Alsace-Lorraine

In Short

This work is a passionate political argument and historical defense of the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine as an integral part of France. Written in 1917 by a former representative of these regions in the German Reichstag, the text details the persistent, failed efforts of the German Empire to assimilate the population after the 1871 annexation. By documenting the cultural, political, and social disconnect between the native inhabitants and their occupiers, it makes a case for "disannexation," positioning the provinces as a crucial moral symbol in the broader conflict of the First World War.

The Story

The narrative arc of the book begins with the 1871 Treaty of Frankfort, an event that forced Alsace and Lorraine into the German Empire at the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War. The author frames this act not merely as a boundary change, but as a fundamental "crime" that violated the will of the inhabitants. From the outset, the book establishes that the provinces were never a political entity before this date; while they had historically held loose ties to the Holy Roman Empire, they had been integrated into the French nation for centuries, fully embracing its democratic ideals and republican spirit during the Revolution of 1789.

The middle portion of the book examines the forty-seven years of German occupation. The author systematically dismantles the German claim that the regions were culturally German due to their language or heritage. He argues that the local dialect—a mixture of German and French—is distinct from Hochdeutsch, and that the prevalence of German names in the region does not equate to a shared national sentiment. Instead, he portrays the German administration as a clumsy, authoritarian machine that failed to win the hearts or minds of its subjects. He highlights the "Saverne affair," where military heavy-handedness against civilians confirmed to the populace that they lived in an occupied, enemy territory.

As the narrative progresses toward the eruption of the Great War, the tension between the "immigrant" German population—concentrated in cities like Metz and Strasbourg—and the native inhabitants reaches a breaking point. The author tracks the consistent, silent resistance of the Alsatians, who maintained their French identity through education, social clubs, and the defiant celebration of French holidays. He shares heart-wrenching accounts of thousands of young men who, rather than serve in the German army, chose to flee across the border to join the French Foreign Legion.

The conclusion is a firm, unwavering call to action. With the First World War raging, the author argues that the return of these provinces to France is not only a matter of justice for the "lost children" of the mother country but a global necessity. He contends that the German policy of rule by force has proven itself a failure, leading to a state where the occupiers themselves admit they reside in an enemy country. The book ends by appealing to the democratic conscience of the United States and the Allied powers, insisting that a lasting peace cannot be achieved until the "crime of '71" is rectified and the provinces are restored to their rightful sovereignty within a democratic France.

How It Unfolds

The historical foundation The author establishes the deep-rooted ties between the provinces and France, tracing the voluntary integration of Alsace and Lorraine from the sixteenth century through the French Revolution. He emphasizes that the residents were fully aligned with French democratic values long before the 1871 conflict.

The anatomy of the occupation The focus shifts to the administrative realities of the Reichsland, detailing how the German Empire utilized a military-heavy governance structure. The author explains that even when constitutional reforms were offered, they remained shams designed to ensure Prussian control over local life.

The failure of assimilation The narrative documents the persistent cultural resistance of the native population against German Kultur. Through statistics and personal observations, the author shows how language, social habits, and the exodus of citizens demonstrated a rejection of the new regime.

The escalation of the crisis The book examines the growing friction leading up to the First World War, culminating in the Saverne incident. This event exposed the unbridgeable gap between the military authorities and the civilian populace, cementing the image of the Germans as an alien, hostile presence.

The final plea for justice The text concludes with the wartime reality of the provinces, where young men chose to fight for France despite the risk of being labeled traitors. The argument culminates in the conviction that the return of the provinces is a moral imperative for the survival of global democracy.

The People

The book is driven by the clash between the native Alsatians and the German administrators. The native Alsatians are defined by their democratic character and deep, voluntary loyalty to France; they are the "lost children" who reject the "barbarism" of the occupier. Their primary struggle is to survive under a regime that ignores their history, and they emerge from this struggle as martyrs for the French cause.

The German Kaiser and his Prussian officials represent the antagonist force. Driven by a philosophy that the state exists to dominate the individual, they seek to "germanize" the population through force, censorship, and economic manipulation. Their failure is total; as the author notes, they remain outsiders even after four decades of rule.

General von Falkenhayn and Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg appear as figures of frustration, representing a state that realizes too late that force cannot conquer a people’s soul. They are contrasted with Deputy von Calker, an immigrant who tried for years to build a bridge between the two populations, only to finally admit in the Reichstag that his efforts had resulted in nothing. Finally, the American people are cast as the potential saviors; the author looks to them as the necessary force to tip the scales, helping the Allies to vindicate democracy and liberate the provinces from the "Prussianized" military autocracy that has held them hostage.

In Its Own Voice

"The Alsatians remained faithful to their ideals and to the policy expressed in their protest."

(The author describes the persistent, non-violent resistance of the local population against the German occupation.)

"The Alsatian and the Lorrainer leaned always toward French culture, and from the moment they were politically separated from the Holy Empire they had nothing more in common with German Kultur."

(This statement summarizes the author’s argument regarding the fundamental cultural divide between the provinces and the German Empire.)

What It's Really About

The book explores the conflict between two distinct ideals of statehood: the democratic tradition, where the state serves the people, versus the autocratic model of Prussian militarism, where the people serve the state. Beyond the specific geography of Alsace-Lorraine, the argument concerns the legitimacy of sovereignty. The author posits that a territory cannot be truly "owned" if the population rejects the occupier’s identity. It is a treatise on the nature of patriotism and the endurance of culture under the threat of systematic erasure. The central question is whether a modern, "civilized" power has the right to treat a conquered people as mere spoils of war or if the collective will of a region acts as an immutable, legal, and moral barrier to annexation.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of nationalism, the origins of the First World War, or the evolution of the European borderlands will find this a vital primary source. It provides a rare, firsthand perspective from a man who served within the very government he eventually sought to dismantle. The writing is urgent, earnest, and deeply rooted in the political rhetoric of 1917, reflecting the high stakes of a world at war.

A modern reader should be prepared for the book's intense, one-sided partisanship. The author writes with the zeal of a man whose home was occupied, and he makes little effort to present the German perspective as anything other than a destructive, "barbarous" imposition. While the language is sophisticated, the historical context assumes a familiarity with European political figures of the era. The text is not a neutral history; it is a polemic. Yet, this is precisely what gives the book its enduring power. It captures the specific emotional landscape of a people caught between empires—a feeling of displacement and longing that still echoes in modern discussions of self-determination. It is an honest, if blunt, look at how an identity is forged in the face of an existential threat, and why some loyalties remain, even when the borders on the map suggest otherwise.