<Li> Loigny et Poupry </Li> <Ul> <Li> Belgian reaction </Li> <Li> Paris Commune </Li> </Ul> <P> The Franco - Prussian War or Franco - German War (German: Deutsch - Französischer Krieg, French: Guerre franco - allemande), often referred to in France as the War of 1870 (19 July 1870--10 May 1871) or in Germany as 70 / 71, was a conflict between the Second French Empire of Napoleon III and the German states of the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia . The conflict was caused by Prussian ambitions to extend German unification and French fears of the shift in the European balance of power that would result if the Prussians succeeded . Some historians argue that the Prussian chancellor Otto von Bismarck deliberately provoked a French attack in order to draw the independent southern German states--Baden, Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse - Darmstadt--into an alliance with the North German Confederation dominated by Prussia, while others contend that Bismarck did not plan anything and merely exploited the circumstances as they unfolded . None, however, dispute the fact that von Bismarck must have recognized the potential for new German alliances, given the situation as a whole . </P> <P> On 16 July 1870, the French parliament voted to declare war on the German Kingdom of Prussia and hostilities began three days later . The German coalition mobilised its troops much more quickly than the French and rapidly invaded northeastern France . The German forces were superior in numbers, had better training and leadership and made more effective use of modern technology, particularly railroads and artillery . </P>

Why did france declare war on prussia in 1870