundamental in the questions that were being asked in science o Paracelsus was a very interested in anatomy. However, Napoleon III failed to secure revanchist alliances from these states. 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. Editor's Note. The causes of the Franco-Prussian War are deeply rooted in the events surrounding German unification. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The causes of the Franco-Prussian War are deeply rooted in the events surrounding German unification. The alliance system caused the World War I to escalate from a regional conflict into a global war. capital of the state of North Dakota; located in south central North Dakota overlooking the Missouri river. 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. The French had no idea what they were up against. 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. France was defeated, and Germany was unified. The German Confederation argued that according to article 1 it could not be dissolved. But Bismarck provoking France into war and Napoleon III regretting his interference of 1866 is a story for another time, more on that here. The Franco-Prussian war led to the unification of most of Germany with the exclusion of Austria, and because of Napoleons abdication, the Papal States were absorbed into the Kingdom of Italy, thus leading to both a German unification and an Italian unification. What did Bismarck manipulate to get what he wanted? Bismarcka Junker himselfwas strong-willed, outspoken, and sometimes judged overbearing, but he could also be polite, charming, and witty. Strasbourg became a heavily fortified town when the French first captured this city. It succeeded in both of its aims- Gramont called it "a blow in the face of France", and the members of the French legislative body spoke of taking "immediate steps to safeguard the interests, the security, and the honor of France. And after their victory in October of 1864 Austria and Prussia decided to rule the newly conquered former danish duchies of Schleswig, Holstein, and Saxe-Lauenburg together. a region and former province of NE France, between the Vosges mountains and the Rhine: famous for its wines. Updates? [19], Diplomatically and militarily, Napoleon III looked for support from Austria, Denmark, Bavaria, Baden, and Wrttemberg, as all had recently lost wars against Prussia. The last Holy Roman Emperor Francis and his house of Habsburg would continue to rule as Emperors of Austria and King of Hungary. "[1] Bismarck also knew that France should be the aggressor in the conflict to bring the Southern German States to side with Prussia, hence giving Germans numerical superiority. The Prime Minister, William Gladstone, expressed his thoughts on the matter to Queen Victoria by writing to her that "Your majesty will, in common with the world, have been shocked and startled. The following day, the Germans on the surrounding heights poured deadly artillery fire down on them. So while the transition from the German Confederation to the North German Confederation went pretty smooth there was another problem. Why (& How) Germany supported the Russian Revolution of 1917 (A Complete Guide). After provoking Austria with the annexation of territories that were ruled by Prussia and Austria, Prussia went to war with Austria in 1866. On September 19 the Germans began to besiege Paris. Although the emperor favored neutrality as to not upset events, certain members of his circle thought it was an unwise move, considering the opportunity to prevent Prussia from becoming too strong. The German princes insisted upon their independence and balked at any attempt to create a federal state that would be dominated by Berlin. Following this direct confrontation, which had bypassed diplomatic protocols, King Wilhelm then sent a message to Berlin reporting this event with the French ambassador, and Bismarck shrewdly edited it to make it "like a red tag to the bull" for the French government. In the aftermath of the war, Prussia annexed 4 of its former enemies and founded the North German Confederation that included all german states north of the river Main. [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. Their suspicions were heightened by Prussia's quick victory and subsequent annexations. To achieve this aim he needed to keep on good terms with both Austria and Russia. The immediate cause of the Franco-German War, however, was the candidacy of Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (who was related to the Prussian royal house) for the Spanish throne, which had been left vacant when Queen Isabella II had been deposed in 1868. "[28] Though it had enjoyed some time as the leading power of continental Europe, the French Empire found itself dangerously isolated. A master of complex politics at home, Bismarck created the first welfare state in the modern world, with the goal of gaining working-class support that might otherwise have gone to his Socialist enemies. suicide in hillsborough, nj . But when we look at unified Germany we see that Prussia and not Austria, that until 1806 had provided the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, provided the german emperor. Bismarck provoked three short, decisive wars against Denmark, Austria, and France. [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. [31] To mediate the dispute, the United Kingdom hosted the London Conference (1867) attended by all European great powers. Hi. 256 Parisians were killed and 629 were wounded by German shells. -Ordering his troops to march into Holstein (Austrian territory), provoked the country into declaring war -After isolating Austria from France and Russia and receiving Italy's help in a defensive war against the province, Bismarck was ready for his last step in enticing Austria to war A suitable pretext for war arose in 1870 when the German Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was offered the Spanish throne, vacant since a revolution in 1868. Defeating Austria as a possible aggressor left only one more country in the way of unification, France. In 1864 Bismarck began the series of wars that would establish Prussian power in Europe. On March 21, 1918, the Germans launched a major new offensive, hoping to end the war before the bulk of American forces arrived. Even though the idea of regaining the two departments was kept alive in France the French themselves had become used to the loss when Germany declared war in 1914. The French generals, blinded by national pride, were confident of victory. [18] Bismarck had mentioned before the war the possibility of ceding territory along the Rhine to France, and Napoleon III, urged by his representatives in France, used these casual references by Bismarck to press for more of the territory that Prussia had received from Austria. Font Size. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Despite his previous support for Italian unification, Napoleon did not wish to press the issue for fear of angering Catholics in France. Painting by Anton von Werner. Additionally, Bismarck also started looking for alliances and insured himself that France would not help Austria in the case of war. [25], In 1868, he held discussions with the Prussians, intending to counter a possible Austrian alliance with Napoleon III by Franz Joseph. Bismarck was certain a declaration of war by France would stir up the patriotism of all Germans, southern as well as northern. He felt that colonies did not pay for themselves, that the German bureaucratic system would not work well in the easy-going tropics. (Additionally, the Prussian system of conscript armies controlled by a highly trained general staff was soon adopted by the other great powers.) Bismarck opposed colonial acquisitions, arguing that the burden of obtaining, maintaining, building up and defending such possessions would outweigh any potential benefit. And with regards to Bismarcks second goal, unifying Germany under Prussian leadership, more on that here, it was obvious that Austria and Prussia would clash. It confirmed Luxembourg's independence from the Netherlands and guaranteed its independence from all other powers. In 1868 when the revolutions in Spain forces out the Queen they offer the throne to Leopold of Hohenzollern (related to Prussian Royal family) in 1870.