Three Germans were sitting on a train in 1946. After a long awkward silence the youngest German spoke up. "Stop looking at me like that! I received the Iron Cross for heroics at Hürtgen Forest." The middle aged German scoffed, and replied "So what? I got the Military Merit Cross at Passchendaele for courage and bravery." Then the elderly German looked up and responded; "I was at the Battle of Sedan and Siege of Paris and I didn't receive any medals. But at least we won the damn war."
THe old german would have to be around 93 years old. To be at the Battle of Sedan he had to be 18 in 1871 that puts his birth at around 1853 and so he would be pretty old in 1946.
And is surname means "Third" (although with a different spelling, and the exact meaning is "one of three equal parts", like in "1/3 of something" ; the third republic is called "la troisième république" in French) Also, technically his first given name is "Marie" (Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers). Marie (a girl name) was sometimes given to boys as a second or third given name, but that's rather strange to give it as a *first* given name.
Well, in German history the Franco-Prussian-War usually is combined with the Dano-Prussian-War and the Austro-Prussian War to the term German-Unification-Wars as the single wars are seen as a greater plan by Bismarck to form the German Empire. Perhaps, this term is less mundane? :) As for its importance for European history (I assume: forming German Empire, making French seek for revenge, leading to WW1 and Treaty of Versaille, leading in turn to WW2), I believe one can argue that those events could have happen without a Franco-Prussian-War. Germany was on its way to unify anyway, though maybe not as fast and perhaps not with such a great influence by Prussia. In addition, the wish to have Elsass-Lorraine return to France wasn't the singular factor for WW1 to fire. In fact, WW1 could also have fired without the humiliation of the French in the Franco-Prussian War since much is also attributed to Germanys seek for global dominance and the threat it imposed to the British Empire (economic dominance + challenge of sea hegemony). That means if Wilhelm II would have listened to Bismarck who proclaimed "Germany is saturated" earlier WW1 could have been prevented even with the annexation of Elsass-Lorraine. So perhaps the Franco-Prussian was more of an catalyst rather than the origin of subsequent events.
Also, it allowed the Kingdom of Italy to take Rome from the Papal States, as the French forces protecting Rome were needed in France. This allowed for the end of Italian unification (at least for Legal Italy).
Well, many Italians also consider the end of WW1 to be the final reunification, because it united the peninsula and brought Trieste into the rightful hands of Italy.
@@sator3946 No, it wasn't. The language border had actually moved to the north for the last few hundred years. In the late middle ages, most of the Trentino had been german-speaking, by 1919 that had shifted to the modern border of South Tyrol. And even if it had been italian in the 15th century (which it hadn't), in 1919 it was majority german-speaking with a small ladin minority, who btw. also did not want to be italian either.
Inigo Bantok I mean France was heavily unstable at the time,The country as a whole had a lot of potential but internal problems really butchered any hope they had of defeated Germany.Not to mention that going through the Arden was a desperation move on Germany’s part and was only done due to the delusions that Adolf an his circle believed in.Being right about this lead to more arrogance on Germany’s part which would cost them greatly in the battle for Britain.Also France would definitely beat Germany today that’s a no brainer.
“For France, being encircled by a friendly German-Spanish Alliance was not something they wanted to deal with... ... again that is.” Love these pauses 😂😂😂
@@handlesarecringe957 the HRE was unofficially referred to as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, with the emperor of the HRE also holding the title of King of Germany. Germany as a unified state didn't exist until 1871, but as a whole it did.
I recently found out that my great grandfather, who at the time lived in his native Ireland, fought for France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870! Apparently the French Army came to his village in County Cork annually to buy horses and he was asked to join their forces. After his time in the French Army (NOT the French Foreign Legion) he emigrated to the United States and joined the American Army!
Few info about this war : - Prussian won because of logistics and army reserve (an innovation at the time) - Napoléon III suggested a army reform in the 60's to create a reserve but was refused by the republicans (not to mention Napoléon was already dying from decease at this time) - Republicans WANTED a quick collapse of the empire to proclaim a new republic, because they were not able to shake the empire since Napoléon had staggering approval ratings from the French. PS : Germany didn't annex all of Lorraine but the Moselle department.
Wasn’t it Moltke the Younger who began using army reserves? That’s how they owned the French in the Battle of the Frontiers. If the French hadn’t figured out that reserve system in 44 years... that’s stupefying.
@@tommunist10 French had massive conscription in 1914, the battle of the frontiers was a problem in France because Plan XVII was the official strategy and it didn't planned an invasion through Belgium. Moreover, Germany had the demographic advantage toward France which made a big difference at first (until the battle of the Marne).
@@xaviersaavedra7442 You are right of course. But I was reffering to that in that time there was a broad socialist movement that included socialist and anarchist ideas. They worked together. But as time past the ideologies evolved. I believe it was at the end of 19th century when socialists and anarchists officially split up and went their separate ways.
Technically, Napoleon III wasn"t really the one advocating the declaration of war. Contrary to popular belief, he was well aware that France was late industrializing its military, contrary to England or Prussia, and even was one of the few politicians in France trying to convince his generals and his people of the catastrophic consequences of this war. It was the republicans who pushed him into declaring the war, since they were well aware that a defeat would mean the collapse of the Second French Empire and more power to them in the Parliament during the next Republic. Too bad, had the emperor tried to negotiate himself one more time with the Prussians, this war wouldn't probably even have happened.
@@ragingsage3973 I was talking about the use of modern transports such as railways. Since France was late to be industrialized, the Prussians could carry their soldiers and supplies far faster than the French, who still used horses at the time, if I remember correctly.
@@JK-hd9raton at warfare both are comtemporary each Other (Uniform, needle rifles, artillery and revolvers), but the command chain was shorter in Prussian Army, Prussia have reservist and a better railways service, The Internal Republican Conflict of France make worse their military actions, and many professional veterans were lost in the invasion of Mexico 3 years earlier
@@ragingsage3973 the French had a superior rifle that outranged the Prussian needle rifle and they also fielded an early form of machine gun but the Prussians had superior artillery, utilising breech loading guns versus the French muzzle loaders. In addition the Prussian artillery crews trained to fire rapidly while the French preferred to fire slower thinking it conserved ammo. This allowed the Prussians to pulverise the French with rapid fire artillery blows. Really though, the biggest advantage of the Prussians were in their command system. See the Prussian General Staff.
@King In Prussia Slight correction: Amadeo was deposed and Spain was made a republic. The republic lasted a little less than two years, then Alfonso XII was put on the throne.
@King In Prussia Spain can't make up it's mind. First, they want Kings, and Queens too rule over them. Next, thing you know a Civil War between Communists, and Fascists brake out. Then, some how the Monarchy sneaks back into power. Then, by magic there a Republic. (Again)
Bismarcks plan was to isolate France as a power in Europe but he never wanted a big European war. He was a calculating man and he wanted to form a status quo in Europe with Germany as a leading country. He made contracts and treaties with GB and Russia to hold the peace but wilhelm II didn’t renewed them. The stupidity of Wilhelm II. and the other politicians lead to WW1 and WW2
Bismarck even was against the annexation of alsace-lorraine since he knew it would make france a constant enemy of the new empire. But the generalship and the public wouldn't accept a peace without annexing anything after a won war against france
It seems to me that nobody in Europe wanted actually a war in 1914 but they were afraid of backing down. Had the russian stoped mobilizing there was no war, had the Austrian informed the plan was not to annex serbia no great war. Had the belgian let the German pass trough no GB involved then... everybody wanted to appear strong...
I only wish you had made the point that Alsace-Lorraine (Alsass-Lothringen) had been swapped back and forth for centuries. Both France and the various incarnations of Germany have laid claim to and controlled this region since the split of Charlemagne's Frankish Kingdom and Empire.
Fynn O'leianson you misspelled Poznan :) Also “west prussia” was only more German because of ethnic displacement/cleansing going back as far as the Teutonic sacking of Gdansk.
@@fynnoleianson8802 Gdansk was actually founded as a Polish city (which slipped in and out of the Piasts' control due to domestic instability) and remained as such until the Teutons seized the city and massacred the populace in the 1200s. Regardless, I have a better idea of where you're coming from with this now; I'm used to people talking about "Posen" doing so from a stance of "the Imperial German borders are god's gift to mankind and any attempt to change them is worse than the Holocaust" (hyperbole obviously), I incorrectly jumped to conclusions about your position. However, briefly, we can agree that annexing Metz was an overstep of the Germans, right? (also this channel has another video on life in A-L/E-L that could be interesting but you've likely seen it already)
@@fynnoleianson8802 afaik Metz was ethnically French at the time, it makes the whole thing come off as a landgrab instead of some play for ethnic unity
What would have REALLY secured Germany's borders on the west would have been having a France that wasn't looking every chance that they got to regain Alsace-Lorraine. Although this war gave birth to the German Empire (Second Reich), it also lay the seeds for both World War I and II. It was only after WWII ended---and not right away---that both France and West Germany would work on creating a system of interdependence so they wouldn't be fighting each other every twenty years or so. This gave birth to the European Union.
Prussia had military observers on both sides of the American Civil War. They were very impressed with the Union's latest artillery and the Confederate's use of massed artillery tactics. They also noted how both sides used the railroads to quickly move large numbers of troops. Meanwhile, the French were bogged down in Mexico fighting a guerilla war using antiquated artillery. Bottom line, the Prussians successfully applied lessons learned while the French didn't. On the other hand, France had a better navy but that didn't do them much good at Sedan or Metz.
Prussia had commanders serving in the American revolutionary war, in fact the founding father of the US army was a German from Prussia. It is a actually the other way around, stop acting like the American Civil War won the battle for the Germans. Prussia already had qualified commanders and tacticians before the US was even formed as an independent country.
@@bodoor8172 a lot changed from the time of the American Revolution to the American Civil War, in terms of technology, tactics, and more. Nothing that JLR VA said disparaged the Prussian tacticians; in fact, it would be to the credit of the Prussian tacticians to say that they were smart enough to observe and learn from the changes that had occurred.
This myth will never die I guess. Prussia already sued railways to defeat the austrian army in the prussian austrian war whichw as only 1 year after the US civil war ended. Prussia had for years prior build up its railway infrastructure for military purposes and the tactic of rapid mobilization to create local superiority and attack before the enemy is properly preparred is prussian doctrine at least since Frederick the great 100 years prior. In short, the US civil war had basically no influence on the Prussian army. From most european states point of view the US civil war was absically a fight between to absolute backwater states using 50 year old tactics in the colonies and nothing of importance. Fun fact: France lost the single naval battle of the war despite having the far superior navy. A prussian ship and a french ship meet by coincidence near cuba and both entered neutral spanish Havanna. The commanders agreed to have an honorable duel right ouside of the harbour with a spanish ship watching over. The french ship was winning until the prussian ship landed a lucky blow that crippled the french ship, resulting in it fleeing back behind the neutral port border of havanna. Prussia rules the Waves :D
In a way, Napoleon III stubbornness led to world war 1... And funny how new formed Germany didn't even care to put the Prince on the throne of Spain after the war ....
@Ivan Ricaña Which then lead to cold war. Which then lead to today's global conflicts and start of dozens of cold wars between China, Russia- USA Iran- Israel, Saudi Arabia- Turkey Pakistan- India South korea-Japan Funny isn't it?
@Ivan Ricaña Well, it was the outcome that of ww1 that led to ww2. Without the treaty of Versailles or a victory of the central powers, the world probably wouldn’t have witnessed a second big war.
Napoleon III didn't want to go to war, the parliement pushed him hard to declare war on Prussia because they wanted to reestablish the Republic. Btw the French Republic has been nothing but a complete trainwreck for France, it used to be the biggest power in Europe as a monarchy, it's just a terrible form of government.
I already know very well the Franco Prussian war, but anyway I love the way this channel exposes things, so I watch all its videos anyway 😂 Tell me that I'm not the only one...
It is often said that Bismarck annexed Alsace-Lorraine in order to unite Germany by creating an enemy in France. This suggests that the next forty years of European history represents the Iron Chancellor's clever plan unfolding. Bismarck promised to annex Alsace at the beginning of the war and without consulting the generals. (He did not support the annexation of Lorraine.) Bismarck was a politician first and he knew that the annexation of French land would be popular with the German public. Later on, he called it his "mistake." He told the French that he would support them everywhere except on the Rhine. He would never have provoked a showdown with France over Morocco, as Wilhelm II did in both 1906 and 1911. This foolishness drove France and Britain into each others arms and lit the fuse for World War I.
@Stern Daler The population of Alsace-Lorraine was 76 percent Catholic. There was a lot of resentment toward the Protestent Prussians, who ran the region until 1911. Once they got autonomy, the Alsatians voted for the opposition Social Democratic Party. As far as the region being "mostly German" goes, Alsatian is not much like Standard German. It's more like Swiss German or Swabian.
@@NoahWeaverRacing 1871, of course. Had this war been avoided, the german Empire would not have seen the light of day, or maybe decades later. WW1 would probably have been avoided, which in return would have reduced the chances of seeing the german nationalist party taking power in Germany (since Hitler was outraged by the Treaty of Versailles). Also, France would probably have kept its Second French Empire, instead of another failed Republic.
@Estex Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not condemning anyone, neither the Germans nor the French, although I agree that the French made terrible mistakes before and during this war. I understand the Germans' will to get back A-L, but we mustn't forget that the people there spoke French for a while, and France was very culturally attached to that province.
@Estex Well no, most of the alsacians were totally against the annexation by Germany and wanted to remain french. That's why they only sent protesting deputees to the Reichstag until the early 20th century, so for an entire generation. Anyway, I hope we'll never have such wars again (and that you will recognize A-L is french haha !).
@@liborkozak8938 maybe the country was a player and was offended by the insult but used imperialism cb instead. I did this multiple times just so i can annex territories
Great job! The Franco-Prussian War is one of the most criminally under-known wars among the general populace today. You could argue it led directly to World War I and everything that followed.
Even in France, we don't learn about it that much. Napoleon I and the Revolution (the main one, that is) have many chapters in history classes, so do WW1/2, the totalitarian regimes in the XXth century... But the IInd empire, the Commune and the Franco-prussian war are underexplained, I think.We just know that Germany took Alsace-Moselle before WW1 but that's about it.
@@Whoeverthatis-g5t That's really interesting. Why do you suppose the French school system doesn't focus much on the Second Empire period? What about the 1848 revolutions, and the Crimean War, does that have much coverage?
@@aaronmarks9366 The Crimean War has no coverage at all (maybe a small line in a small paragraph, I'm not even sure) We do know how Napoléon III rose to power in the Second Republic (tricking enough people into believing he was a real republican, getting elected and then being like *sike* ) All 3 revolutions do get a lot of coverage, though. I'm not so sure about why it's not taught as much. Maybe out of spite against the Second Empire. A Coup d'Etat at the beginning, a traumatizing loss at the end, and the bloodbath the Commune was : the IIIrd republic needed a scapegoat, or at least to establish its legitimacy by crushing the Empire's. Or maybe because there was more things to focus on in that period (the Dreyfus affair, the premices to WW1 ...) We French have a hard time studying our own history without passion, I think.
Even though it is technically considered a horror novel, my all-time favorite novel is "The Werewolf of Paris". It has it's merits as a historical novel because some of its events took place in Paris during this time. Just thought I'd share if anyone is interested.
The Franco-Prussian War? Ah yes, that time that Bismark gambled that the French would declare war out of arrogance, lose it in the most humiliating way possible, and create a stronger-than-ever Germany.
I love that you changed the title "long time ago" .And I support you totaly History trully matter. Like Orwell said "Who controls the past control the future"
This was truly by all accounts, the first modern War. He mentions "Superior Prussian Generals", but the reality of it is far more complex: Von Moltke reorganized the Prussian Army into having a top tier command lead the entire Army, known as a "General Staff", which he himself lead. This staff would issue general orders to each of the individual armies electronically via telegraph and give each of them general orders, preventing the armies from stepping on each other toes, and also giving each Army q very high amount of initiative and innovation to specify what commands to carry out while under each of those general orders, in order to actually account for developments on the ground in real time. This is now the standard or organization that every modern army on Earth has now adopted, but it was completely revolutionary at the time, and was far better than what France had, which was more like a simple council of generals who wrote suggestions and recommendations to each of their individual armies, which the armies had the discretion to accept or ignore. The French armies were also very detached from one another, in stark contrast to the Prussians, and the individual armies were also very rigid and tried to forcefully micromanage every single level in their respective armies. This war was also the first in history where combatants were heavily inoculated against diseases which normally ravaged armies in wartime, leading it to be the first war in history where actual battlefield casualties surpassed that of disease.
Also Krupp cannon. This was the first major conflict using Krupp breech loading cannon. It could out shoot French brass cannon and would mow down waves of Frenchmen.
There was a French-born American Civil War commander that fought on the side of French named Prince Camille Armand Jules Marie de Polignac, who in the Franco-Prusian War was a Brigadier General and held command of a division in the war. Very fascinating man. When Prince Polignac served in the American Civil War, the troops he commanded couldn't pronounce Polignac, so they gave him the nickname "Prince Polecat", which he found quite amusing.
You should do the Paris Commune. It wasn't 'a small revolution' - the fact that it broke out, more than the military defeats, was what caused France and Prussia to quickly call a halt, settle some border matters, and stop fighting so that Napoleon could turn his troops on his own people. Similarly, Prussia didn't want the same thing happening at home (see end of WW1). Basically, classic case of ruling classes fighting between themselves for what they can grab, but uniting when the 'family business' comes under threat.
@@fahoodie1852 They didn't burn Paris, they ran it - successfully, with reforms and a modernist viewpoint. They're the reason people like me are called COMMUNISTS!
In Prussia schooling is comulsory since 1717. One big advantage for the German troops that they were able to read the orders. The French soldiers were mostly iliterates and so in a big disadvantage.
I had a distant ancestor, who fought for the Prussians in this war. He was wounded in battle. And went-on to work in a University. Plus, he became a strong German Nationalist too.
I had a distant ancestor, who fought for the Germans in the next major war after this. He was wounded in battle but before this, tried to get into a university. Plus, he became a strong German nationalist too. A very strong German nationalist....
@@EnigmaEnginseer I hate calling out jokes to people cuz it makes them look dry when they probably aren't but I was referencing hitler, who isn't a distant ancestor... or is he......
Small nitpick from a German history teacher ;) The Ems Telegram certainly sparked outrage in France, but the French Cabinet had decided to mobilize before it was drafted.
I love your video as always, but I think saying Bavaria, Württemberg and Baden allied with Prussia out of free will is not 100% accurate. As far as I know they were in a defensive treaty (not sure how it is called in English, in German it is: Schutz- und Trutzbündnisse 1866) . So when attacked they needed to fight together, which according to many historians is the reason Bismarck wanted to be on the defensive side of a war. Pls correct me if I am wrong
Hitler tried doing the same thing. Trying to convince Europe that Poland was the real aggressor. And now Trump too tries to lure it's allies into believing Iran is shooting first and dragging them into it. It's always best to make the world believe that the others attacked you, even though you spent a long time provoking them :-)
Manuel Busch Also, France absolutely had territorial ambitions in western Germany (in 1868 or 1869 Napoleon actually told his Field Marshals that the Rheinisch wine he was toasting them with would soon be a domestic product) and being a quasi-independent client state of German Prussia was certainly preferable to being a foreign French conquest.
The French were 100% the aggressors. It is ABSOLUTELY UNFAIR to blame Bismarck for starting the war just because the French got humiliated by the Germans [ which the French absolutely deserved].
Yeaaahh.. France and Prussia was waiting on the other to start the war, as it can result on the Southern German states taking the other's side for protection
WOW Great work! Keep up with this astonishing work! Can you do the history of portugal or how portugal got its colonies? Its a very interesting country thankyou
You forgot to mention the southern German states' economic and military alliances with the North German Confederation... Essentially a southern form of the Zollverein!
Geramani after franco-prussian war: occupies French territorys until a large war indemnity is payed and annexes the Alsace-Lauren Frence after ww1: occupies German territorys untile a large war indemnity is payed and annexes the Alsace-Lauren Hmmmmmmmmmm...
@Stern Daler that may be true, but everything between germany and france (benelux included) switched so many times, so that both countries had legitimate claims to it.
@@BlackHawk2b yeah, that is fine by me, the same with Saarland wants to be germany. And with Shengen and the EU I do not see any reasons for countries in western europe to claim parts of another western european country (maybe except for gibralta). independence movements are not included in my previous statement ;)
What? Prussia is evolving.... ... ... ... dun dun dun dududududu Prussia evolved into the German Empire *menacing roar* German Empire wants to learn "Schlieffen Plan" but can't learn any more abilities. Delete a old ability? YES
I know it's a dead meme; but when he said the French army disintegrated, I imagined Spider-Man as the French army and the Prussians as Thanos snapping him away! 🤣😂
This wasn't all that far back. My grandmother (1865-1935) was taken to the Sedan battlefield as a bizarre class trip--apparently the idea was to instill patriotism in the children. My father said she talked about the wreckage still around the site. And in Paris the statues of Alsace and Lorraine remained covered till 1918.
The Prussians invented wargames, and had been playing military wargame simulations for almost a century, playing out military strategies of movement and combat with random dice substituting for chance elements.
@Estex In America it sure is. In our school system, Europe does nothing from 1783 (end of American Revolutionary War) to 1914 (when World War I starts, and America acknowledges Europe exists again). I knew nearly nothing about Prussia AS A STATE until my sophomore year of university.
In terms of our the length of our own lives 1870's seems like an eternity ago but in terms of generations it's only a couple. I'm sure we carry some of the thoughts and attitudes of our great-grandparents, so in a sense what happened 150 years ago affect us directly and personally. And indirectly through politics and culture. The older I get the closer events in Europe 70-150 years ago feel. This channel has created a connection from ancient history to today in a way that none of my tearchers could. These bite-sized stories with people in the visualisations make things much more relatable.
After the annexion, Alsace-Lorraine had a harsh treatment in the empire. It wasn't as autonomous as most of the german regions (like Bavaria or Wurtembrg who had and still have their own parliament and even their own royal families still in charge until 1918) since it was a Reichsland, which means it was directly administrated by german reprensentatives of the Kaïser. The press, the army and the administration would often be disdainful, repressive and even racists towards the inhabitants of the region (especially during WW1), who weren't consulted about the annexion of their own land, were massively in favor of staying within France and only elected protesting deputees until the early years of the 20th century. Think about it next time you'll think or say that Alsace-Lorraine is "rightfully german" ! Peace to all the germans and to every humans across the world who read this. No more pointless bloodbaths !
@Estex during WWI, the treatment of Ëlsasser by prüssen officers was terrible, they wasn't any other alternative for them than a french victory if they wanted to keep their "identity"
Greenie Di most people in Saarland speak French, the same as Monaco Luxembourg, Wallonia, romande Switzerland and aosta valley, still they are not under French control
And France accepted the humilious treaty and payed it's debt in full to germany, but you still have people saying the treaty of versaille lead to ww2..
CptFoupoudav with that the fact that the german ww2 debt has been nearly erased by the Americans during the Marshall plan to make sure that they would not collapse (once again) and be communist
The French army didn't disintegrate after Sedan, they kept making sizeable armies and tried various counterattacks to break the siege of Paris and didn't do too bad, but they weren't successful in the end
Three Germans were sitting on a train in 1946. After a long awkward silence the youngest German spoke up. "Stop looking at me like that! I received the Iron Cross for heroics at Hürtgen Forest." The middle aged German scoffed, and replied "So what? I got the Military Merit Cross at Passchendaele for courage and bravery." Then the elderly German looked up and responded; "I was at the Battle of Sedan and Siege of Paris and I didn't receive any medals. But at least we won the damn war."
Mirokuofnite ja
Is this real
Oh, I get it! The first two won medals, but lost the wars. The third one won no medals, but won the war.
yes
THe old german would have to be around 93 years old. To be at the Battle of Sedan he had to be 18 in 1871 that puts his birth at around 1853 and so he would be pretty old in 1946.
Adolphe leader of the third republic, sounds familiar
It's cool seeing you on all these history videos
Like adolf leader of der drittes reich. lol
@@jonathan_hanst He just reorganized the third republic into the THIRD GALACTIC EMPIRE!
@@AllenorLP
I....
See
And is surname means "Third" (although with a different spelling, and the exact meaning is "one of three equal parts", like in "1/3 of something" ; the third republic is called "la troisième république" in French)
Also, technically his first given name is "Marie" (Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers). Marie (a girl name) was sometimes given to boys as a second or third given name, but that's rather strange to give it as a *first* given name.
For a war named so mundanely, it’s one of the most important wars in European history
In other European languages its always the Franco-German War in my experience (franco-allemande, deutsch-franzoesisch, etc.)
In portuguese is epic, is like: A GUERRA FRANCO-PRUSSIANA
Well, in German history the Franco-Prussian-War usually is combined with the Dano-Prussian-War and the Austro-Prussian War to the term German-Unification-Wars as the single wars are seen as a greater plan by Bismarck to form the German Empire. Perhaps, this term is less mundane? :)
As for its importance for European history (I assume: forming German Empire, making French seek for revenge, leading to WW1 and Treaty of Versaille, leading in turn to WW2), I believe one can argue that those events could have happen without a Franco-Prussian-War. Germany was on its way to unify anyway, though maybe not as fast and perhaps not with such a great influence by Prussia. In addition, the wish to have Elsass-Lorraine return to France wasn't the singular factor for WW1 to fire. In fact, WW1 could also have fired without the humiliation of the French in the Franco-Prussian War since much is also attributed to Germanys seek for global dominance and the threat it imposed to the British Empire (economic dominance + challenge of sea hegemony). That means if Wilhelm II would have listened to Bismarck who proclaimed "Germany is saturated" earlier WW1 could have been prevented even with the annexation of Elsass-Lorraine.
So perhaps the Franco-Prussian was more of an catalyst rather than the origin of subsequent events.
In módern European history
@@watching99134 how can it be? there was no Germany, Prussia was the mixture of Germanic, Austrian and Russian, and even Ottoman states
Also, it allowed the Kingdom of Italy to take Rome from the Papal States, as the French forces protecting Rome were needed in France. This allowed for the end of Italian unification (at least for Legal Italy).
Well, many Italians also consider the end of WW1 to be the final reunification, because it united the peninsula and brought Trieste into the rightful hands of Italy.
@Rafael Resende Trieste was ethnically italian
@Rafael Resende Trentino was italian and south tyrol was ethnically italian bifore 1500
@@sator3946 No, it wasn't. The language border had actually moved to the north for the last few hundred years. In the late middle ages, most of the Trentino had been german-speaking, by 1919 that had shifted to the modern border of South Tyrol. And even if it had been italian in the 15th century (which it hadn't), in 1919 it was majority german-speaking with a small ladin minority, who btw. also did not want to be italian either.
@Hermann Wilhelm Göring I dont care. France obligated us to give Nice and Savoy for unifing our country
You forgot to mention that the German Empire was than proclaimed IN the Palace of Versailles, which for the French was the ultimate humilation!
motasem al-yamani oof
He mentioned it in the German unification video.
Somehow I think they got their own back to that
And this is why at the end of WW1 the French insisted for the treaty to be signed at Versailles.
Inigo Bantok I mean France was heavily unstable at the time,The country as a whole had a lot of potential but internal problems really butchered any hope they had of defeated Germany.Not to mention that going through the Arden was a desperation move on Germany’s part and was only done due to the delusions that Adolf an his circle believed in.Being right about this lead to more arrogance on Germany’s part which would cost them greatly in the battle for Britain.Also France would definitely beat Germany today that’s a no brainer.
Bismarck has a plan... he always does
I was hoping this would be here
Extra History GANGBANG
Gang gang
Yup
Jeffers McWensleydale More like a MASTER PLAN...
150% Discipline
160% infantry combat ability
20.0 morale
and ofc
120% cannon combat ability
Muhammad Talib 200%higher ground at Sedan
100%cav ability
I will just add that in AUSTRO-prussian war, Austrians had 130% cannon combat ability and 120% cav combat ability :)
100% militarization intensifies*
112% Cool as shit armor
1:18 The Confederation will be reorganized into the First German Empire!
So this is how the Principalities die. With thunderous machtpolitik.
Morgan Brock for a safe and secure society
@@MBasu-km8by your bad at star wars
Mohok Basu just about to say that
Technically the second but since the first one was incredibly weak and literally contributed nothing, calling this one the first is fine
Bismarck has a plan. Bismark always has a plan.
Like Dutch Van Der Linde?
@@AzureRT456
On the contrary, both comments were making the same reference.
Well he didn't have a "post career" plan.
uapdz1i3bdc4tqxvofjcjxokb this one is actually more accurate
I dotn get it.
I'd like to see one for the War of the Austrian Succession. I can already see the opening:
"1740, and Emperor Charles VI of Austria....is dead."
*doof*
@@AmateurSurgeonThe3rd its more of a *boop*
and also the Spanish Succesion Crisis
*thud*
Its 1700 and Charles II is VERY DEAD RIGHT NOW
“For France, being encircled by a friendly German-Spanish Alliance was not something they wanted to deal with...
... again that is.” Love these pauses 😂😂😂
Which war did he mention?
SucukluPasta 30 years war
@@SucukluPasta From 1521 to 1700 Spain and Germany were both ruled by the Habsburg, encircling France
JasonDoe1000 The Holy Roman Empire, not Germany. Germany as a state didn’t exist until 1871
@@handlesarecringe957 the HRE was unofficially referred to as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, with the emperor of the HRE also holding the title of King of Germany. Germany as a unified state didn't exist until 1871, but as a whole it did.
Alsace Lorraine or....
*ELSAß LOTHRINGEN*
@Cegesh Lies.
@Cegesh J.O.K.E
ALSACE LORRAINE.
@Cegesh the germans have always had a claim and the right to the land France stole it the Rhine is a german river
@@affenpoop8848 shame they couldn't keep it
I recently found out that my great grandfather, who at the time lived in his native Ireland, fought for France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870! Apparently the French Army came to his village in County Cork annually to buy horses and he was asked to join their forces. After his time in the French Army (NOT the French Foreign Legion) he emigrated to the United States and joined the American Army!
Imagine knowing there’s a chance your great grandpa shook hands with the emperor or even fought in his same army group
Based
@@dr.winner2516 pardon my ignorance, what does "based" mean in this context?
@@johnscanlan9335
It is an internet slang term by the way, not a formal use
My great great grandfather fought on the Prussian side my grandma still has a picture of him in uniform. Always thought it was neat
Few info about this war :
- Prussian won because of logistics and army reserve (an innovation at the time)
- Napoléon III suggested a army reform in the 60's to create a reserve but was refused by the republicans (not to mention Napoléon was already dying from decease at this time)
- Republicans WANTED a quick collapse of the empire to proclaim a new republic, because they were not able to shake the empire since Napoléon had staggering approval ratings from the French.
PS : Germany didn't annex all of Lorraine but the Moselle department.
Wasn’t it Moltke the Younger who began using army reserves? That’s how they owned the French in the Battle of the Frontiers. If the French hadn’t figured out that reserve system in 44 years... that’s stupefying.
@@tommunist10 French had massive conscription in 1914, the battle of the frontiers was a problem in France because Plan XVII was the official strategy and it didn't planned an invasion through Belgium. Moreover, Germany had the demographic advantage toward France which made a big difference at first (until the battle of the Marne).
@@tonyhawk94 And the industrial advantage as well.
@@helmuthvonmoltke5518 Not industrial but logistic and weapons for sure
Ahhh a man of culture 😉
Do an episode on the French Commune!
In short: If Socialism was tryed, as a legitimate Government.
Frist Name Last Name
Actually it was more like anarchisim.
@@xaviersaavedra7442 At that point in time there was little difference between socialism and anarchism.
LocalHeretic 1127
Yes there was
One is where the state is controlling all Industry
And the other is where people work together for free forever
@@xaviersaavedra7442 You are right of course. But I was reffering to that in that time there was a broad socialist movement that included socialist and anarchist ideas. They worked together. But as time past the ideologies evolved. I believe it was at the end of 19th century when socialists and anarchists officially split up and went their separate ways.
Technically, Napoleon III wasn"t really the one advocating the declaration of war. Contrary to popular belief, he was well aware that France was late industrializing its military, contrary to England or Prussia, and even was one of the few politicians in France trying to convince his generals and his people of the catastrophic consequences of this war.
It was the republicans who pushed him into declaring the war, since they were well aware that a defeat would mean the collapse of the Second French Empire and more power to them in the Parliament during the next Republic. Too bad, had the emperor tried to negotiate himself one more time with the Prussians, this war wouldn't probably even have happened.
The French had better equipment than the Germans, so I dont know about that 'late industrializing of the military'
@@ragingsage3973 I was talking about the use of modern transports such as railways. Since France was late to be industrialized, the Prussians could carry their soldiers and supplies far faster than the French, who still used horses at the time, if I remember correctly.
@@ragingsage3973 The Germans had better equipment than the French actually
@@JK-hd9raton at warfare both are comtemporary each Other (Uniform, needle rifles, artillery and revolvers), but the command chain was shorter in Prussian Army, Prussia have reservist and a better railways service, The Internal Republican Conflict of France make worse their military actions, and many professional veterans were lost in the invasion of Mexico 3 years earlier
@@ragingsage3973 the French had a superior rifle that outranged the Prussian needle rifle and they also fielded an early form of machine gun but the Prussians had superior artillery, utilising breech loading guns versus the French muzzle loaders. In addition the Prussian artillery crews trained to fire rapidly while the French preferred to fire slower thinking it conserved ammo. This allowed the Prussians to pulverise the French with rapid fire artillery blows. Really though, the biggest advantage of the Prussians were in their command system. See the Prussian General Staff.
But who became the monarch of Spain?
Fun Fact: Despite having been overthrown on three separate occasions, the Bourbon Dynasty STILL holds the throne of Spain.
@King In Prussia Slight correction: Amadeo was deposed and Spain was made a republic. The republic lasted a little less than two years, then Alfonso XII was put on the throne.
@King In Prussia why wasn't he made king in the first place?
@King In Prussia Spain can't make up it's mind. First, they want Kings, and Queens too rule over them.
Next, thing you know a Civil War between Communists, and Fascists brake out.
Then, some how the Monarchy sneaks back into power.
Then, by magic there a Republic. (Again)
Your mom
I'd love to see a video on the Bogd Khanate, the transitionary state of Mongolia from 1911 until it became a Soviet republic
ThatEvilCanadian
They weren’t a soviet republic (S.S.R.) they would be a puppet though.
Mongolia was never part of the USSR but only a buffer state between Russia and China.
Bismarcks plan was to isolate France as a power in Europe but he never wanted a big European war. He was a calculating man and he wanted to form a status quo in Europe with Germany as a leading country. He made contracts and treaties with GB and Russia to hold the peace but wilhelm II didn’t renewed them. The stupidity of Wilhelm II. and the other politicians lead to WW1 and WW2
Well he got his wish eventually!
The Franco-Prussian war was a direct prequel to World War 1
putting it all on Wilhelm is simply unfair.
Bismarck even was against the annexation of alsace-lorraine since he knew it would make france a constant enemy of the new empire. But the generalship and the public wouldn't accept a peace without annexing anything after a won war against france
@@makutas-v261 the only one to blame here though is wilhelm as he was warned not only once by bismarck so yeah he was dumb
It seems to me that nobody in Europe wanted actually a war in 1914 but they were afraid of backing down. Had the russian stoped mobilizing there was no war, had the Austrian informed the plan was not to annex serbia no great war. Had the belgian let the German pass trough no GB involved then... everybody wanted to appear strong...
would be interesting if you did a video on the Sino-German alliance
The what now?
Excuse me what
Probably talking about the short and temporary alliance between the nationalist chinese and germany
Before germany abandoned them for japan
I only wish you had made the point that Alsace-Lorraine (Alsass-Lothringen) had been swapped back and forth for centuries. Both France and the various incarnations of Germany have laid claim to and controlled this region since the split of Charlemagne's Frankish Kingdom and Empire.
Fynn O'leianson you misspelled Poznan :)
Also “west prussia” was only more German because of ethnic displacement/cleansing going back as far as the Teutonic sacking of Gdansk.
@@fynnoleianson8802 Gdansk was actually founded as a Polish city (which slipped in and out of the Piasts' control due to domestic instability) and remained as such until the Teutons seized the city and massacred the populace in the 1200s. Regardless, I have a better idea of where you're coming from with this now; I'm used to people talking about "Posen" doing so from a stance of "the Imperial German borders are god's gift to mankind and any attempt to change them is worse than the Holocaust" (hyperbole obviously), I incorrectly jumped to conclusions about your position.
However, briefly, we can agree that annexing Metz was an overstep of the Germans, right? (also this channel has another video on life in A-L/E-L that could be interesting but you've likely seen it already)
@@fynnoleianson8802 afaik Metz was ethnically French at the time, it makes the whole thing come off as a landgrab instead of some play for ethnic unity
What would have REALLY secured Germany's borders on the west would have been having a France that wasn't looking every chance that they got to regain Alsace-Lorraine. Although this war gave birth to the German Empire (Second Reich), it also lay the seeds for both World War I and II. It was only after WWII ended---and not right away---that both France and West Germany would work on creating a system of interdependence so they wouldn't be fighting each other every twenty years or so. This gave birth to the European Union.
@@eddiejc1 It was more that after WW2 Germany was small enough that France could control them again. Until 1990, when it backfired.
Prussia had military observers on both sides of the American Civil War. They were very impressed with the Union's latest artillery and the Confederate's use of massed artillery tactics. They also noted how both sides used the railroads to quickly move large numbers of troops. Meanwhile, the French were bogged down in Mexico fighting a guerilla war using antiquated artillery. Bottom line, the Prussians successfully applied lessons learned while the French didn't. On the other hand, France had a better navy but that didn't do them much good at Sedan or Metz.
yes, if Napoleon wasn't so incompetent, he should have had spies there as well
Prussia had commanders serving in the American revolutionary war, in fact the founding father of the US army was a German from Prussia. It is a actually the other way around, stop acting like the American Civil War won the battle for the Germans. Prussia already had qualified commanders and tacticians before the US was even formed as an independent country.
@@bodoor8172 a lot changed from the time of the American Revolution to the American Civil War, in terms of technology, tactics, and more. Nothing that JLR VA said disparaged the Prussian tacticians; in fact, it would be to the credit of the Prussian tacticians to say that they were smart enough to observe and learn from the changes that had occurred.
Mate the American civil war was an armed mob
This myth will never die I guess.
Prussia already sued railways to defeat the austrian army in the prussian austrian war whichw as only 1 year after the US civil war ended. Prussia had for years prior build up its railway infrastructure for military purposes and the tactic of rapid mobilization to create local superiority and attack before the enemy is properly preparred is prussian doctrine at least since Frederick the great 100 years prior.
In short, the US civil war had basically no influence on the Prussian army. From most european states point of view the US civil war was absically a fight between to absolute backwater states using 50 year old tactics in the colonies and nothing of importance.
Fun fact: France lost the single naval battle of the war despite having the far superior navy. A prussian ship and a french ship meet by coincidence near cuba and both entered neutral spanish Havanna. The commanders agreed to have an honorable duel right ouside of the harbour with a spanish ship watching over. The french ship was winning until the prussian ship landed a lucky blow that crippled the french ship, resulting in it fleeing back behind the neutral port border of havanna. Prussia rules the Waves :D
I love it when Bismark never smiles even when good stuff happens. Also Star Wars, nice...
*Napoleon the 3rd getting captured*
Bismark: Ironic, he can save others from getting captured but not him self.
@@fristnamelastname5549well, he didn't know how to save others either, considering his mess in Mexico
In a way, Napoleon III stubbornness led to world war 1...
And funny how new formed Germany didn't even care to put the Prince on the throne of Spain after the war ....
Spain throwing out it's Queen, and asking the Prussian Prince to be there King. Also, lead to WW1.
@Ivan Ricaña
Which then lead to cold war. Which then lead to today's global conflicts and start of dozens of cold wars between
China, Russia- USA
Iran- Israel, Saudi Arabia- Turkey
Pakistan- India
South korea-Japan
Funny isn't it?
Yeah, that's how history works; One thing leads into the next, leads into the next, and so on, until we reach today.
@Ivan Ricaña Well, it was the outcome that of ww1 that led to ww2. Without the treaty of Versailles or a victory of the central powers, the world probably wouldn’t have witnessed a second big war.
Napoleon III didn't want to go to war, the parliement pushed him hard to declare war on Prussia because they wanted to reestablish the Republic.
Btw the French Republic has been nothing but a complete trainwreck for France, it used to be the biggest power in Europe as a monarchy, it's just a terrible form of government.
When Germany successfully invaded France without going through Belgium
*Impossible*
France was the attacker, not Germany, just like in 1805
Hey when is the Polish-Lithuanian Commanwealth video coming out
Aaaaaand its gone
@@HabboCoolcattim what's gone
@@gabed7407
Polandball
RIP
When the Winged Hussars arrive. (And sadly they are not coming)
I have to say, that Bismarck driving the train with prussian soldiers is extremely funny
I already know very well the Franco Prussian war, but anyway I love the way this channel exposes things, so I watch all its videos anyway 😂
Tell me that I'm not the only one...
The Truth Seeker 0 12,000 views already, you are not alone.
You are not the only one.
Plus i get new things with each new video about that war.
Ur not
Can you do a video on the Sino-French War of 1884-85? I just recently found out about this conflict and it was pretty nuts.
The what now?
@@scotandiamapping4549 just another war where a european saw China and was like "hey i too want a piece"
@@Freedmoon44 oh ok
I've been interested to learn about Russia Sino war, myself
It is often said that Bismarck annexed Alsace-Lorraine in order to unite Germany by creating an enemy in France. This suggests that the next forty years of European history represents the Iron Chancellor's clever plan unfolding. Bismarck promised to annex Alsace at the beginning of the war and without consulting the generals. (He did not support the annexation of Lorraine.) Bismarck was a politician first and he knew that the annexation of French land would be popular with the German public. Later on, he called it his "mistake." He told the French that he would support them everywhere except on the Rhine. He would never have provoked a showdown with France over Morocco, as Wilhelm II did in both 1906 and 1911. This foolishness drove France and Britain into each others arms and lit the fuse for World War I.
@Stern Daler The population of Alsace-Lorraine was 76 percent Catholic. There was a lot of resentment toward the Protestent Prussians, who ran the region until 1911. Once they got autonomy, the Alsatians voted for the opposition Social Democratic Party. As far as the region being "mostly German" goes, Alsatian is not much like Standard German. It's more like Swiss German or Swabian.
@@kauffner “or worse, they might be Swabian.” (Try and figure out that reference)
The irony is that his plan led to Prussia completely vanishing from existence 60 years later.
@@Okxyd It wasn't his plan. It was France plan long before. Small German states are easier to invade.
They didn't take all of Lorraine.
Released the same day as a biographics on Napoleon iii 👐
just came from that video lmao
Roberto Esquivel I was just gonna watch that video after this
III*
The correct German pronunciation of Alsace-Lorraine has satisfied my inner German, thank you
The same of this region is since 1648 and will always be "Alsace Lorraine" and nothing else though :)
@@nolletthibault2031What do you mean
@@nolletthibault2031 Alsace-Moselle please
@@nolletthibault2031 depents on the language you speak. In german it's still Elsass Lothringen
@@nolletthibault2031 That wasn't passive agressive at all
*Bismarck Has a Plan.*
*Bismarck Always Has a Plan.*
Edit: Thanks For Likes and Replies
Extra History!
@Dubem Okafor *INDEED*
But what about his "Post-Career" Plan?
I guess that one took him by surprise.
Arguably one of the greatest masterminds in human history...
STONEN LAMO
You should do the Emu War. Its a funny and possibly absurd war, but I find it quite interesting with how Australia dealt with the Great Depression.
1:57 Otto von Bismarck, Helmuth von Moltke and two Prussian soldiers get on a steam train and go to Paris! Bismarck would have loved that!
As a french, this episode of History always hurts
Lenka Le Nech what hurts worse 1871 or 1940?
@@NoahWeaverRacing 1871, of course. Had this war been avoided, the german Empire would not have seen the light of day, or maybe decades later. WW1 would probably have been avoided, which in return would have reduced the chances of seeing the german nationalist party taking power in Germany (since Hitler was outraged by the Treaty of Versailles). Also, France would probably have kept its Second French Empire, instead of another failed Republic.
@Estex Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not condemning anyone, neither the Germans nor the French, although I agree that the French made terrible mistakes before and during this war. I understand the Germans' will to get back A-L, but we mustn't forget that the people there spoke French for a while, and France was very culturally attached to that province.
This part of History of France is a big *OOF*
@Estex Well no, most of the alsacians were totally against the annexation by Germany and wanted to remain french. That's why they only sent protesting deputees to the Reichstag until the early 20th century, so for an entire generation. Anyway, I hope we'll never have such wars again (and that you will recognize A-L is french haha !).
A video on the Spanish 1868 revolution would be really interesting
1:25 EU4 Declare war:
Causus Belli *DIPLOMATIC INSULT*
Not even using the best cb
Well you can't annex territories over diplomatic insult CB, can you?
Never used this one. Only Napoleon III could even think about that
@@liborkozak8938 maybe the country was a player and was offended by the insult but used imperialism cb instead. I did this multiple times just so i can annex territories
Thirty Years War II: Spanish succession boogaloo
I love in these videos every time someone holds up a sign saying "soon" 🤣
Please make a video on the Paris Commune
Yesss please!
Look at the channel VertigoPolitix. He has a great video on the topic.
Great job! The Franco-Prussian War is one of the most criminally under-known wars among the general populace today. You could argue it led directly to World War I and everything that followed.
You could say the same thing with the Napoleonic Wars. And even the American To French Revolutions. All a huge domino effect
@@ApexCalibre The American Revolution isn't under-known... Even as a brit I heard about it all the time in history
Even in France, we don't learn about it that much.
Napoleon I and the Revolution (the main one, that is) have many chapters in history classes, so do WW1/2, the totalitarian regimes in the XXth century...
But the IInd empire, the Commune and the Franco-prussian war are underexplained, I think.We just know that Germany took Alsace-Moselle before WW1 but that's about it.
@@Whoeverthatis-g5t That's really interesting. Why do you suppose the French school system doesn't focus much on the Second Empire period? What about the 1848 revolutions, and the Crimean War, does that have much coverage?
@@aaronmarks9366 The Crimean War has no coverage at all (maybe a small line in a small paragraph, I'm not even sure)
We do know how Napoléon III rose to power in the Second Republic (tricking enough people into believing he was a real republican, getting elected and then being like *sike* )
All 3 revolutions do get a lot of coverage, though.
I'm not so sure about why it's not taught as much. Maybe out of spite against the Second Empire. A Coup d'Etat at the beginning, a traumatizing loss at the end, and the bloodbath the Commune was : the IIIrd republic needed a scapegoat, or at least to establish its legitimacy by crushing the Empire's. Or maybe because there was more things to focus on in that period (the Dreyfus affair, the premices to WW1 ...)
We French have a hard time studying our own history without passion, I think.
Apparently the Prussians studied the civil war extensively which took place just before this. It explains why they knew to use rails and other tactics
My favorite part of this video is how General v Moltke is just everywhere staring
Even though it is technically considered a horror novel, my all-time favorite novel is "The Werewolf of Paris". It has it's merits as a historical novel because some of its events took place in Paris during this time. Just thought I'd share if anyone is interested.
Love the Star Wars references. A true man of culture.
The Franco-Prussian War? Ah yes, that time that Bismark gambled that the French would declare war out of arrogance, lose it in the most humiliating way possible, and create a stronger-than-ever Germany.
I love that you changed the title "long time ago" .And I support you totaly History trully matter. Like Orwell said "Who controls the past control the future"
I like the old Soviet saying, “the past is constantly changing, only the future is certain”
Southern German states : *exist*
Prussia : It's free real estate
Normie
This was truly by all accounts, the first modern War. He mentions "Superior Prussian Generals", but the reality of it is far more complex: Von Moltke reorganized the Prussian Army into having a top tier command lead the entire Army, known as a "General Staff", which he himself lead. This staff would issue general orders to each of the individual armies electronically via telegraph and give each of them general orders, preventing the armies from stepping on each other toes, and also giving each Army q very high amount of initiative and innovation to specify what commands to carry out while under each of those general orders, in order to actually account for developments on the ground in real time. This is now the standard or organization that every modern army on Earth has now adopted, but it was completely revolutionary at the time, and was far better than what France had, which was more like a simple council of generals who wrote suggestions and recommendations to each of their individual armies, which the armies had the discretion to accept or ignore. The French armies were also very detached from one another, in stark contrast to the Prussians, and the individual armies were also very rigid and tried to forcefully micromanage every single level in their respective armies.
This war was also the first in history where combatants were heavily inoculated against diseases which normally ravaged armies in wartime, leading it to be the first war in history where actual battlefield casualties surpassed that of disease.
I really enjoy this content, think you can do the French invasion of Mexico?
Fue una revolution
Revolutión
@@anemu3819 ?
@@billymartin2220 it was a revolution
@@anemu3819 the French invasion of Mexico?
0:12 Leopold: *SMASHES KEYBOARD VIOLENTLY*
Also Krupp cannon. This was the first major conflict using Krupp breech loading cannon. It could out shoot French brass cannon and would mow down waves of Frenchmen.
There was a French-born American Civil War commander that fought on the side of French named Prince Camille Armand Jules Marie de Polignac, who in the Franco-Prusian War was a Brigadier General and held command of a division in the war. Very fascinating man. When Prince Polignac served in the American Civil War, the troops he commanded couldn't pronounce Polignac, so they gave him the nickname "Prince Polecat", which he found quite amusing.
So funny yet so informative
This is verry short for fully explain the war ! less than 5 minutes !
You should do the Paris Commune. It wasn't 'a small revolution' - the fact that it broke out, more than the military defeats, was what caused France and Prussia to quickly call a halt, settle some border matters, and stop fighting so that Napoleon could turn his troops on his own people. Similarly, Prussia didn't want the same thing happening at home (see end of WW1). Basically, classic case of ruling classes fighting between themselves for what they can grab, but uniting when the 'family business' comes under threat.
Bro they just burned Paris then got wiped out, where’s the relevance
@@fahoodie1852 They didn't burn Paris, they ran it - successfully, with reforms and a modernist viewpoint. They're the reason people like me are called COMMUNISTS!
@@fahoodie1852 You're a simpleton
@@unclenogbad1509 napoleon iii was better anyways
@@fahoodie1852 Better that what? And who remembers him anyway - just a footnote between two of the republics.
Please make a video on the history of the Republic of China from 1911 to 1949.
You should do more videos about this period or continuing on from here. I loved it.
I cant not click on these vids when i see them.. they are addicting, and good.
In Prussia schooling is comulsory since 1717. One big advantage for the German troops that they were able to read the orders. The French soldiers were mostly iliterates and so in a big disadvantage.
That’s crazy
I had a distant ancestor, who fought for the Prussians in this war.
He was wounded in battle. And went-on to work in a University.
Plus, he became a strong German Nationalist too.
I had a distant ancestor, who fought for the Germans in the next major war after this.
He was wounded in battle but before this, tried to get into a university.
Plus, he became a strong German nationalist too.
A very strong German nationalist....
@@gavindorney5730 So World War 1?
@@EnigmaEnginseer I hate calling out jokes to people cuz it makes them look dry when they probably aren't but I was referencing hitler, who isn't a distant ancestor... or is he......
@@gavindorney5730 should have said art school
@@KixV no because the other guy said university
Small nitpick from a German history teacher ;)
The Ems Telegram certainly sparked outrage in France, but the French Cabinet had decided to mobilize before it was drafted.
I love your video as always, but I think saying Bavaria, Württemberg and Baden allied with Prussia out of free will is not 100% accurate. As far as I know they were in a defensive treaty (not sure how it is called in English, in German it is: Schutz- und Trutzbündnisse 1866) . So when attacked they needed to fight together, which according to many historians is the reason Bismarck wanted to be on the defensive side of a war. Pls correct me if I am wrong
Exactly, Bismarck tried to make the French attack Prussia...which they did.
Hitler tried doing the same thing. Trying to convince Europe that Poland was the real aggressor. And now Trump too tries to lure it's allies into believing Iran is shooting first and dragging them into it. It's always best to make the world believe that the others attacked you, even though you spent a long time provoking them :-)
Manuel Busch Also, France absolutely had territorial ambitions in western Germany (in 1868 or 1869 Napoleon actually told his Field Marshals that the Rheinisch wine he was toasting them with would soon be a domestic product) and being a quasi-independent client state of German Prussia was certainly preferable to being a foreign French conquest.
Even on instagram today you insult one thing about something French and half the French population is on your neck
The French were 100% the aggressors. It is ABSOLUTELY UNFAIR to blame Bismarck for starting the war just because the French got humiliated by the Germans [ which the French absolutely deserved].
you forgot one thing....
Bismark planned the war to unite germany...
I doubt it, he was a pragmatist. He just seize the opportunity
@@ragingsage3973 well, he did so...
He tricked the French into throwing the first punch
Yeaaahh.. France and Prussia was waiting on the other to start the war, as it can result on the Southern German states taking the other's side for protection
No, the French were 100 % the aggressors. They tried to bully Prussia and got their asses kicked.
3:11 yes you should
Surprised he didn’t mention the Prussians’ Krupp cannon as being one of the decisive weapons of the war.
Could you cover the Paris commune? This is only the second time I've heard of it since reading Phantom of the Opera
1:19 star war reference is golden 😂
WOW Great work! Keep up with this astonishing work! Can you do the history of portugal or how portugal got its colonies? Its a very interesting country thankyou
C0munGuyForcaz the Dutch want to have your species
You forgot to mention the southern German states' economic and military alliances with the North German Confederation... Essentially a southern form of the Zollverein!
Suddenly I dont feel so bad about the treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was way worse than this.
@@kingdomofprussiaball7438 But still not enough
And you're goddam right !
@@kingdomofprussiaball7438 At least, the French paid their war reparations to Germany
@@simonrobillard Because in difference to the ww1 war reperations, the war reperations france had to pay were actually payable.
0:26
No.
Not William I.
His Name is Wilhelm I.
With greetings from Germany. :-)
I like the way the Prussian troops are just standing in the engine's tender.
Bismarck was a political strategic genius in a good way but there was always a wrench in whatever plan he had
Geramani after franco-prussian war: occupies French territorys until a large war indemnity is payed and annexes the Alsace-Lauren
Frence after ww1: occupies German territorys untile a large war indemnity is payed and annexes the Alsace-Lauren
Hmmmmmmmmmm...
I think they demanded $5B from France and France demanded $800B
Note* all prices are in 2020 USD
@Stern Daler that may be true, but everything between germany and france (benelux included) switched so many times, so that both countries had legitimate claims to it.
@@fusssel7178 But the people of Alsace Moselle wants to be French sooo
@@BlackHawk2b yeah, that is fine by me, the same with Saarland wants to be germany. And with Shengen and the EU I do not see any reasons for countries in western europe to claim parts of another western european country (maybe except for gibralta). independence movements are not included in my previous statement ;)
To be fair France didn't have their colonies seized in war
This is hilarious 😆👍🏻
Could you also please make a similar funny clip about the Iran-Iraq war? Thanks 🙏🏻.
What? Prussia is evolving....
...
...
... dun dun dun dududududu
Prussia evolved into the German Empire
*menacing roar*
German Empire wants to learn "Schlieffen Plan" but can't learn any more abilities. Delete a old ability?
YES
“There was one issue with Leopold claiming the throne. France.”
Nah, that’s an extra bonus
I love the little sarcasm he throws in his videos. :-)
Out of curiosity, are you also going to do the 1848 revolution or the 1968 Prague Spring?
I know it's a dead meme; but when he said the French army disintegrated, I imagined Spider-Man as the French army and the Prussians as Thanos snapping him away! 🤣😂
The Franco-Prussian War summarized:
"Everyone was being a bit too much and no one could handle this so - War."
2:13 Napoleon III: Like my uncle said, there's nothing we can do...
This wasn't all that far back. My grandmother (1865-1935) was taken to the Sedan battlefield as a bizarre class trip--apparently the idea was to instill patriotism in the children. My father said she talked about the wreckage still around the site. And in Paris the statues of Alsace and Lorraine remained covered till 1918.
The Prussians invented wargames, and had been playing military wargame simulations for almost a century, playing out military strategies of movement and combat with random dice substituting for chance elements.
I guess bad Ems turned into bad terms
This is a criminally under-discussed chapter in European history. Good on you for the vid +1
@Estex In America it sure is. In our school system, Europe does nothing from 1783 (end of American Revolutionary War) to 1914 (when World War I starts, and America acknowledges Europe exists again). I knew nearly nothing about Prussia AS A STATE until my sophomore year of university.
@Estex No we talk alot about Franco-pussia war & how we kicked your ass out of our land in WW1
@Estex Jesus, above me is a butthurt frenchmen ^^
@@druisteen You French where just cowards in ww2.
@@rainerzufall1387
Dunkirk .....
The Brits also gave up .....they come home , leaving French ....alone
In terms of our the length of our own lives 1870's seems like an eternity ago but in terms of generations it's only a couple. I'm sure we carry some of the thoughts and attitudes of our great-grandparents, so in a sense what happened 150 years ago affect us directly and personally. And indirectly through politics and culture. The older I get the closer events in Europe 70-150 years ago feel. This channel has created a connection from ancient history to today in a way that none of my tearchers could. These bite-sized stories with people in the visualisations make things much more relatable.
Napoleon III: I'm gonna be just like my uncle.
Napoleon I watching him from the afterlife: lmao wtf is this.
0:45 everytime I hear it "sent him to meet bad ends"
"Because it was 19th centiry Paris, And that was what Paris did then."
Or maybe Paris in General.
After the annexion, Alsace-Lorraine had a harsh treatment in the empire. It wasn't as autonomous as most of the german regions (like Bavaria or Wurtembrg who had and still have their own parliament and even their own royal families still in charge until 1918) since it was a Reichsland, which means it was directly administrated by german reprensentatives of the Kaïser. The press, the army and the administration would often be disdainful, repressive and even racists towards the inhabitants of the region (especially during WW1), who weren't consulted about the annexion of their own land, were massively in favor of staying within France and only elected protesting deputees until the early years of the 20th century.
Think about it next time you'll think or say that Alsace-Lorraine is "rightfully german" !
Peace to all the germans and to every humans across the world who read this. No more pointless bloodbaths !
Elsass should be part of Switzerland :^)
@Estex during WWI, the treatment of Ëlsasser by prüssen officers was terrible, they wasn't any other alternative for them than a french victory if they wanted to keep their "identity"
Greenie Di most people in Saarland speak French, the same as Monaco Luxembourg, Wallonia, romande Switzerland and aosta valley, still they are not under French control
Your videos are great, keep making them, I enjoy them very much! Thank you for the education
Every time spain looks for a king it causes a war
Will you do one of these on the Paris Commune?
And France accepted the humilious treaty and payed it's debt in full to germany, but you still have people saying the treaty of versaille lead to ww2..
in what way did it not
CptFoupoudav with that the fact that the german ww2 debt has been nearly erased by the Americans during the Marshall plan to make sure that they would not collapse (once again) and be communist
The French army didn't disintegrate after Sedan, they kept making sizeable armies and tried various counterattacks to break the siege of Paris and didn't do too bad, but they weren't successful in the end
Yes it's similar to WW2, everyone thinks the French folded after Dunkirk (they didn't, at least not right away).
I love how sarcastic he is
instead of a boring title like the franco prussian war this should be called the war of the two empires, one rises one ends
0:05 Well this is awkward...