In 1870 the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck ordered the Prussian
Army to invade France, inciting one of the most dramatic conflicts in
European history. It transformed not only the states-system of the
European continent but the whole climate of European moral and political
thought. The overwhelming triumph of German military might, evoking
general admiration and imitation, introduced an era of power politics,
which was to reach its disastrous climax in 1914.
Michael Howard's The Franco-Prussian War is widely acclaimed as a
classic and the definitive history of one of the most dramatic and
decisive conflicts in the history of Europe. Evoking a palpable sense of
the struggle and the high stakes of the war, Howard analyses the
tactics, political dynamics, morale and actions that determined the
course of the conflict. He also describes the crucial role played by key
figures in the war, including Bismarck, the Prussian military commander
Helmuth Von Moltke, and the French generals MacMahon, Chanzy and Trochu.
He also sheds fascinating light on how difficult it was to bring the war
to an end, with extremists in both France and Prussia pushing to prolong
the conflict.
A tour de force of both European and military history, The
Franco-Prussian War is a superb account of this dramatic and hugely
important conflict, ideal for the student, historian and general reader
alike.
This Routledge Classics edition includes a new Foreword by Bertrand
Taithe.
