He is one of those men of quality with which France swarmed in the 19th century, and whose name the general public has not remembered.
Louis Lacroix was professor of history at the faculty of Nancy when the Franco-German war of 1870, the defeat and the invasion occurred.
He left a precious journal on this great misfortune, the matrix of the two world wars and the omnipresence of Germany in French concerns.
We must also give thanks to the heritage service of the Libraries of Nancy, which made this moving testimony accessible.
To read also:
"150 years ago, the Franco-German war of 1870 and the amazement of the defeated French"
"The hope of keeping the peace is over,"
wrote Louis Lacroix on July 15, 1870, when Paris' declaration of war in Berlin was imminent.
"We regret that the declaration of war is our responsibility, but we put the provocation to the account of Prussia, and we agree in saying that in any case, it would not be patriotic to disavow the government"
( July 18).
Reporting on the state of minds around him, Louis
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