HIST 206 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Ems Dispatch, Benjamin Disraeli, Pan-Slavism
Document Summary
In order to really unite germany, was to find a common enemy. But how to turn france into an enemy. Had to be 1 on 1 so other powers cant intervene. Spanish thrown became vacant b/c of domestic revolution in spain. Turned to a monarch in prussia ( some kid name william) News of this secret offer leaked to napoleon and he was mad. He was also woried that a german king will give prussia control of spain. Wanted prussia to reject the crown, and william was like meh. Not good enough for napolean, he wanted a definite reply, but william didn"t want to give a definite answer and he told him that through a telegram. Bismarck edited the telegram (ems dispatch) to make it sound worse than what it actually was so that the french public opinion would get mad. Prussia public opinion got mad at france and they were ready to go to war with them too.
