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The French indemnity was the indemnity the French Third Republic paid to the German Empire after the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. ==Background== An armistice was concluded on 28 January 1871 to allow elections to the French National Assembly. A preliminary peace was signed on 26 February with the Treaty of Frankfurt signed on 10 May.〔A. J. P. Taylor, ''The Struggle for Mastery in Europe 1848-1918'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983), p. 317.〕 The Prussian State Ministry on 8 February recommended an indemnity of 1 billion thaler (3 billion francs), 95% of which would be paid to the army. The Prussian Finance Minister Otto von Camphausen said: The German nation had after all suffered so many additional losses in blood and material goods which are beyond all accounting that it is entirely justified to assess the price of the war generously and in addition to the estimated sum to demand an appropriate surcharge for the incalculable damages.〔Jonathan Steinberg, ''Bismarck: A Life'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), p. 309.〕 The Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck sent his personal banker Gerson von Bleichröder to negotiate between the French government and French financial circles.〔 Adolphe Thiers, the head of the French provisional government, offered an indemnity of 1.5 billion francs and claimed that France would be unable to pay 5 billion. Bismarck responded by saying that the Prussian Army would occupy France, "we will see if ''we'' can get 5 billion franc from it".〔Geoffrey Wawro, ''The Franco-Prussian War: The German Conquest of France in 1870-1871'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), p. 305.〕 Bismarck wrote that "France being the richest country in Europe, nothing could keep her quiet but effectually to empty her pockets".〔 The French National Assembly ratified the terms by 546 votes to 107.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「French indemnity」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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