# Siege of Paris begins (1870)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1870-siege-of-paris-begins
Location: Paris
Categories: battle

German armies encircled the capital during the final phase of the war. Within the broader Third Republic period, The Third Republic survived war, the Commune, constitutional crises and fierce ideological conflict. It expanded mass schooling and empire, faced the Dreyfus Affair, fought World War I and entered the troubled interwar era. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Government of National Defence (Collective executive). Siege of Paris begins mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Siege of Paris begins mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed.

Ruler at the time: [Government of National Defence](https://history-france.com/rulers/government-of-national-defence)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Siege of Paris begins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Siege+of+Paris+begins&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Siege of Paris begins](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Siege+of+Paris+begins)
- [Vie-publique — French institutions and history](https://www.vie-publique.fr/)