The treaty did the following: The treaty also established the terms for the following: The German military spoke up for control of the Alsace region, up to the Vosges (mountain range) and the area between Thionville (Diedenhofen) and Metz as a requirement for the protection of Germany.

The fact that the majority of the population in the new Imperial Territory (Reichsland) territory spoke Germanic dialects, and had previously been a part of the German-focused Holy Roman Empire until they had been gradually obtained by France over the previous two centuries, allowed Berlin to justify the annexation on nationalistic grounds.

However, the conquest of French-speaking areas such as the city of Metz sparked outrage in France, and was used as one of the main arguments for French revanchism.

Natural resources in Alsace-Lorraine (iron ore, and coal) do not appear to have played a role in Germany's fight for the areas annexed.

The reconquest of Alsace-Lorraine, the "lost provinces," became an obsession characterized by a revanchism which would be one of the most powerful motives in France's involvement in World War I.