All of the events in history lead to the next. Whether it be the Franco-Prussian war leading into The First World War because of Alsace and Lorraine, or The First World War leading into The Second World War because of unresolved conflicts and unimaginable ideas with Germany. History is defined as the study of past events, particularly in human affairs. All of the events in history helped shape the world into the society it is today. Nothing would be the same, without the history that has happened to our world. .
The Franco-Prussian War that happened in 1870 to 1871, was a conflict between France and Prussia that signaled the rise of German military power and imperialism. It was directed by Otto von Bismarck as part of his plan to create a unified German Empire. The French emperor, Napoleon III, declared war on Prussia on July 19th 1870, because his military advisers told him that the French army could defeat Prussia and that such a victory would restore his declining popularity in France. The Franco-Prussian War had large consequences. It established both the German Empire and the French Third Republic. With Napoleon III no longer in power to protect them, the Papal States were annexed by Italy, thereby completing that nation's unification. .
World War I began on July 28, 1914, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This seemingly small conflict between two countries spread rapidly and soon, Germany, Russia, Great Britain, and France were all part of the war. This was largely because they were involved in treaties that obligated them to defend certain other nations, as a result of the Franco-Prussian war. Western and eastern fronts quickly opened along the borders of Germany and Austria-Hungary. During the Franco-Prussian war, Alsace and Lorraine were taken from France. This left France at an alliance with Russia because they did not like Germany after the conflict. The war ended in the fall of 1918, after the countries of the Central Powers signed armistice agreements.
