1871 A NEW POLITICAL AND STRATEGIC SITUATION
SUMMARY :
⟩ HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION
⟩ DESCRIPTION OF THE FESTE
⟩ PICTURES
⟩ GERMAN AND FRENCH FORTIFICATIONS 1870-1945
⟩ 1871 A NEW POLITICAL AND STRATEGIC SITUATION
⟩ 1871-183 THE ERA OF DETACHED FORTS
⟩ 1883 THE BRISANCE SHELL CRISIS
⟩ 1886 REINFORCEMENTS: CONCRETE AND MANY MODIFICATIONS
⟩ 1893 THE ARMOURED FORTIFICATION
⟩ 1897 THE SPEADED FORTIFICATION
⟩ 1914 TRIAL BY FIRE
⟩ 1920-1939 DEFENSIVE LINES
⟩ 1939-1945 THE END OF FORTIFIED SYSTEMS
1871 A new political and strategic situation.
The Peace Treaty of Frankfurt signed on 10 May 1871 settled the accounts of the French defeat. Among other things, it stipulated the annexation of Alsace and the German-speaking part of Lorraine to the new German Empire, created in 1871 at Versailles; 223 years after their annexation by Louis XIV in 1648.
The consequences of the war of 1870 were an exacerbation of nationalism and industrial and colonial rivalries.
Far from working for peace, the European states prepared for war : armaments programs, the development of the navy and the construction of a large number of new fortifications throughout Europe were the consequences.
France traumatized by the defeat of the war.
Analysis of the course of the war has highlighted the cruel lack of fortifications capable of delaying the rapid offensives made possible by the railway. In addition, the delay in the deployment of the French rail network resulted in a much longer mobilization than in Germany.
The Treaty of Frankfurt attached Alsace and the German-speaking part of Lorraine to the new German Empire, resulting in the loss of two major strongholds, Metz and Strasbourg.
The organization of the defense of the border will become the top priority in France.
Proclamation of the German Reich in Versailles.
The coalition of the German states under the leadership of Prussia brought the victory of 1870 and created the conditions for the proclamation of the German Empire. But Germany, surrounded by the Entente (France, England, and Russia), had to prepare for a war on two fronts.
The fortresses will be designed to repel possible enemy offensives for at least 3 months to allow the transfer of reinforcements from one front to the other. They also had to free up troops, as the balance of power was unfavorable to the Reich: 4.2 million German soldiers against 9.5 million on the side of the Entente.
They will also have to play an important role in preparing future offensives, which are the only ones capable of bringing a victory. The crucial question lies in the choice of the direction in which the offensive should take place, to the east or to the west.