The clash of two extraordinary personalities--Otto von Bismarck and Napoleon III--drives this account of the events leading up to the Franco-Prussian War, one of the most momentous and decisive conflicts in the history of Europe. David Wetzel tells how this utterly avoidable war unfolded in the brief, eventful days of July 1870, ushering in an era of power politics that would reach its apocalyptic climax in World War I. Hotheaded militarists, high-minded statesmen, scheming opportunists, impassioned nationalists and sensationalist newspapers all played their part as the European powers of the era--France, Germany, England, Austria, Spain, Italy and Russia--jockeyed for advantage. Amidst this swirl of national and personal ambitions Wetzel brings Bismarck, Napoleon III and their intimate circles to life, depicting for present-day readers the tremendous strains working upon them, their preoccupations, motives, judgments and their ultimate decisions. A duel of giants offers a wealth of telling detail drawn from personal memoirs, official records, cabinet minutes, journalistic accounts, private notes and public statements.