For centuries, Europe’s German centre had been politically fragmented and weak. The continent had been dominated by states on the periphery, whose interest was to maintain the power vacuum at the centre. Now, however, for the first time, the Germans were united under the leadership of Otto von Bismarck and launched a major invasion into France, which ended up destroying the balance of power on the continent.

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Music composed by Frederic Chopin - Mazurkas in C sharp minor, Poloniase nr 7 and Predule nr 10

Picture - Bismarck and Napoleon III

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