TFSmith121
Banned
As was said "Europe had lost a mistress and gained a master"
As was said "Europe had lost a mistress and gained a master" ... so possibly, yes.
Remember, although the Three Emperor's League was formed in 1873, as soon as the 1875 "war in sight" crisis the British and Russians protested, and the Germans recognized as strong as they were, they weren't that strong, which is what led to the next stage, the permanent alliance system in the 1880s, and even that did not lead to war until a quarter century later and an entirely different generation.
Given that Wilhelm I, Fritz, and Bismarck were content with the results of 1871, my takeaway is they got everything they reasonably thought was possible.
Best,
Without a spring campaign, it's just a question of degree when they sue for peace. When the French ask for terms, demand an indemnity of ten billion francs instead of five, permanent military reduction, turning over colonies, etc. The peace the Germans got was certainly less than ideal, making a war of revenge on two fronts inevitable without qualitatively limiting France's war-making capacity. What's the absolute most the Germans can get away with? If the war continues 4 months after OTL armistice, do the foreign powers intervene? etc
As was said "Europe had lost a mistress and gained a master" ... so possibly, yes.
Remember, although the Three Emperor's League was formed in 1873, as soon as the 1875 "war in sight" crisis the British and Russians protested, and the Germans recognized as strong as they were, they weren't that strong, which is what led to the next stage, the permanent alliance system in the 1880s, and even that did not lead to war until a quarter century later and an entirely different generation.
Given that Wilhelm I, Fritz, and Bismarck were content with the results of 1871, my takeaway is they got everything they reasonably thought was possible.
Best,