Why Bismarck Won The Franco-Prussian War

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On July 1870, France declared the Franco-Prussian War. Also known as the Ems Dispatch, it was a recording from the Prussian King to Otto Von Bismarck, in Berlin. The French ambassador to Prussia, Count Vincent Benedetti, approached King William at Ems to make sure that no member of his family would again be a candidate for the Spanish throne. King William nicely refused Benedetti’s want, and their discussion soon finished. The French feared being surrounded by Germans. He used that recording to do something that would change history. He purposely changed the recording to make it sound harsh, so Germany could go to war. It made both sides feel insulted. It was France that first declared war on Germany. The French made certain demands under threat of war. It was made to give the French the idea that King Wilhelm I had purposely made fun of Count Benedetti. Bismarck assured to his friends that it would have …show more content…

He was a Prussian chancellor who started the war, so he could unify Germany under his authoritarian rule. This started the Franco-Prussian war. The war lasted around six weeks with the Prussian victory in their hands. In order for Germany to be united, Bismarck needed the independent states to take his side in southern Germany to join his North German Confederation. This was his goal and the Germans’ goal. His hope was that this would create a war with France, which would unite Northern German Confederation and the southern German states because they would fight against France. Prussia began many wars to advance territory and power to become a unified German Empire. Since those states feared attacks by France, Bismarck soon found out that if he could bring France into a war, the southern states would show full support and join. Prince Leopold feared that the more the Prussian influence into Spain, it would threaten France. When he received the Ems Telegram, he saw it as his opportunity. This resulted to the Treaty of

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