Why didn’t Germany annex more of France in 1871? (Animated History Documentary)

45 thoughts on “Why didn’t Germany annex more of France in 1871? (Animated History Documentary)”

1. They would've got too much aggressive expansion.

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2. 👍

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3. It was a great mistake not to annex more. If Prussia would have annexed up to the city Verdun, no battle of Verdun in World War I, if they had annexed Belfort, no battle of Belfort and so on… the way to Paris would have been easier, less population for the remaining France means less soldiers in the french army. Especially Longwy and Brie were highly profitable mine regions which were the annexiation goals in 1914 and could have been annexed 1871.

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4. Jesus loves you repent he is coming back he died for your sins please ❤d

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5. Another reason might have been the Revolution in Paris, ake Paris Commune. Like any imperialist country, Germany didn't like a communist state next to it, so they didn't want to make the republican government even more unpopular. It is actually proven taht Germany opposed the Paris Commune by the fact, that they released captured soldiers and rearmed them, so they could crush the Paris Commune.

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6. The other major powers weren't very likely to get involved in the Franco-Prussian War.

   Why?

   1. Britain didn't really care about the affairs of continental Europe very much at this point,let alone France because it was France. They would've probably only gotten involved if there was any threat to the balance of power on the European continent.

   2. Russia still held a grudge with France as they blamed Napoleon III for inciting Polish rebels in 1863

   The only power that came closest to helping France was the Austro-Hungarian Empire,this didn't happen for 2 reasons:

   1. The Hungarians wanted no part of it, which was kind of made no sense as Franz Joseph had total say over Hungarian military and foreign policy.

   2. Helping France was also contingent on getting the southern German states on board,but they sided with Prussia,

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7. The British wouldn't let them.

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8. Because Germans were tired of border gore.

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9. The French managed to pay off their debt so quickly because they had James Bisonette

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10. Germany's decision not to take more of France after the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 was influenced by several factors:

    1. Political Strategy: After defeating France in the war, Germany, under Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, sought to avoid pushing France into a situation where it could become a permanent enemy. Taking more territory could have caused France to become more vengeful and isolated from other European powers, which could have destabilized the region.

    2. Focus on Unity: Bismarck’s primary goal at the time was the unification of Germany. Annexing large parts of France might have complicated the integration of the various German states into a cohesive empire. By limiting territorial expansion to the region of Alsace-Lorraine, he helped avoid internal dissent within the new German Empire.

    3. International Relations: The European balance of power was a crucial consideration. A larger French defeat might have led to instability in Europe, risking retaliation from other powers. The annexation of Alsace-Lorraine was already seen as harsh, and taking more land could have led to greater opposition from other countries like Britain, Austria-Hungary, and Russia.

    4. French Resistance: Even after the defeat, France remained a strong and proud nation. German leaders were aware that taking more land could lead to a prolonged and bitter resistance, which might have been difficult to manage, especially in terms of securing those territories.

    Thus, the relatively modest territorial gain was meant to weaken France without completely destroying it, creating an environment where France would be isolated but still able to function as a European power, preventing the risk of immediate instability.

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