The Franco-Prussian War - Essay Example

The apparent cause for beginning of the war was simple and it served the hidden political agenda of Bismarck well. France recorded its objection to the relative of King of Prussia, Wilhelm I becoming the King of Spain. Bismarck’s plans to make the French humiliated worked well and to avenge the insult France declared war. Majority of the countries supported Bismarck and dubbed Napoleon III as the aggressor. This war united the German States for a common cause to defeat France. The Germans had the advantage of infrastructure.

Mentioning about the industrial mite of Germany Geoffrey Wawro writes, “France gaped in astonishment. Almost overnight, a rather small and manageable neighbor had become an industrial and military colossus.”(17) They had developed an efficient railway system, felicitating quick transport of men and material and an efficient telegraph system for communications. On August 4, the Prussian army entered the French territory, and in the next four weeks, they had won the war. The day was 1st September when Germans Captured Napoleon III and 100,000 of French troops.

Soon the siege of Paris commenced. The war came to end with the signing of the armistice with Germany on January 28, 1871, and finally the Treaty of Frankfurt in the month of May, the same year. The economic unification of Germany was followed by political unification. France lost both on political and economic fronts. They had to concede a large chunk of their territory Alsace and Lorraine to Germany besides $1,000,000,000 as indemnity payable within three years.