The Franco-Prussian War began in June 1870 and ended in May 1871 with the defeat of France, the unification of Germany, and the annexation of the French provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. “The Last Class” was published in 1873, just two years after the cessation of the war and the annexation of the provinces. The story is loosely set in 1871 and takes place in a small town in the Alsace region of France, which borders Germany. The physical location of the story and its place in the historical timeline indicates the fraught context of the protagonist’s setting and speaks to the terrifying implications of wartime life. 

The German occupation of Alsace results in massive upheaval for those living in the province; their way of life, sense of identity, and language are disrupted and, in some cases, outlawed, which leaves them unmoored in a nation and culture not their own. The French lesson in the story is a symbol of French identity in the face of military occupation by foreigners, and the education of the protagonist is a way to continue French culture via linguistics through the next generation. Franz’s childish gaze offers insight into the ways that occupation erases and revises the lives of those it affects, a powerful and unyielding force that forcibly assimilates all it touches. 

“The Last Class” takes place in a French language class and follows the reactions of the schoolmaster, pupils, and villagers as they learn that their language will be forcibly erased by their German occupiers. Throughout the final French lesson taught in Alsace, the schoolmaster drives home the importance of language to his students. In his view, preserving the French language is the best way to stand up against the oppressive presence of the Germans. Speaking and writing French is an act of defiance that preserves the villagers’ ties to their nation, culture, and heritage. Indeed, he argues that the language is akin to a “key” that leads the enslaved to freedom. In those fear-ridden days of the early occupation, linguistic solidarity was a comforting reminder of the villagers’ shared identity as French citizens, a sentiment the schoolmaster strives to instill in his young and impressionable pupils. Moreover, the presence of the villagers in the classroom indicates the importance of the French language in their lives. The old soldier and his tattered spelling book are a stark reminder that nation and language are intrinsically tied, and to preserve one is to preserve the other—just as to lose one is to lose the other. 

In the wake of the Franco-Prussian war, the Alsace and Lorraine provinces of France, which bordered the newly-formed German state, were annexed by the Germanic victors of the war. The traditionally French-speaking region was promptly ordered to stop teaching French, and German soon gained popularity. However, the linguistic discord led to a nationalist rift between German and French citizens, with speakers of each language holding strict allegiance to the respective nations. The preservation of French-speaking enclaves in the region led to a massive upswing in French nationalist sentiment and resistance to occupation. Language became a marker of political and national identity, one which carried immense weight in the divided culture of the ceded Alsace and Lorraine regions.