In July 1870, war between Prussia and France erupted over the candida ture of a German prince to the Spanish throne, with far-reaching con sequences for the balance of power in Europe. Six weeks later, the German army decisively defeated the French at Sedan and captured the French emperor. Napoleon III. Although this victory precipitated the collapse of the Second French Empire, it did not end the war. Only after a four-month siege of Paris did the French surrender to the Germans on January 28, 1871. Between this date and the signing of the peace treaty at Frankfurt on May 10, both France and Germany underwent far-reaching changes in their governmental structure: the war and its aftermath created the Third French Republic and the Second German Reich.

~Excerpt~