WI British Intervention in the Franco-Prussian War

[ManchesterLad]

In 1870, Gladstone was Prime Minister and kept Britain firmly isolationist. He had a policy of not intervening, such as in Sudan etc. And when Prussia declared war on France, Gladstone didn't intervene as he believed in self-determinisation for the German people, as the Italian, and was all for German unification. However, what if Disraeli was prime minister in this period, who urged Gladstone to intervene and Britain aided the French so as to preserve the balance of power in Europe? What would the ramifications have been? would germany still have unified? would we see a first world war with France as world enemy number one?

 

[Anderman]

Prussia didn´t declare war on France, France declared war on Prussia. And Bismarck gave the Times in London the letters of Nappy III in which he make Prussia the proposal to partition Belgium between them. So unlikely that Great Britain would intervene as long Prussia stays out of Belgium.

 

[ManchesterLad]

Prussia didn´t declare war on France, France declared war on Prussia. And Bismarck gave the Times in London the letters of Nappy III in which he make Prussia the proposal to partition Belgium between them. So unlikely that Great Britain would intervene as long Prussia stays out of Belgium.

well, my history teacher's a dick for telling me wrong haha
but, let us say that the Prussian's are halted in Alsace Lorraine. And they then go through Belgium, or whatever to try and reach paris.

 

[Eurofed]

well, my history teacher's a dick for telling me wrong haha
but, let us say that the Prussian's are halted in Alsace Lorraine. And they then go through Belgium, or whatever to try and reach paris.

Bismarck knows far better than to try such a scheme, he knows it would make Britain turn against Prussia/Germany. He would make a compromise peace rather than invade Belgium.

If Britain somehow intervenes in the Franco-Prussian War, it shall be on the side of Prussia. In 1870, it thought that Nappy III was the threat to the European equilibrium, not Bismarck.

 

[ManchesterLad]

Bismarck knows far better than to try such a scheme, he knows it would make Britain turn against Prussia/Germany. He would make a compromise peace rather than invade Belgium.

If Britain somehow intervenes in the Franco-Prussian War, it shall be on the side of Prussia. In 1870, it thought that Nappy III was the threat to the European equilibrium, not Bismarck.

ah i see, so even when Prussia was shitting all over France, and it looked set for Germany to be united, would there be no chance of intervention then?

 

[Eurofed]

ah i see, so even when Prussia was shitting all over France, and it looked set for Germany to be united, would there be no chance of intervention then?

As long as Germany does not try to turn France in its fiefdom, no. The outcome of the F-P war adjusts the European balance of power in Germany's favor, but does not destroy it. From Britain's PoV, Germany replaced France as the new top land power on the continent, just like France replaced Russia after the Crimean War. It's no matter Britain needs to get in a panic about. It's main concern about Europe in this age remains how to keep the Russian Bear off the Balkans and the Middle East. Don't try to copy and paste 1914 attitudes on 1870.

The only way I can see Britain threatening an intervention in the F-P war against Germany is if the war expands to a general European war (Austria intervenes on the side of France, Italy and Russia intervene on the side of Prussia/Germany), Turkey gets somehow involved on the side of France and Austria, and the I-G-R alliance threatens to march on Constantinople.