The dispute over Alsace Lorraine

In 1870-71 the German army attacked France. The Germans won this short war. As a ‘prize’ they took the regions of Alsace and Lorraine from France. The Germans claimed that they were rightfully German, the majority of people living here were French however. The French were very upset by this and wanted the land back. They were also fearful of the Germans attacking again.

The consequences of the Franco-German war (the war between France and Germany) were that France became suspicious and mistrustful of the Germans. They made sure that they had a large army and lots of defences to stop invasions. This in turn kept the Germans suspicious of the intentions of the French.

Causes of the First World War