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Italy and Germany 1815–71

The Franco-Prussian War and the proclamation of the German Empire

  • 3 things to know
  • AS Unit 1

Overview

The Hohenzollern candidature and the Ems telegram, Sedan, the siege of Paris and the ceremony at Versailles.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Why did French opinion turn against Prussia after 1866?

Key term

What compensation did Napoleon III seek after 1866?

Key term

How did Bismarck use Benedetti's draft treaty in 1870?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Why did French opinion turn against Prussia after 1866?

    Model answer

    The sudden Prussian victory destroyed the balance in central Europe on which France had relied, and French politicians demanded revenge for Sadowa and compensation for a war they had not fought.

  2. 2

    What compensation did Napoleon III seek after 1866?

    Model answer

    Napoleon III asked at different times for Rhenish land and the Bavarian Palatinate, for Luxembourg, and for a free hand in Belgium, and obtained none of them.

  3. 3

    How did Bismarck use Benedetti's draft treaty in 1870?

    Model answer

    Bismarck published the French draft for the annexation of Belgium in a London newspaper as the war began, which persuaded British opinion that France was the aggressor.

  4. 4

    What was the Hohenzollern candidature?

    Model answer

    Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, a Catholic relative of the Prussian king, was offered the vacant Spanish throne in 1870, raising for France the prospect of Hohenzollern rulers on two frontiers. French protests led his father to withdraw the candidature on 12 July.

  5. 5

    What did Benedetti ask of William I at Ems?

    Model answer

    Benedetti asked the King to promise that the candidature would never be revived at any time in the future, and William I refused politely and declined to discuss the matter further.

  6. 6

    What did Bismarck do with the report from Ems?

    Model answer

    Bismarck shortened the telegram so that the exchange read as a curt French demand met by a blunt royal rebuff, then released his version to the press and to foreign governments.

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