Random fact: French homosexuals imposed a weapons embargo on Turkey in 1934 while poles sold us fighter aircraft. Now Turkey is repaying the favor with Bayraktars.
The map is wrong. Alsace-Lorraine as it was understood back then, as in the portion of it under German rule, was limited to the modern-day departments of Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and Moselle.
As for your question, the French wanted it back, of course. It also helped that most of the people there (not all of them, of course, but a healthy majority) wanted to return to France, too.
Why would they? They won and wanted it back. It would have been smart if they for example let Germany at least keep Alsace to prevent future conflic but France really wanted to gain controll of at least Saarland and even the Rhineland if they could. Which they did with the demilitarized zone which they later invaded.
They should have organised a referendum, outlining their plans for the region and asking the people if they would rather remain with Germany,be indépendant or rejoin France.
This would have been the fairest way to deal with the situation.
If we're talking post-Franco-Prussian War - yeah, a referendum would never happen.
Bismarck was against annexing any French territory. He fully understood doing so would give France a permanent hate boner against Prussia/German Empire. It was the reason why he never pursued annexing any Austro-Hungarian lands, because nations can get over a lost war or two but not the shame of having core lands of your 'natural frontiers' be annexed.
But the southern German states, specifically Wuttenburg-Baden and Bavaria, wanted a buffer against France so they wouldn't be the frontline of any future Franco-German War and Bismarck had to oblige if he wanted them in the German Empire. Hence why the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine.
However it is true that a buffer state would have been a good idea to prevent German presence on the west bank of the Rhine. An independent Rhineland, or a Rhineland split between Luxembourg and Belgium (plus saarland to France maybe) would have been an ideal solution to cripple Germany juuuust enough to prevent a repeat of WW1
taking german ethnic territory without due cause is absolutely not the way to prevent wwii
alsace-lorraine is one thing given how long it had been french but shit like the saarland is ridiculous
an independent rhineland/alsatia would have been aesthetic though, especially with the promise that it would be allowed to vote on its future in like 30 years
Better solution: Belgium and Luxembourg are absorbed by France as they should be, and there’s no stupid flip-flopping and dick fumbling about whether or not they’re neutral (the Germans don’t care), if it would it be bad optics if the French army crossed the borders, and bickering about where the decisive battle will be fought.
taking german ethnic territory without due cause is absolutely not the way to prevent wwii
alsace-lorraine is one thing given how long it had been french but shit like the saarland is ridiculous
an independent rhineland/alsatia would have been aesthetic though, especially with the promise that it would be allowed to vote on its future in like 30 years
would have been aesthetic though
After winning1871 war. newly formed Germany should given land of alsace-lorraine to Luxembourg and Switzerland.
only if flanders goes to the netherlands frenchie
throw in french flanders and let the dutch take a few bits of germany and you've got an ally for life (or until the next great war)
>some prussian slav calls alsatians wacken before ww1 >alsatians become french nationalists and welcome french occupation after ww1
did I get that right?
Because France won WW1 and wanted it back?
>frog hand
Where's the lie?
Because the French people living there were fine with it?
Random fact: French homosexuals imposed a weapons embargo on Turkey in 1934 while poles sold us fighter aircraft. Now Turkey is repaying the favor with Bayraktars.
What are you even talking about, you Turkish schizo
The map is wrong. Alsace-Lorraine as it was understood back then, as in the portion of it under German rule, was limited to the modern-day departments of Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and Moselle.
As for your question, the French wanted it back, of course. It also helped that most of the people there (not all of them, of course, but a healthy majority) wanted to return to France, too.
Why would they? They won and wanted it back. It would have been smart if they for example let Germany at least keep Alsace to prevent future conflic but France really wanted to gain controll of at least Saarland and even the Rhineland if they could. Which they did with the demilitarized zone which they later invaded.
They should have organised a referendum, outlining their plans for the region and asking the people if they would rather remain with Germany,be indépendant or rejoin France.
This would have been the fairest way to deal with the situation.
I imagine Germany wouldn't have let it happen.
If we're talking post-Franco-Prussian War - yeah, a referendum would never happen.
Bismarck was against annexing any French territory. He fully understood doing so would give France a permanent hate boner against Prussia/German Empire. It was the reason why he never pursued annexing any Austro-Hungarian lands, because nations can get over a lost war or two but not the shame of having core lands of your 'natural frontiers' be annexed.
But the southern German states, specifically Wuttenburg-Baden and Bavaria, wanted a buffer against France so they wouldn't be the frontline of any future Franco-German War and Bismarck had to oblige if he wanted them in the German Empire. Hence why the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine.
Previous posters have already answered.
However it is true that a buffer state would have been a good idea to prevent German presence on the west bank of the Rhine. An independent Rhineland, or a Rhineland split between Luxembourg and Belgium (plus saarland to France maybe) would have been an ideal solution to cripple Germany juuuust enough to prevent a repeat of WW1
taking german ethnic territory without due cause is absolutely not the way to prevent wwii
alsace-lorraine is one thing given how long it had been french but shit like the saarland is ridiculous
an independent rhineland/alsatia would have been aesthetic though, especially with the promise that it would be allowed to vote on its future in like 30 years
Better solution: Belgium and Luxembourg are absorbed by France as they should be, and there’s no stupid flip-flopping and dick fumbling about whether or not they’re neutral (the Germans don’t care), if it would it be bad optics if the French army crossed the borders, and bickering about where the decisive battle will be fought.
would have been aesthetic though
After winning1871 war. newly formed Germany should given land of alsace-lorraine to Luxembourg and Switzerland.
only if flanders goes to the netherlands frenchie
throw in french flanders and let the dutch take a few bits of germany and you've got an ally for life (or until the next great war)
>some prussian slav calls alsatians wacken before ww1
>alsatians become french nationalists and welcome french occupation after ww1
did I get that right?
pretty much
Belgium was intended as a buffer state and look what happened.
Everything west of the Rhine is rightful french clay, simple as.
Everything north of the Loire is rightfully German clay, simple as.
everything east of the atlantic is rightful anglo clay, simple as.
the rhine is the buffer