Franco-Prussian War. Otto Bismarck against Napoleon III. 1870-1871

British military historian, professor at the University of Oxford dedicated his work to the military conflict between the empire of Napoleon III and the German states led by Prussia. The war, provoked by the Prussian Chancellor O. Bismarck and formally initiated by Napoleon III, ended in the defeat and collapse of France, as a result of which Prussia was able to transform the North German Confederation into a unified German Empire. While working on the book, the author researched and drew on a colossal amount of scientific and documentary material and offered his view on the causes and consequences of this war. Howard analyzed the condition of the enemy's troops, including their structure, armament, and technology, provided a vivid description of the battles, and presented a gallery of portraits of key figures in the events, including Wilhelm I, Bismarck, Leopold Hohenzollern, Benedetti, and others. In conclusion, the scholar notes that Germany's great victory subsequently turned into a disaster, both for itself and for the rest of the world.