The Franco-Prussian War: Yet Another French Loss

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The Franco-Prussian War was a conflict between France and Prussia that signaled the rise of German military power and imperialism in Europe. Over a five month war, the German army defeated French troops in a series of battles across northern France. The defeats brought with them internal discontent and led to the downfall of Napoleon the III and the creation of the French Third Republic. The war was provoked by Otto von Bismarck ,the Prussian chancellor, as part of his master plan to create a modern and unified German nation . The factors that lead to a Prussian victory and the Unification of Germany were their advanced military system, their universal conscription, railways, and the French inability to establish military alliances with other nations. To begin, one of the primary causes of French military collapse during the Franco-Prussian war was because of the extensive military education of the Prussian war staff. The difference between the Prussian General Staff system and the French Staff system were that the Officers in Prussia were promoted and assigned tasks based on their merit (skill/experience) not their wealth or social class allowing for better trained and experienced officers of war . The Prussian General Staff system also had a full-time group at the head of the army that was responsible for continuous study of every aspect of war as well as reviewing plans for the active military campaign . These select few at the head of the army were together in a main headquarters where they could oversee and lead troops into position and organize the war effort. The extensive training that Prussia offered its officers through this program helped weed out less motivated candidates and also helped form a large body of professional military men with common methods and outlook. The organization and fast mobilization of the Prussian troops took the French offensive
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