ABSTRACT
International affairs between 1865 and 1871 were dominated by three issues, two of which were closely interwoven. The unification of Germany under Prussian leadership was a triumph for Bismarckian diplomacy, but its success depended on the nature of the French response to the aggrandizement of Prussia. Prussia’s unexpectedly rapid victory over Austria in 1866 altered the balance of power in central Europe without any corresponding advantages for France. The French attempt to correct the imbalance led to a crisis in Franco-Prussian relations by 1867, sometimes called the ‘Western Question’. Although this interacted with Austro-Russian disputes over developments in the Ottoman empire – the Eastern Question – France was unable to capitalize on the situation by securing an alliance with Russia.
