The Franco Prussian War

The book that this post is based on is called” Bismarck’s War the Franco-Prussian War and the making of Modern Europe.” This Book was written by Rachel Christal, in 2023. The book is about the French versus Prussian war that was a major contributor to World War 1 and World War Two.  France was very aggressive against the German states in the 1800’s and especially against the biggest German State, Prussia, which helped [SB3] contribute to wars that occurred afterword.

The Franco-Prussian War was a major player in the making of modern Europe and the 20th century European Wars. The Franco-Prussian War unified Germany under the Prussian leadership. The war rebalanced the war in Europe however it did not completely overturn the European great powers. Bismarck’s strategy was to unify Germany under the Prussian banner. Prussia unified Germany in 1971- changing the European balance of power.

The Franco-Prussian War retinted Europe, changing the European’s perspective and power dynamics. It led to the wars of the 20th century in Europe. The Franco Prussian War was a war that caused World War Two and also fought over the power balance in Europe. The Franco-Prussian War was between 1869-1871 and between France and Prussia. It was fought over the Prussian’s potential ability to unify Germany and have a German prince on the Spanish throne. France, led by Napolean the third, was scared of an encircled France and a unified Germany which would unbalance Europe.[1]

The Franco -Prussian  War created the total completion of the German State under Prussian rule. The French-Prussian War caused the unification of Germany under Prussian rule and started on the 15th of July 1870.[2] Germany started to become more unified during and after the 1848-1849 German Revolution. Germany’s partial ununified states decided to adopt a constitution and a system of republics in the 19th century. The Franco-Prussian War rebalanced Europe but did not completely overturn the prior order.

              Prussia, under Bismarck’s strategy was to unify Germany through a shared war/conquest that would unify Germany under one banner- and with pride. He did not want to go to war against the other German states- but to win a war together. This is the definition of nationalism. The best target- was picked in 1866- France was the best target. The French leader- Napolean the third was scared of the Germans successes and was tired of the German’s rise to power. [3]

The European balance of power was changed by Prussia during the Franco-Prussian War. Germany was unified by uniting Germany to fight under one banner. Germany became very strong and heavily influenced the balance of power in Europe- causing World War one and World War Two. The Franco Prussian War was an amazing and interesting  period because of the impact on the future of Europe and the 20th centuries wars which means it should be studied more in depth. It was surprisingly important for only being g two years long. It gave me a lot more insight into a very concise/specific topic that had vast consequences.

Citation:

Chrastil, Rachel. 2023. Bismarck’s War: The Franco‑Prussian War and the Making of Modern Europe. New York: Basic Books.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, s.v. “Franco‑German War,” last modified May 14, 2025, Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/event/Franco-German-War. en.wikipedia.org+11b

EBSCO Research Starters. “Franco‑Prussian War.” Last modified [ “May 2025” ]. Accessed [6 23, 2025]. EBSCO.

[1] Encyclopaedia Britannica, s.v. “Franco‑German War,” last modified May 14, 2025, Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/event/Franco-German-War. en.wikipedia.org+11b

[2] Rachel Chrastil, Bismarck’s War: The Franco‑Prussian War and the Making of Modern Europe (New York: Basic Books, 2023), [1].

[3][3] Rachel Chrastil, Bismarck’s War: The Franco‑Prussian War and the Making of Modern Europe (New York: Basic Books, 2023), [4-5].