How did Prussia beat France so badly? -The Franco-Prussian War in a Nutshell

Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:

—

In the late 1800s, the struggle for power throughout the European continent became a direct battle between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation, which was effectively led by the Kingdom of Prussia. The latter was beginning to threaten the current superiority of the French Empire, especially following its recent victory in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. Whether Otto von Bismarck, the Chancellor of Prussia, intended to provoke Napoleon III into a war is still debated by historians, but a conflict did arise.

Speaking of history, you can join massive historical naval battles with our sponsor, World of Warships, available on console and PC. World of Warships is an amazing free-to-play naval warfare game where you can ambush opponents with sneaky tactics, launch direct attacks, or choose any strategy to dominate the battlefield. The game features over 40 unique maps with dynamic weather, all updated with incredible new water effects and textures that make the game visually stunning. You can conquer the oceans aboard history’s most iconic aircraft carriers, destroyers, battleships, cruisers, or even submarines. New content is released every month, including new ships, in-game nations, cosmetics, and ship classes, ensuring fresh gameplay experiences in World of Warships’ stunning 12 versus 12 arenas. Support my channel by downloading World of Warships today using my link in the description and adding the promo code “Bravo” to receive a huge starter pack, including 500 Doubloons, 1.5 million credits, 7 days of premium account time, and a free ship after you complete 10 battles.

Europe in the 19th century was a continent of change and power shifts. The Germans, in particular, were focused on uniting all German states under Prussian leadership following the Austro-Prussian War and the annexation of multiple German states that opposed Prussia. This led to the formation of the North German Confederation, prompting a decline in opinion from Napoleon III, who feared that the unification and strengthening of the German states would weaken France’s influence in the region. However, Napoleon seemed to overestimate his own authority.

In response to the growing threat of the new German Confederation, Napoleon reached out to Chancellor Bismarck, making a hefty demand for the restoration of the French borders of 1814. Bismarck swiftly rejected this demand, having no interest in relinquishing any of his authority. Instead, he used this opportunity to strengthen his relationships with the southern German states, such as Baden and Hesse, and to solidify a defensive military alliance among them.

This was also the point at which Bismarck may have decided that provoking a conflict with France would benefit his Confederation and his goal of unifying all German states. The idea was that a war against France, particularly with France as the aggressor, would stir up German nationalism and facilitate the unification of the remaining German states outside the Confederation. Bismarck knew that a war with France was inevitable and that his best chance to pull in the southern states as allies was to be the first to declare war.

Napoleon’s demand regarding the borders was a gift for Bismarck, as it allowed him to frame the French as the aggressors. The strategy was quite clever; they knew that when the clash occurred, if the French could be undeniably blamed, all German states would unite to defend against their attacker. Bismarck also recognized that France would have no allies against his German Union.

The situation became even easier for the Prussians to manipulate when Leopold von Hohenzollern became a candidate for the Spanish throne. Leopold was a Prussian prince, which worried the French, who feared a potential two-front alliance between the Germans and Spain. Napoleon pressured Spain to withdraw Leopold’s candidacy, which they eventually did. Nevertheless, Bismarck remained determined to push for war.

When France insisted that the Prussian leadership refrain from supporting a Hohenzollern candidacy in Spain, King William I of Prussia rejected the demand. Bismarck, opposing this idea, decided to release an altered summary of the Ems Dispatch, which flatly refused the French demand. The mistranslated context of the message escalated tensions between France and Prussia.

The French foreign minister, Duke de Gramont, expressed that the telegram left him feeling insulted. Napoleon and his court were now forced to seriously consider declaring war. The Empress, Eugénie, strongly supported a war with Prussia, believing it would be easily won by the French Empire and would help resolve domestic and political challenges. Foreign Minister Gramont also favored war, especially after the Ems Dispatch. This led to the conclusion that military conflict was the only option left.

The French public was in agreement, and a crowd of around 20,000 citizens gathered in Paris, waving flags and demanding that war be declared on Prussia. Finally, on July 15, 1870, French mobilization began. The German Confederation responded with mobilization that same night, and soon Bavaria and Baden followed suit. A declaration of war was not officially sent out by the French government until July 19, but when it arrived, it was met with promises of alliance from the southern German states.

The war was about to begin. The initial French plan, laid out by Marshal Niel, was to take an offensive position starting from the Rhine and extending into Prussian territory. However, this plan was eventually replaced by a more defensive stance, formulated by Generals Faidherbe and Boulanger. Napoleon himself left Paris to take command of the Army of the Rhine.

The French expected both Austria and the southern German states to join the fight on their behalf, but the Austrians ultimately opted not to get involved. Without the additional alliance of Bavaria, Württemberg, and Baden, the French were left to face the German states alone, just as Bismarck had predicted.

Despite lacking foreign support, Napoleon was determined to launch the opening attack, hoping to catch the Germans off guard. The first target appeared to be the town of Saarbrücken. General Frossard’s Second Corps determined that the only resistance guarding this border town was the Prussian 16th Infantry Division, which they believed could be overpowered. The French troops crossed the border into Saarbrücken on August 2 and quickly gained momentum against the Prussian forces.

While the Germans fought valiantly, inflicting more casualties than their French counterparts, the French managed to drive them out of the town through a series of skirmishes. However, Napoleon was not as confident as his troops. News reached him of the Germans successfully mobilizing their forces, and realizing the situation, he decided to withdraw his troops from Saarbrücken before the Prussian armies could arrive.

The French shifted back into a defensive position, while the Germans went on the offensive. Multiple battles ensued throughout the region, with the most significant clash occurring at Sedan on September 1, resulting in the capture of Napoleon III himself. Without an emperor, France was shaken both on the battlefield and at home. The Second French Empire collapsed, and a provisional government declared the formation of the Third Republic on September 4.

The new government, known as the Government of National Defense, had no plans to abandon the war. Bismarck attempted to make peace with the new Republic, but no reliable French authority could be reached. The Prussians marched straight to Paris, launching a grueling siege that lasted 130 days. The people of Paris suffered immensely, and the new government began to recognize the odds stacked against them. The citizens were starving, and the French troops were worn down day by day, leaving the Republic with no alternative but to seek peace on German terms.

Jules Favre, the French foreign minister, went to Versailles on January 24 to open negotiations with the Prussians. Bismarck agreed to a simple deal: the siege would be lifted, and food would be delivered to Paris immediately, provided the French surrendered key fortresses outside the capital. Favre, who took over as president after the resignation of the previous president, signed the armistice and surrendered to the Prussians on January 27.

On his carriage ride back to Paris, Favre was overwhelmed by exhaustion and shame, breaking down in tears as he returned to his daughter, with the silence of no more gunfire ringing out for the first time in many days. There was a brief challenge to Favre’s agreement with the Prussians, as one French statesman, Léon Gambetta, initially refused to capitulate. However, multiple French politicians convinced Gambetta to resign and hand over control of his troops to the government.

After only a few days, the war was over. The unification of the German states had been completed, just as Bismarck had hoped, and France was no longer Europe’s strongman. Peace had come, marking the fall of the French Empire and its superiority across the continent.

A big thank you again to World of Warships for sponsoring our video. Don’t forget to click my link below and use the code “Bravo” for amazing in-game rewards.

—

This version removes any inappropriate or unclear language while maintaining the essence of the original content.