When the leaders of the French Third Republic rejected Prussia’s cease-fire terms during the Franco-Prussian War, the city of Paris became the focus for a new round of fighting. The French capital endured a siege of more than four months before the defending garrison finally capitulated. The city’s fall ended the conflict and confirmed Prussia’s status as the dominant military power on the Continent.
The surrender of Emperor Napoleon III’s army—and of Napoleon himself—at Sedan
The republic’s initial government was makeshift in many respects; General Louis Jules Trochu, who had been named military governor of Paris on August 17, was elevated to the post of president in the newly created Government of National Defense. Jules Favre
Bismarck demanded that France cede the entire province of Alsace and the northern portion of the province of Lorraine, including the city of Metz. His terms were indignantly rejected by Favre
Trochu’s halfhearted defense contrasted sharply, however, with the energy shown by his military and ministerial colleagues. General Auguste Ducrot
However, Gambetta’s charisma and oratorical talents bore some fruit, and a large though ill-trained army was formed at Tours and won a victory at Coulmiers on November 9. Inside Paris, a “grand sortie” was planned to coordinate with this army’s advance, and on November 28, Ducrot was to launch his offensive. All went awry: Trochu and Gambetta were only vaguely aware of each other’s movements, so they were never able to coordinate their efforts. The crown prince was able to discern the intentions of the French, and he anticipated the attack. Meanwhile, flooding on the River Marne delayed operations for one crucial day. On November 29, Ducrot’s
The sortie of late November marked the last serious attempt by France to lift the siege of its capital. Thereafter, it became a matter of waiting for events that never materialized. Shortages within the beleaguered capital became acute. Nearly all the animals in the Paris Zoo were devoured, and meat from dogs, horses, cats, and even rats became regular fare displayed in butcher shops. Deaths from malnutrition, disease, and (as winter commenced) the elements rose dramatically—particularly among children. Nonetheless, by January, 1871, the dynamics of the situation were beginning to work against Germany. News of the privations of the citizens of Paris was starting to capture the sympathy of the outside world, and the Germans were increasingly perceived as heavy-handed and brutal.
To forestall imminent intervention by Great Britain, Russia, and the United States by speedily breaking down Parisian resistance, Bismarck ordered massive deliberate artillery bombing of civilians. Although internationally condemned, the bombardment had the desired effect. On January 22, 1871, the largely moribund Trochu, who seemed intent on enduring the siege regardless of the circumstances, was replaced by General Joseph Vinoy
Otto von Bismarck (left), Adolphe Thiers (center), and Jules Favre negotiating peace terms.
The bloody, exhausting Siege of Paris and the resulting humiliation of France left in its wake a climate of anger and recrimination and set the stage for the horrific Communard Revolution in Paris that spring. In the long term, though, the heroic defense of the French capital redeemed much of the shame arising out of the debacle of Sedan
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Badsey, Stephen. The Franco-Prussian War, 1870-1871. London: Osprey, 2003. This study of the Franco-Prussian War is succinct and accessible to lay readers. -
Becker, George J., ed. Paris Under Siege, 1870-1871: From the Goncourt Journal. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1969. Edited version of one of the best-known and most lucidly written firsthand accounts of the siege. -
Bury, J. P. T. Gambetta and the National Defense: A Republican Dictatorship in France. New York: Howard Fertig, 1970. Analytical study of the political figure who most energetically contributed to the anti-German resistance. -
Christiansen, Rupert. Paris Babylon: The Story of the Paris Commune. New York: Penguin Books, 1996. Although this volume concerns itself more with the Paris Commune, it nonetheless contains as background one hundred pages of useful information on the Siege of Paris. -
Horne, Alistair. The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune. New York: Penguin Books, 1981. The most thorough rendition of the diplomatic and political maneuverings relating to the siege, which are effectively tied into the military action. Bismarck is depicted in a less-than-creditable light. -
Kranzberg, Melvin. The Siege of Paris, 1870-1871: A Political and Social History. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1971. A more succinct account than that of Horne, but one that is equally insightful and judicious in its use of sources. -
Stone, David J. A. “First Reich”: Inside the German Army During the War with France, 1870-1871. London: Brassey’s, 2002. Studies the Franco-Prussian War and the Siege of Paris from the point of view of the German soldiers investing the capital.
Louis Napoleon Bonaparte Becomes Emperor of France
North German Confederation Is Formed
Franco-Prussian War
Battle of Sedan
German States Unite Within German Empire
Third French Republic Is Established
Paris Commune
Otto von Bismarck; Léon Gambetta; Napoleon III; Adolphe Thiers.