A Duel of Nations: Germany, France, and the Diplomacy of the War of 1870-1871

327 Pages·2012·3.249 MB·English

by  David Wetzel

A Duel of Nations

A Duel of Nations
GERMANY, FRANCE, AND THE DIPLOMACY
OF THE WAR OF 1870–1871

David Wetzel
The University of Wisconsin Press
The University of Wisconsin Press
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Copyright © 2012
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any format or by any means, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a website without written permission
of the University of Wisconsin Press, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in
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Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Wetzel, David.
A duel of nations : Germany, France, and the diplomacy
of the War of 1870–1871 / David Wetzel.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978- 0- 299- 29134- 1 (pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 978- 0- 299- 29133- 4 (e- book)
1. Franco- Prussian War, 1870–1871—Diplomatic history.
2. France—Foreign relations—Germany.
3. Germany—Foreign relations—France.
4. Bismarck, Otto, Fürst von, 1815–1898. I. Title.
DC300.W48 2012
943.08'22—dc23
2012010178
To the memory of Ed

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv
1. Politics and Personalities 3
2. The Position of the Powers 26
3. The League of Neutrals 41
4. The End of Napoleon III 67
5. Ferrières 100
6. Bismarck, Bazaine, and Thiers 122
7. Bismarck’s Anxieties 145
8. Armistice 180
Conclusion 213
List of Abbreviations 227
Notes 231
Bibliographical Essay 251
Index 305
vii

Illustrations
William I 11
Otto von Bismarck 13

Helmut von Moltke 22
Alexander II 55
Alexander Gorchakov 60
Napoleon III 69
Bismarck cuts the claws “Alsace” and “Lorraine” off a bear
representing France 73
Napoleon III and his generals 76
Napoleon III, escorted by Bismarck, on the day after the battle
of Sedan 81
Capitulation of Sedan, 2 September 1870 82
Louis Jules Trochu 90
Léon Gambetta 93
Jules Favre 95
Louis Adolphe Thiers 97
Castle Ferrières, scene of Bismarck–Favre negotiations 107
François Achille Bazaine 124
Charles Denis Sauter Bourbaki 127
Capitulation of Metz, 27 October 1870 134
Entry of German troops into Orléans, 4 December 1870 148
War Council at Versailles in November / December 1870 161
ix