What Was the Franco-Prussian War | The Franco-Prussian War Explained
What was the Franco-Prussian War? A conflict fought between the 2nd French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia which saw the humiliation of France, and the rise of a new power in continental Europe following the subsequent unification of Germany. It was engineered by Prussia's Otto von Bismarck, but was started by France's Emperor Napoleon III. Both sides wanted very different things from the war-for France, it was security, for Prussia, power-but only one would achieve its aims.
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Want to see more about the exploits of Napoleon III? His support was essential in bringing about Italian Unification. You can find out more about that, here: kzhead.info/sun/dcipcqturIKXgIk/bejne.html
Admirable summary. Thanks.
Sadly this defeat made Napoleon III look like an incompetent ruler. Of course, he wasn't like Napoleon I but he did many good things for France, like greatly industrializing the economy and rebuilding Paris from a medieval city to a renaissance one. He also managed to gain some permanent territories for the nation which include the city of Nice, unlike his uncle who lost everything after the Napoleonic wars.
I'm so glad someone made this point. Napoleon III is often derided for his foreign policy blunders, but I'm personally of the opinion that had he just kept to France, he may very well have been remembered as one of the greatest French leaders in history. Baron Haussman's redesign of Paris, which you mention, is one good example. As is the liberalization of his rule as his reign progressed. It should be said, of course, that he was no democrat, but had his reign not ended in 1870, I could very easily see France gradually expanding the franchise under a constitutional system as happened in Britain. Given the political turmoil of the Third Republic, I for one am disapointed in the French for deposing Napoleon III.
Genetic studies have shown that he wasn't really Napoleon's nephew, also the Suez Canal was his great achievement imo.
@@jonathancurran5366 was he not the son of Louis Bonaparte and Hortense?
He also commissioned the invention of margarine.
@@LookBackHistory Democraxy isn’t particularly a necessity. Even in the present.
Finally, my favorite war on my favorite history channel
Technically, I covered it a while ago, but that video's pretty crap. Glad you enjoyed!
@@LookBackHistory wow really? I didn't knew that, i did watched your old video about 5 fun facts about prussia, but i never saw that you already have a video about this topic already
@@LookBackHistory I think it would be good if you did the russo Turkish war of 1878 which followed after. It was the biggest war between the one of this video and ww1 in mainland Europe.
It is also (and more correctly) called the Franco-German War. Because it wasn't a war between France and Prussia, it was a war between France and the North German Confederation.
Yeah, but for all intents and purposes, the North German Confederation was basically Prussia as it was basically dominated by Prussia.
@@colindaniels945 The North German Confederation was basically the unified German states, with just a couple of countries to join a few years later, during this war.
Preußen, Bayern, Sachsen, Württemberg, Baden, Hessen - Darmstadt, Oldenburg, Mecklenburg - Schwerin, Mecklenburg - Strelitz, Schsen- Weimar -Eisenach, Anhalt, Braunschweig, Sachsen - Coburg- Gotha, Sachsen - Altenburg, Sachsen- Meiningen, Schwarzburg - Sondershausen, Schwarzburg - Rudolstadt, Reuß- Greiz, Reuß- Schleiz, Waldeck - Pyrmont, Lippe- Detmold, Hamburg, Bremen, Lübeck.
did you take influence from History Matters in your animation? it looks really familiar. But the video was really good, I was just wondering
On the one hand, I can't wholeheartedly say "no" to that question, given that A): I've seen his videos and B): my maps are undeniably somewhat similar to his. However, at the end of the day, his and mine are both pretty simple styles (take a look at Knowledgia or OSP maps as examples of something more detailed) so in that sense the similarities are coincidental. Also, it took me a while to develop how I do my animations. If you take a look at some of my earlier videos, you'll see it's quite different. A lot of brown backgrounds with pretty crappy cut-out maps moving across them. I didn't just wake up one morning and decide to copy History Matters.
@@LookBackHistory yeah this seems like a colorized history matters with actual faces which is a nice change. Just found this channel and I mean that in the best way possible your videos are great
Glad I found this channel, deserves more subscribers
I saw a 50 minute documentation on the war and the individual battles and i must say, it was probably the most humiliating victory in all of German History. Or it was the 7:1 match against brazil. could argue with that
And then they beat them again in WW2
@@lieutenantundercover9329 hurm 1806, 1918, 1945 hurm
Wow. I don't know why you have only 7k subscribers. You are doing really interesting content but, i recommend you add some background music to it beacuse it sometimes can get really quiet
Amazing vid
Congratulations on 7000 subscribers
Thanks!
Could you do a video on World War I or II and also the crusades or the Napoleon if war? Would love to see those!
Are you sure there aren't enough World War 2 videos available on TV and the internet?
@@Banana_Split_Cream_Buns it was just a suggestion! :D
Now to point out here, when Wilhelm I met with the French foreign minister at Ems,he had 2 demands of Wilhelm: 1. That his cousin, Prince Leopold,not take the Spanish throne. 2. If anyone in Wilhelm's family was offered the Spanish throne, that he formally decline those offers as well. Now Wilhelm was fine with the 1st demand as Leopold didn't want the Spanish throne and only remotely considered it due to Bismarck As for the 2nd demand, Wilhelm couldn't guarantee it,so from there you have the Bad Ems telegram that lead to the war
I’m surprised how few views and subscribers you have.
I've been growing somewhat slowly, but steadily. That's more than a lot of people are lucky enough to experience! If you want to help out, the best things you can do are like and share the video!
Yes, Russia believed that it was Napoleon III who incited the Polish rebels in 1863. The funny thing is it was Napoleon III who raised the alarm bells as early as the mid 1860s about the Prussians uniting the German states
France has been taking heavy Ls since that war. Never been the same since.
WW1? Besides Germany, France was the best military. With Germany and France being well above anyone else.
@@Joker-no1uh WW1 was not good for France. Actually, France hasn't been dominant since Napoleon I. Sure they were a top 4 World Power. But Prussia and then Germany gutted them. Bad.
How do you make your maps?
Who were the southern German states you mention in the video? I know Bavaria is one but who were the others?
Baden, Wurttemberg and South Hesse
@@LookBackHistory Hessen, Bavaria, kingdom or wurtemburg, duchy of baden, city of ulm
Here we goooooo
The South German states were more culturally similar to Austria than they were to Prussia, thus Bismarck knew that if he used any type of force in them that they'd possibly appeal to Austria for help, which would've made things very messy As you point out in either this video or another, Bismarck had to make a lot of concessions to the southern German states to secure both their help in the Franco-Prussian War and becoming part of the German Empire, concessions the northern states didn't have
With regard to Luxembourg,in order to secure French neutrality during the Seven Weeks War against Austria, Bismarck agreed to support French ambitions regarding Luxembourg as well as Belgium. When the war ended, France reminded Bismarck of the promise he'd made regarding Luxembourg and Belgium,Bismarck's response was "Yeah, about that ..." Needless to say, France was pissed off something fierce,so it didn't really take a lot to get them to declare war on Prussia.
Hey man, could you check out Micahistory 2? Thanks
Napoleon III wasn't completely bad as a leader, but he was no field commander like his uncle was. He should have never lead the troops. He basically handed Bismarck the win.
It’s weird people keep pushing Bismarck into the focus in military matters. Moltke the elder was the military genius most responsible for the Prussian victories and the superiority of its army. while Bismarck made many internal and foreign policy Bluebeard.
@@karlfranzemperorofmandefil5547 That's pretty true. I think Bismarck is the guy who gets the credit because he was the one on the pulpit, kinda like how Churchill was for the Brits in WW2 while Montgomery was the guy doing the actual field command.
It was just a unique war tbh each side had a vast technological advantage that was crazy, I think 70% of French casualties to Artillery and 70% of Prussian casualties to French rifle. When they engaged France shredded Prussians apart by superior rifles but Prussian artillery would just come in and level everything.
@@Winalways-tn3dc furthermore: France actually Had better soldiers while Prussia had far superior commanders. The Prussian armies essentially ran circles around the French
Otto von Bismarck sough power over tasty pastries.
Napoleon III didn't crown himself. He's wasn't even crowned.
Figure of speech.
@@LookBackHistory Oh okay 👍
I'm A german monarchist.
If you go by History Matters,Franz Joseph wanted to enter the war on the side of France, but the Hungarians wanted no part of it,so Franz Joseph sat the war out in the end
Germany is not a nation, Germany is a state (The german nation is larger than the state). Nation and state are not synonims else the phraze nation state wouldnt need to exist to describe states like Japan.
Deutschland ist keine Nation. Deutschland ist DIE Nation.
Another reason why Napoleon III impulsively declared war on France was because he thought the southern German states would ally with him as there was great enmity between them and Prussia. Unfortunately for Napoleon, they sided with Prussia instead. I can only imagine that conversation: Random official: "Sire,I have good news and bad news." Napoleon: "What's the good news?" Random official: "The south German states are entering the war." Napoleon: "What's the bad news?" Random official: "They're allying with Prussia sir." Napoleon: "There goes our empire."
Ach, mein Deutschland...
Gutes video. Aber, Moltke ist "Moltke", nicht "Moltky"!
För Preussen
GOTT MIT UNS GUD MED OSS GOD WITH US
2:55 you know what they say about sex while camping...
Bismarck is so op
Germany been kicking French heiny for a long time
No it's not, Germany is not unified. Austria is seperate.
İ think its funny that when france tries to put a french in charge of spain its but when germany does it its a problem
Well... there was a war to keep a bourbon on the spanish throne
I wonder what alternative history could have been, if the Germans united, but didn't annex the Alsace-Lorraine region, France wouldn't be revanchist, maybe they could have been allies, maybe first and second world war wouldn't happen.
It would be anyway. The Alsace-Lorrain question was mostly a thing to rally insulted French national pride behind it
0:12= wrong map ! Hungary , since 1000 was a mostly independent country , but inside the Austrian Empire . But they know Hungary was only temporary occupied by them . Like the French allway tried to get for ever Elsas + Lotharian privince . Etc...
Good video but you should know how to pronounce names correctly. Molke isn’t Molkee…SAY Molk-uh!
Not Molke but Moltke with a T : Helmuth Johannes Ludwig Graf von Moltke
@@mijoree Ja, richtig. Nicht "molky". Nicht "Molka". Moltke ist Moltke; leicht!