Léon Gambetta summary

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Léon Gambetta, (born April 2, 1838, Cahors, France—died Dec. 31, 1882, Ville-d’Avray, near Paris), French republican statesman who helped found the Third Republic. He became famous as a lawyer defending republican critics of the Second Empire and was elected to the legislative assembly in 1869. He helped direct the defense of France during the Franco-Prussian War and played a principal role in the provisional government formed after Napoleon III’s capture in 1870. He used his persuasive skill to push for ratification of the Constitutional Laws of 1875, which became the basis of the new parliamentary republic. As president of the Chamber of Deputies (1879–81) and premier (1881–82), he continued his advocacy of democratic ideals and national unity.

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Franco-German War Summary

Franco-German War, (July 19, 1870–May 10, 1871), war in which a coalition of German states led by Prussia defeated France. The war marked the end of French hegemony in continental Europe and resulted in the creation of a unified Germany. Prussia’s defeat of Austria in the Seven Weeks’ War in 1866

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