Product Description

This work covers the Franco-Prussian War, which broke out in 1870 when Bismarck engineered a war with the French Second Empire of Napoleon III. This was part of his wider political strategy of uniting Prussia with the Southern German Confederation and excluding Austria. The war was an overwhelming Prussian victory, and the king was proclaimed Emperor of the new united Germany. The Second Empire collapsed and Napoleon III fled in exile to Britain. In the clearing up operation against the French Third Republic, Germany gained the eastern French provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, areas that were to provide a bone of contention for years to come.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95525 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

About the Author
Stephen Badsey is a lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst who is highly respected in his field. He has written about subjects as diverse as Hitler, war correspondents in the Crimea and modern fighter aircraft.

Customer Reviews

Excellent Introduction
I have been reading and studying Imperial Germany for a little while now, and I wanted a concise and interesting book about the Franco-Prussian War. This book from Essential Histories was perfect. It was managable, with lots of pictures of paintings and wood engravings from the time, and also diagrams describing the movements in major battles, such as Gravelotte St Privat and Sedan. It also had a helpful bibliography, index and chronology. Its a great stepping stone- I now have been spurred on by the book to read a book on the subject by Michael Howard. In the classroom or office, I reccomend it to anyone with a taste for good history and good books.