Question

Why did France want the Alsace-Lorraine region from Germany? It had the best grape-growing region in the world. France needed a buffer zone between Germany. It was home to much of France's long heritage. France had lost it to Germany in a previous war.

Answer 1

The right answer is France had lost it to Germany in a previous war.

Alsace-Lorraine was part of France since the  Peace of Westphalia in 1648. But because of France's defeat in the Franco-German war of 1870-1871, the region was incorporated into the German Empire. Despite that, the region had a large-German speaking population and ancient German connections. The territory was reincorporated to France in 1919 after WWI, ceded again to Germany in 1940 during WWII, and was again reincorporated to France in 1945.