Eliot
06-06-2003, 08:27 PM
I'd just like to discuss the Battle of Sedan, which was fought September 1st, 1870. Have any of you ever considered what would've happened if the French had won the this battle? Of course, different people have different opinions on matters such as this. I've taken a qoute from the book Great Battlefields of the World by John MacDonald. Here's what the author wrote on the subject.
The humiliation of French arms at Sedan decided the outcome of the war. The surrender of Napoleon III was a catastrophic blow to the Second Empire, and the Bonaparte dynasty, unstable and increasingly unpopular, could not survive. On 4 September, the Empire was overthrown by a popular uprising in Paris. Napoleon followed his Empress into exile in England, and the Third Republic was proclaimed by Léon Gambetta.
Within a fortnight, the Prussians had advanced on Paris and begun a long and harrowing siege of the city. Gambetta escaped to the south by balloon to raise new armies. Three successive sorties by the Paris garrison failed. Trochu, the military governor, sought an armistice and on 29 January 1871, at the Convention of of Versailles, all French regular troops surrendered. Paris was occupied by the Prussians and at Versailles Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, was proclaimed German Emperor.
In May 1871, under the terms of the Treaty of Frankfurt, France was forced to cede Alcase and two-thirds of Lorraine. Germany had replaced France as the greatest European land power.
As I see it, if the French had won this battle, then there wouldn't have been any World War's, or a Communist uprising in Russia (which was cause primarily by the first World War), which would mean there wouldn't have been a Cold War. That's amazing to think.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. This is, of course, my theory, and possibly many others. If you have different thoughts, I'd really enjoy hearing them.
The humiliation of French arms at Sedan decided the outcome of the war. The surrender of Napoleon III was a catastrophic blow to the Second Empire, and the Bonaparte dynasty, unstable and increasingly unpopular, could not survive. On 4 September, the Empire was overthrown by a popular uprising in Paris. Napoleon followed his Empress into exile in England, and the Third Republic was proclaimed by Léon Gambetta.
Within a fortnight, the Prussians had advanced on Paris and begun a long and harrowing siege of the city. Gambetta escaped to the south by balloon to raise new armies. Three successive sorties by the Paris garrison failed. Trochu, the military governor, sought an armistice and on 29 January 1871, at the Convention of of Versailles, all French regular troops surrendered. Paris was occupied by the Prussians and at Versailles Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, was proclaimed German Emperor.
In May 1871, under the terms of the Treaty of Frankfurt, France was forced to cede Alcase and two-thirds of Lorraine. Germany had replaced France as the greatest European land power.
As I see it, if the French had won this battle, then there wouldn't have been any World War's, or a Communist uprising in Russia (which was cause primarily by the first World War), which would mean there wouldn't have been a Cold War. That's amazing to think.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. This is, of course, my theory, and possibly many others. If you have different thoughts, I'd really enjoy hearing them.