Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Napoleon III ya yi ƙoƙarin tabbatar da sassauci na ƙasa daga ɓangarorin biyu kafin da bayan Yaƙin Austro-Prussian, amma duk da rawar da ya taka a matsayin mai shiga tsakani yayin tattaunawar zaman lafiya, ya ƙare ba tare da komai ba. Daga nan sai ya yi fatan cewa Austria za ta shiga cikin yaƙin ramuwa kuma cewa tsoffin abokanta - musamman jihohin kudancin Jamus na Baden, Württemberg, da Bavaria - za su shiga cikin lamarin. Wannan begen zai zama banza tun lokacin da yarjejeniyar 1866 ta fara aiki kuma ta haɗu da dukkan jihohin Jamus ta hanyar soja - idan ba da farin ciki ba - don yin yaƙi da Faransa. Maimakon yaƙin ramuwa da Prussia, wanda wasu abokan kawancen Jamus suka goyi baya, Faransa ta shiga cikin yaƙi da duk jihohin Jamus ba tare da abokan kawancen ta ba. Sake tsara rundunar soji ta von Roon da dabarun aiki na Moltke sun haɗu da Faransa tare da babban tasiri. Saurin motsi na Prussian ya mamaye Faransawa, da kuma ikon Prussian na tattara iko a takamaiman wurare - wanda ke tunatar da dabarun Napoleon I shekaru saba'in da suka gabata - ya mamaye motsi na Faransa. Yin amfani da hanyar jirgin kasa da aka shimfiɗa da kyau, an kai sojojin Prussian zuwa wuraren yaƙi da hutawa da shirye-shiryen yaƙi, yayin da sojojin Faransa ke tafiya da nisa don isa wuraren yaƙi. Bayan wasu fadace-fadace, musamman
A Spicheren, Wörth, Mars la Tour, da Gravelotte, Prussians sun ci manyan sojojin Faransa kuma sun ci gaba zuwa babban birnin Metz da babban birnin Faransa na Paris. Sun kama Napoleon III kuma sun dauki sojojin gaba daya a matsayin fursunoni a Sedan a ranar 1 ga Satumba, 1870.