Hey at least he got the Spitfire into production..
One could argue that the Franco-Prussian War helped kick-off the First World War, which, in turn, led to the Second. The conflict accelerated German unification, and, under Prussian military influences, instilled a warmongering spirit into the German people which was only broken by their total defeat in 1945. French arrogance and ambitions did not help matters, either.