File:The story of the greatest nations, from the dawn of history to the twentieth century - a comprehensive history, founded upon the leading authorities, including a complete chronology of the world, and (14586781488).jpg

Identifier: greatestnations05elli (find matches)
Title: The story of the greatest nations, from the dawn of history to the twentieth century : a comprehensive history, founded upon the leading authorities, including a complete chronology of the world, and a pronouncing vocabulary of each nation
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Ellis, Edward Sylvester, 1840-1916 Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis), 1870-1942
Subjects: World history
Publisher: New York : F.R. Niglutsch
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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everything. At length Napoleon III. demanded positively that, as an offset to herneighbors increase of territory and strength, France should be allowed to ex-tend her frontier in Belgium and Luxemburg. Bismarck as positivelyrefused. His army was in the field ready for war; the French were not. TheEmperor found himself completely out-manoeuvred and outwitted, and was com-pelled to withdraw his demand. His popularity with his subjects vanished.His lost prestige could be regained only by defeating Prussia. His country-men told him this in unmistakable terms; and therein lay the true cause of theFranco-Prussian War of 1870. Of that contest you have already learned in the story of Germany. Thepretext upon which it was begun was that a German prince had been nomi-nated to the vacant throne of Spain. This was thought to endanger the inter-ests of France, so her prime minister protested, and the German prince with-drew his candidacy. The French authorities, not contented with this substantial
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France—The War with Germany 935 victory, pushed the matter still further. They said their country had been in-sulted, and they demanded apologies, retractions, further assurances andexplanations. Failing to get these, they declared war. In the eyes of all theworld France stood in the uncivilized and unchristian attitude of having forceda murderous contest upon an unwilling foe. The man, however, who had really brought the quarrel to an immediateissue was the Prussian statesman Bismarck. Convinced that the angry temperof the French people against his country was sure to result in war sooner orlater, he wisely preferred to bring it about while his own government was allprepared, and while he knew from his spies that the French were not. Hehad, therefore, deliberately irritated both the statesmen and the public ofFrance, until these, in a furious rage, rushed into their belligerent and unjusti-fiable attitude. Among the most hesitant of Frenchmen, when it came to the actual pointof ope

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