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Otto von Bismarck was born at Schonhausen on I April 1815. Bismarck came from a Pomeranian Junker family. Bismarck grew up in the powerful German state of Prussia. When Bismarck was young, he was a big man due to eating and drinking too much; he was always ready for a duel. Bismarck wore a full beard for long periods of his life. Bismarck went to the best Berlin grammar school; then he went to study laws at the University of Gottingen in Hanover and University of Berlin.
After qualifying the examination, Bismarck entered Prussian civil service and became a judicial administrator at Aachen. His career in the civil service was not a success. Bismarck served there for a short period of time. When he finished serving Bismarck was 24. Bismarck married with Johanna von Puttkamer when he was 30. Bismarck believed that he shared the same belief with the God in making Prussia strong and in unifying Germany; he had once said, You would not have had such a Chancellor if I had not the wonderful basis of religion (21).
In 1847, Bismarck became a member of the united diet. Bismarck opposed every liberal proposal. In 1848, the ideals of French Revolution spread to Germany. There was a popular uprising of liberals in Germany. Conservative Bismarck opposed the liberal revolution in 1848.
In 1851, Bismarck gained prominence and was chosen to become the Prussian delegate to the Federal diet when he was 36. During the Crimean War, Bismarck convinced the government to refuse to mobilize army of the German Federal diet to help Austria in Balkans. Bismarck saw no point to help Austria: I don t recognize any right in foreign policy (29). Bismarck also worried that it might alienate other countries.
Thus, Prussia stayed neutrality. During the 1850 s, Bismarck served Prussia as a diplomat at the Frankfurt Diet of German states. During his years at Frankfurt, Bismarck only concerned about the conflict with Austria. Bismarck wanted to unite Germany with Prussian power. Bismarck wanted to separate Germany with Austria. He strongly opposed to alliance with Austria.
He had even thought to intrigue other nation to fight with Austria. Thus, he could take advantage of it. In 1859 he was sent as ambassador to Russia, and then to France in 1862. When there was a constitutional conflict in Prussia, King William was looking for a man to help him. Bismarck was the best choice. But Bismarck demanded to be free in foreign policy.
William would not allow it. As a result, Bismarck stayed in France for about 6 months, which pushed William to the wall. In late 1862, Bismarck returned to Berlin and was appointed to be prime minister of Prussia and soon later became foreign minister as well. King William did not have a choice. Bismarck was 47. When Bismarck became prime minister of Prussia, he devoted himself to the task of unifying Germany.
Bismarck had no real devotion to the monarchy. He wanted to have absolute control. Usually, nationalism had been related with liberalism, but Bismarck made a conservative nationalism a possibility. In a speech given to the budget commission to settle a constitutional dispute, Bismarck said, Germany does not look to Prussia s liberalism, but to her strength. And then, in his most famous sentence: The great questions of the day will not be decided by speeches and the resolutions of majorities that was the great mistake from 1848 to 1849 but by iron and blood (56). Bismarck stated that he favored to enforce his policy with iron and blood, which means by using military power and cruelty.
Bismarck then pushed an army reform to expand the Prussian military. In 1863 King Frederick VII of Denmark died. The lands of Holstein and Sleswig became a problem. Holstein was settled entirely by Germans and was a member of the German Confederation. But it was a union with Denmark.
When the new Denmark king wanted to incorporate Holstein, Bismarck opposed it and wanted to have a war with Denmark to take back the land. However Bismarck was worried that the other Great Powers would unite against Prussia. As a result, Bismarck formed an alliance with Austria against Denmark. The alliance was a success and no other nation helped Denmark. Consequently, Denmark was defeated and surrendered Holstein and Sleswig to Prussia and Austria jointly.
The Danish War started to show the genius of Bismarck in military leadership. The Danish War had led to another war, the Austro-Prussian War (1866). In Danish War, Bismarck agreed to guarantee Venetia to Austria. But later Bismarck changed his mind. Bismarck wanted to end Austria s influence on the German states. But Bismarck was worried again that the other nations might help Austria.
Thus, he isolated Austria from its ally. Bismarck s promises of not giving Venetia to Austria and of paying compensation to Napoleon made neutrality of France. Bismarck also promised to give Venetia to Italy if it allied with Prussia. Italy then promised to attack Austria if Prussia went to war within three months. Furthermore, Bismarck asked King William to tie with the Tsar by helping Russia in Poland.
Therefore, Austria had to fight alone. But Austria needed six weeks to mobilize its troops; Prussia only needed three weeks. Prussia won its victory at the battle of Shadow. As a result, the Treaty of Prague Austria had no more influence on German states. Many of these states were annexed to Prussia. However, southern German states obtained independence because of Napoleon s request.
The Franco-Prussian War (1870 - 1871) finally achieved the unification of Germany. The struggle of acquiring Luxembourg between France and Prussia gave Bismarck a chance to fight with France. In 1868, Spain invited Prince Leopold, a member of Prussian royal family, to become King. France opposed and did not want to have a Hohenzollern ruler on its borders and was willing to go to war with France. As a result, King William denounced its relativeness of Leopold. Bismarck used this event to provoke the feelings of unity among all Germans.
And he then made treaties with eht south German states. More important, when William s report of the denouncement reached Berlin, Bismarck edited the version. The Bismarck s version of Ems telegram, made William had insulted France. As a result, Napoleon was angered and France declared war on Prussia, as Bismarck intended. During the war, the southern German states allied with Prussia. France lost the war.
At the harsh Treaty of Frankfurt, France had to give up Alsace and Lorraine to Germany and a billion dollar indemnity. When the war was over, Germany was united. Soon after the unification, Bismarck proclaimed the Second German Reich in 1871 and King William I of Prussia as German Emperor. Bismarck became imperial chancellor of Germany and also prime minister of Prussia in 1871. The new imperial constitution limited the power of the emperor. It created a united German national state where the Reichstag, the imperial parliament, could be chosen by universal election.
Surprisingly, Chancellor Bismarck allied with the National Liberals for a long time. Together they achieved universal suffrage, modernized rapid industrialization, created a single German code, encouraged free trade, and adopted a common coinage. In 1873 with the supports of the national liberals, Bismarck created a program, Kulturkampf, throught the May Laws against the Roman Catholicism. Bismarck sought to end Catholic education. He wanted to destroy the Catholic Centre Party and the Social Democrat party because he did not like their principles and they threaten his leadership. He enacted legislations to attack them, such as the Anti-Socialist Laws of 1878.
However, the Kulturkampf failed to achieve its goal. It also posed a treat to the unity. Soon after the death of the pope, Pius IX, in 1878, Bismarck ordered to end the Kulturkampf. Between 1870 and 1890, Bismarck successfully served as a mediator, the honest broker, to maintain peace in Europe between the great powers such as Austria, Russia, France, and Great Britain. Because France was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War, Bismarck wanted to segregate France from revenge.
In 1873, Bismarck created a Three Emperors League, the Dreikaiserbund, with Russia and Austria. Bismarck also concerned about the conflict in the Balkans. The collapse of Ottoman Empire made it easy for Austria and Russia to gain influence in the Balkans. In the Russo-Turkish War (1877), Russia gained a large territory in the area. Both Austria and Britain opposed the Russian great gains and threatened war. Bismarck then mediated the situation at the Berlin Congress (1878).
The German chancellor presided over the discussion and was succeeded in getting the Russia to deduce their gains. The result pleased other nations, and peace was preserved. However, the war made the Russia left the Three Emperors League because the deep conflict in Balkans it had with Austria. Consequently, German Empire formed a Dual Alliance with Austria in 1879. Bismarck did not want the France to ally with Russia. The German chancellor then negotiated a second Dreikaiserbund in 1881.
The three powers would stay neutrality if any of the three went to war with fourth power. Bismarck believed that it could prevent war in Balkans. But a crisis in Bulgaria led to a breakup the second Dreikaiserbund between Austria and Russia in 1887. Bismarck then quickly signed a secret Reinsurance Treaty with Russia to maintain neutrality. The treaty also prevented Russia to attack Austria. In 1882, Italy joined the Dual Alliance and the Triple Alliance was formed.
Because of Bismarck s efforts, peace was maintained for two decades in the troublesome Europe. Bismarck s power began to fall when William II became emperor. The two had had many disagreements. Bismarck gradually lost supports from the parties, Prussian minister, and public opinion. Later, Bismarck s policies were being attacked. Bismarck insisted to renew the Anti-Socialist Laws and the Reinsurance Treaty, and he threatened to resign.
Emperor William II did not agree. Consequently, Bismarck was forced to resign in 1890. On the day he left Berlin, the streets were full with crowds to show their honor to Bismarck; he was 75. In his last year, Bismarck wrote his memoir.
Bismarck died on 30 July 1898.
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