Franco-Prussian War, The - 1870-1871

With updates from the author, specially commissioned maps and 50 new images, this is a concise overview of the Franco-Prussian War.

The Franco-Prussian War started in 1870 when Otto von Bismarck engineered a war with the French Second Empire under Napoleon III, as part of his plan to unite Prussia with the southern German states as a new Germany. Stephen Badsey examines the build-up, battles, and impact of the war, which was an overwhelming Prussian victory with massive consequences. The French Second Empire collapsed, Napoleon III became an exile in Britain, and King Wilhelm I was proclaimed Emperor of the new united Germany. In the peace settlement that followed, Germany gained the eastern French provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, areas that were to provide a bone of contention for years to come.

Updated and revised, with full-colour maps and new images throughout, this is a concise study of the largest and most important war fought in Europe between the age of Napoleon and the First World War, a war that marked the beginning of the creation of modern Europe.

Stephen Badsey PhD MA (Cantab.) FRHistS is Professor of Conflict Studies at the University of Wolverhampton. He has previously held positions at the Imperial War Museum London, at the BBC, on the academic staff of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and at other institutions. He has published widely on military subjects ranging from the Crimean War to the future of warfare, and has made frequent contributions as a historian for television and other media.

Contents

Introduction

Background to War

Warring Sides

Outbreak

The Fighting

The World Around War

How the War Ended

Conclusion and Consequences

Chronology

Further Reading

Index