Bismarck then sent a telegram which France mistranslated and was the cause of the war because Bismarck goaded France to attack. Because of that superior firepower and Bismarcks superior diplomacy, the war was over within 7 weeks. The armistice of January 28 included a provision for the election of a French National Assembly, which would have the authority to conclude a definite peace. The French right wing, commanded by Mac-Mahon and accompanied by Napoleon himself, attempted to relieve Bazaine but was itself encircled and trapped by the Germans at Sedan on August 31. He provoked three short, decisive wars against Denmark, Austria, and France, aligning the smaller German states behind Prussia in its defeat of France. II.3 Alsace Lorraine from 1871 to 1914 : Assimilation into Germany II.4 World War I (1914-1918) II.5 The Interbellum 1919-1940 : Re-Assimilation into France II.6 World War II (1939-1945) II.7 Analysis III. Known as the Ems Dispatch, it was released to the press. The Emperor of France, Napoleon III, tried to gain territory for France (in Belgium and on the left bank of the Rhine) as compensation for not joining the war against Prussia and was disappointed by the surprisingly quick outcome of the war. To provoke France into declaring war with Prussia, Bismarck published the Ems Dispatch, a carefully edited version of a conversation between King Wilhelm and the French ambassador to Prussia, Count Benedetti. a man who is a respected leader in national or international affairs. Franco-German War, also called Franco-Prussian War, (July 19, 1870May 10, 1871), war in which a coalition of German states led by Prussia defeated France. Were Kamikazes used in the Attack on Pearl Harbor ? Germanys Otto von Bismarck saw the alliance as a way to prevent the isolation of Germany and to preserve peace, as Russia would not wage war against both empires. The bill was passed and the Prussian military increased its strength. Bismarck then reversed himself, ended the Kulturkampf, broke with the Liberals, imposed protective tariffs, and formed a political alliance with the Centre Party to fight the Socialists. The wreckage caused when an unidentified aircraft crashed into a private house in a residential area in Kyiv on February 25, 2022. So after the war of 1866, Prussia had managed to push the Austrian influence out of the German states and had established the North German Confederation. The Germans crushing victory over France in the war consolidated their faith in Prussian militarism, which would remain a dominant force in German society until 1945. After Bismarck had interfered in Holsteins domestic Politics Austria hoped on using the German diet to convey in the Holstein dispute. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Bismarck was certain a declaration of war by France would stir up the patriotism of all Germans, southern as well as northern. The Franco-German War had far-reaching consequences. But Bismarck provoking France into war and Napoleon III regretting his interference of 1866 is a story for another time, more on that here. One reason for that kind of short war was that the other European powers did not interfere. The main aims of Bismarcks foreign policy were based around the need to keep France isolated and prevent this from happening. On September 19 the Germans began to besiege Paris. All Rights Reserved 2022 Theme: Promos by. More on why Bismarck was appointed in my article here.