What if France won the Franco-Prussian War?
I’ve been working on a scenario where France can win the Franco‑Prussian War. The idea is that Niel survives long enough to finish his reforms, so France can go into the war with better artillery, a real general staff, and a mobilization system that actually works. France also might avoid rushing into war after the Ems Dispatch, which would give them a diplomatic edge.
In this version, the French army can hold together instead of collapsing. They could stop the Prussian advance, push back along the Moselle, and force Prussia into accepting peace by early 1872. That means no German unification.
From there, Prussia might turn bitter and ultra‑nationalist, France can stay the main continental power, and the balance in Europe can shift with Russia pushing harder into the Balkans, Austria regaining influence, and the colonial map changing too. By the early 1900s, Europe could split into two tense blocs, with a Balkan crisis triggering an earlier great‑power war.
I’m curious what people think; this is my first video: