The Franco-Prussian War brought France to the brink, yet why didn't Germany outright annex France?
Looking back, the reasons are actually quite simple:
Firstly, Germany sought the unification of purely Germanic peoples. Although Austria shared the same language and ethnicity as Germany, it ruled over non-Germanic peoples like Hungarians at the time, so Germany excluded Austria from its unification efforts.
If Germany wasn't interested in Austria, which shared the same language and ethnicity, why bother conquering France?
Secondly, before the Franco-Prussian War, Napoleon III attempted to maintain friendly relations with Britain. However, Britain became uneasy as it saw France allying with itself to suppress Russia and defeating Austria, expanding France's influence on the European map.
Thus, Britain incited war between Prussia and France, leading to the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War.
Therefore, if Prussia had defeated France and attempted to fully occupy it, Britain would undoubtedly intervene to protect France, forming an alliance against Prussia.
Germany understood this at the time, hence chose to stop short after the Franco-Prussian War.
Lastly, if Germany had eliminated France, Britain, Russia, and Austria would surely have united against Germany, as they wouldn't allow Germany to dominate Europe.
Therefore, Prussia always stopped short in the wars it fought against Denmark, Austria, and France, never attempting to completely destroy a country, showcasing Bismarck's political acumen.
However, unfortunately, Kaiser Wilhelm II later relied on the country's growing power, continuously expanding military forces, particularly developing the navy, which threatened Britain.
Thus, the long-standing enemies, England and France, allied, with Russia joining, leading to World War I, where Germany ultimately failed, and Kaiser Wilhelm II was forced to abdicate.
Perhaps in his exile in the Netherlands, he might reminisce about the emperor he once despised.
In this history, German politicians and rulers had to consider various factors. Firstly, they had to consider Germany's national identity. German unification was based on the Germanic peoples, while Austria controlled multi-ethnic regions, not entirely matching Germany's ethnic makeup.
Therefore, Germany was unwilling to include Austria in the unified Germany.
Instead, they preferred to see France as a potential enemy, given its long history and formidable strength in Europe.
Secondly, Germany had to consider the complexity of international relations.
In the late 19th century, relations between European nations were extremely tense.
Britain, as the maritime power, possessed a powerful navy, posing a potential threat to Germany.
Russia, on the other hand, was a vast Eastern European empire with a strong army.
If Germany provoked a war with France, it would likely incur intervention from Britain and Russia, leading to a large-scale war across Europe.
Lastly, Germany had to consider the cost and consequences of war.
Even if Germany could defeat France, the war could impose a heavy economic burden on Germany, and it might face isolation and sanctions from the international community as a result.
Therefore, the German government leaned towards resolving differences with France through diplomatic means rather than choosing military adventures.
In conclusion, Germany's reasons for not directly destroying France were multifaceted, including considerations of national identity, international relations, and the costs and consequences of war.
In a complex international environment, the German government had to act cautiously to uphold the country's interests and security.
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