While your question seems to speak directly to the politics of matter, or perhaps whether France could have come out victorious (?) there's some broader discussion of why Germany wanted Alsace-Lorraine after the Franco-Prussian War in the question "Why is Alsace-Lorraine so valuable?". In particular, /u/wtfdudethisispatrick mentions some of the factors involved in the Franco-Prussian War, while /u/parksungjun discusses some of the broader historical factors.

I imagine that there is much else that could be discussed here, but this might help tide you over.