France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian war signaled Germany's emergence as Europe's greatest power.

France and Germany opposed

Until the 19th century, what is now Germany was a collection of many separate states. Otto von Bismarck, the chancellor of Prussia-the most powerful German state-changed that.by the late 1860s, his goal of forming a united Germany under Prussian leadership was almost completely achieved. To convince the remaining states to join,he needed a bold move. Bismarck thought that by starting and winning a war,he would make the German states fearful for their safety and impressed by Prussian arms. for his target he chose France. Bismarck's victim was wisely chosen. France's leader was Napoleon III, a weak, self-proclaimed emperor who was the nephew of the great Napoleon. The emperor had begun to lose support. He wanted a war to restore his popularity. The war came in 1870. After a diplomatic crisis erupted, Napoleon III issued an ultimatum to Prussia. It must apologize for its actions,he said,or there would be war. Bismarck, knowing that the result would favor him, refused. Napoleon III declared war on July 5,1870.

The surrender at Sedan

First moves by late July, the French managed to mobilize two armies,one at Strasbourg and one at Metz. Facing them was a large force of 400,000 soldiers under field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke. The French plans were vague,the Prussians had a better idea of what to do. Moltke would use part of his force to hold the French at Strasbourg while the remainder poured into the gap between the French armies and encircled the force at Metz. After destroying that French army, it would take on the other. Napoleon,who led one French army,won an early skirmish,but by mid August he had left the field.he was to ill to continue; and besides, Moltke was advancing.the French command was confused.the army at Strasbourg, commanded by Marshal Marie de MacMahon, pulled back toward Paris in the west. Defending Paris from the oncoming Prussians was a logical mission for MacMahon,but the govern -ment pressured him to advance. So MacMahon marched northeast. The plan was to unite with the other French army and crush Moltke. Instead, MacMahon led his army into a trap.

The trap at Sedan

Moltke moved swiftly against MacMahon, which surprised the French commander. Dismayed,he changed plans on August 31 and marched away from the other French army, to Sedan. There MacMahon boxed his army into a corner. Trapped in a triangle of land formed by three rivers,he could not quickly move out. Worse, his army was in a valley almost completely surrounded by hills. The Prussians began to take the high ground a perfect location for placing their artillery. Besides the advantages of terrain, the Prussians outnumbered the French by 90,000. The situation for the French was hopeless. The actual fighting was brief. General MacMahon tried to break out but could not. Wounded,he passed his command to General Auguste Alexandre Ducrot. Ducrot recognized the poor prospects for the army and decided to withdraw his troops before the Prussians cut off a line of retreat. Then yet another French general, Emmanuel de Wimpffen, took command.he had orders from the minister of war to fight, and fight he would. Napoleon III was on the scene, but he did not take charge. By this time, about midday on September 1, Moltke had completely encircled the French army. Prussian cannon fire rained down on the French. The French cavalry tried three times to break the Prussian hold on an escape route. Though hopeless, their charge was heroic. As they retired after the third attack, the Prussian guns stopped firing to honor them. The charge convinced the French that they could not escape. With no outlet and the cannon shells crashing around his army, Napoleon was forced to raise the white flag. On September 2,he surrendered himself and his 104,000 soldiers to Bismarck.