exercised in companies. They would be outmanoeuvred and shot to shreds in the battles of 1866, which are well analysed.In 1870, Moltke used even better railways to envelop the French Army of the Rhine, but faced an opponent with a better rifle and better marksmen. Though the French had fewer troops than the Prussians, their long-service conscripts were hardier and better shots, thanks to the Chassepot rifle. Here artillery proved decisive. Between 1866 and 1870, the Prussians rearmed with a breech-loading, steel cannon. It was far superior to France's bronze muzzle-loaders, and the Krupp guns successfully scooped the French out of every defensive position they took up between Froeschwiller at the start of the war, and Sedan and Le Mans at the end.Any study of the German Wars of Unification must conclude with their consequences, and here Showalter's footing is as sure as anywhere else in the book. He reminds us of the influence of contingency, and he is careful not to overplay the genius of von Moltke, portraying him simply as a wise general willing to take calculated risks. Had the French or Austrians performed better, had the Russians or British pursued different policies, then 'history's cue might have tapped its balls into different pockets with no less aplomb' (341). But it did not, and we are left with the results as they were. Though victorious on the battlefield, Prussia-Germany lost the peace, spinning into isolation and manufactured antagonisms with the French, Russians and British. World wars and traumatic German defeats were the result.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.