the french wanted to remove German from the land Germany had taken in war
France wanted Alsace-Lorraine back, as she had lost them during the 1870 Franco-Prussian War. The French Third Republic regained the territories when it sent troops to support an uprising there against the Germans in November 1918. The return of the Alsace-Lorraine region to French rule was formally recognized by the Treaty of Versailles.
Plan 17 was the French military plan of an immediate offensive by the French Army to invade Germany at the beginning of World War I. Since the end of the Franco-Prussian War, French nationalist public opinion was violently anti-German. Not only had France lost the Franco-Prussian War (the previous war with Germany) but Germany had seized Alsace-Lorraine and had incorporated it into the German Empire. The French were chomping at the bit to retake Alsace-Lorraine. The French also had a treaty with the Russian Empire, the Franco-Russian Alliance, to declare war against Germany if Germany declared war on Russia and vis versa, a German declaration of war against France would oblige Russia to declare war Germany. At the begining of World War I the German declaration of war against Russia on August 1st, 1914 according to the Franco-Russian Alliance necessitated immediate declaration of war in turn by France on Germany. Most sources such as the Wikipedia Timeline for World War I do not mention France's declaration of war against Germany. Other sources state August 4th for some reason (to portray France as the victim of agression most likely). In fact, France declared war and began to mobilize it's armies against Germany, in fullfillment of the Franco-Russian Aliiance, on August 3rd, 1914, four hours before Germany returned it's own the declaration of war on France according to the U.S. State Department (see: http://www.sacklunch.net/wwi/2.html ). With the French August 3rd declaration of war, Plan 17, was immediately implemented. The French Plan 17 called for a vigorous offensive into Lorraine and Alsace to recover the lost provinces for France. The French First army attacked to seize Mulhouse in Alsace and the Second Army to seize Metz in Lorraine. These attacks were a severe test of the French tactical system, a system which relied upon the offence a outrance, that is, the infantry assault would win the battle and the army with the most elan and vigor would carry the day with the bayonet charge! Unfortunately, high explosive and shrapnel shell, and the machine gun, made this a costly way of war in spite of the bravura of the French. These attacks, while initially successful, were driven back to the French frontier by 20-Aug, with heavy casualties. The first encounters with modern war, while shocking, did not deter the French Commander in Chief, General Joffre, from ordering the massive offensive by the three northern French Armies to begin on 23-Aug. This offensive, in a northeast direction into Lorraine and the Ardennes, commenced in spite of ominous intelligence that there was a massive German army marching westward, north of the Meuse River.This offensive smashed into the German Armies advancing east of the Meuse, and were driven back, toward the French fortified line between Verdun, Toul and Belfort (see: http://www.worldwar1.com/tlmob.htm ).
The French joined in WW1 along with the British side. They had been suffered a lot from the Germans. A lot of damaged properties, big loss of soldiers etc. The government was very pissed off with the germans. Later on by 1919, the treaty of Versaille, when the Germans lost the War, France was invited to the conference as we had known as "the big three" (britain and USA too). This was a great oppurtunity for the French to revenge. They got the Germans to accept the "war guilt" and Germany lost their land to mostly France, Germany also had to pay a lot for reparations. Basically France wanted to weaken the German army.
Some of the long term causes are - the arms race between Germany and Britain, the alliances (Triple alliance & triple entente) Some of the short term causes are- the invasion of Belgium by Germany, the French Colonies
Initially it was Plan 17. The French believed that if they drove straight into Germany through Alsace and Lorraine, using the fighting spirit "elan" of their soldiers and not relying on technology, they would quickly defeat the Germans. Losses on both sides were heavy and their assault quickly, like elsewhere on the western front, slowed down eventually resorting to trench warfare. After that, it was to not lose. Heavy reparations for Germany Taking Germany's colonies
the french wanted to remove German from the land Germany had taken in war
the french wanted to remove German from the land Germany had taken in war
the french wanted to remove German from the land Germany had taken in war
The river Rhine forms the eastern border of the French region of Alsace. It does not border the region of Lorraine. Note: Alsace and Lorraine are two separate French Regions, not one region.
Alsace-Lorraine
the french had to girve up a lot of land Alsace & Lorraine.
alsace-lorraine
France was in a fight with Italy between Alsace and Lorraine. This dispute was territorial. Italy wanted to claim Alsace and Lorraine as theirs and yet France would not allow it.
The French regions of Alsace and Lorraine form the border with Germany. Historically, these regions, especially Alsace, have had a large percentage of German speakers and are a cultural French-German hybrid.
As per the Treaty of Versailles, Alsace-Lorraine was guaranteed a plebiscite which the French did not honor, instead outright annexing the territory. Germany later defeated France and occupied (but did not annex) Alsace-Lorraine during World War 2.
France wanted Alsace-Lorraine back, as she had lost them during the 1870 Franco-Prussian War. The French Third Republic regained the territories when it sent troops to support an uprising there against the Germans in November 1918. The return of the Alsace-Lorraine region to French rule was formally recognized by the Treaty of Versailles.
Napoleon III of France was forced to give up the territory of ALSACE-LORRAINE (in German - Elsass-Lohringen) to the new German Empire.