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Events on Tuesday 19 July 1870 2
1870 – 1871Franco-Prussian WarFall of the Second EmpireThe conflict that led to the collapse of Napoleon III's rule and the unification of Germany.
1870Franco-Prussian War BeginsFrance declares war on PrussiaFrance declared war on Prussia on 19 July 1870 after tensions over the Hohenzollern candidacy for the Spanish throne and the Ems Dispatch. The conflict pitted France against Prussia and its German allies. Prussian victories led to the collapse of the French Second Empire within weeks.