What is the difference between Alsace and Alsace-Lorraine?
Alsace–Lorraine is a historical region, now called Alsace–Moselle, located in France. It was created in 1871 by the German Empire after seizing the region from the Second French Empire in the Franco-Prussian War and Treaty of Frankfurt.
What was Alsace-Lorraine and why was it important to France?
Alsace-Lorraine was a border region located between the Rhine River and the Vosges Mountains. Its role in French wartime propaganda, its geographic location, and its tumultuous recent history all combined to give the region a distinct experience of the First World War.
What did the Germans have to do with Alsace and Lorraine?
Under German rule, Alsace-Lorraine was classified as a Reichsland (imperial state) and was denied effective self-government until 1902.
Is Alsace-Lorraine more German or French?
Alsace is not Germany, but not quite France either Even though Alsace is part of France, it is sometimes perceived as a cultural exception, in part due to its long periods spent under German influence. In 1871, Alsace was annexed to the new German Empire following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War.
Does Alsace-Lorraine speak German?
The official language of Alsace is French. That makes sense, as it’s in France. German, however, is taught in all schools, simply because the proximity to Germany means it’s a very practical necessity.
Why did France care so much about Alsace-Lorraine?
The idea of getting Alsace and Lorraine back was used to fire up the nationalism of the young French men going to war. 1.5 million French dead and four years later, the two departments were French again. I can track back my family in Alsace-Lorraine as far as the 17th century. In 1870 they left to remain French.
Why was Alsace-Lorraine returned to France?
The area was ceded by France to Germany in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War. It was returned to France after World War I, occupied by the Germans in World War II, then again restored to France. French prewar governmental policies that had clashed with the region’s particularism have since been modified.
Do Germans still live in Alsace-Lorraine?
The total population of Alsace was 1.9 million in 2014 and that of Lorraine 2.3 million. According to France’s Culture Ministry, there are 650,000 Alsatian dialect speakers, as well as 230,000 people who speak it occasionally. It is estimated that as much as a half of the population speaks German dialect.
Do people still speak German in Alsace-Lorraine?
Why did Prussia want Alsace-Lorraine?
Well, initially Germany mainly wanted Alsace-Lorraine to act as a buffer zone in the event of any future wars with France. The area contains the Vosges Mountains, which would be much more defensible than the Rhine River if the French ever attempted to invade.