Bismarck wrote to Count Arnim on November 11, 1871:
We must desire the preservation of the republic in France for one final, and crucial, reason. Monarchical France was and always will be Catholic. Its policies gave it great influence in Europe, the Middle East, and even the Far East. One way to counteract its influence in favor of our own is to weaken Catholicism and the papacy, which is its head. If we can achieve this goal, France will be forever destroyed. The monarchy would hinder us in this endeavor. A radical republic will help us. I am undertaking a war against the Catholic Church that will be long and perhaps terrible. I will be accused of persecution. But it is necessary to weaken France and establish our religious and diplomatic supremacy, just as we have our military supremacy.
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