Rachel Chrastil answers listener questions on a conflict that scarred the 19th century and had enormous consequences for the 20th
The Franco-Prussian War was a short, if bitter conflict. Prussia would emerge as a clear winner in a matter of months – but the consequences of the conflict would play out across the wider world over the following century. It also leaves us with plenty of questions. What kind of leader was the Iron Chancellor? Why did the Paris Commune fail? Did victory render German unification inevitable? And how did the French desire for revenge contribute to the First World War? Speaking to Spencer Mizen, Rachel Chrastil answers your queries on the Franco-Prussian War.
Rachel Chastil is the author of Bismarck’s War: The Franco-Prussian War and the Making of Modern Europe (Allen Lane, 2023)