Otto Von Bismarck

Otto Von Bismarck is well known for his role in the unification of Germany, a monumental event that would forever change the history of Europe and by extension the world itself.

For his single-minded goal and desire to pursue an outcome to his liking, he earned the moniker “Iron Chancellor”.

This article will further give details about Otto Von Bismarck, which will be useful in the World History segment of the UPSC Exams.

Early Life of Otto von Bismarck

Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck was born on April 1, 1815 in Prussia. His father hailed from a long line of landed nobility while his mother’s family consisted of successful academics and government officials.

He completed his education in Berlin and took a host of minor diplomatic posts before retiring to run his family estate at the age of 24. The estate was located at Kneiphof. Following his marriage in 1847, Bismarck was sent a delegate to the new Prussian parliament. During his time there he emerged as a leading voice of dissent against liberal, anti-monarchist revolutions that swept Europe in 1848.

During the years from 1851 to 1862 he served as ambassador to Russia and France – under the flag of the German Confederation that is – which gave him information about how storm and weak were the great powers of Europe. He decided that a united Germany – preferably under the leadership of Prussia – should helm the affairs of Europe.

Bismarck got his chance when William I became Prussia’s king in 1861 and in 1862 appointed Bismarck as his chief minister. Normally Bismarck would report to William I but the reverse was the case as Bismarck would use his intellect and sternness to influence the king and at the same time used royal decrees to circumvent the parliament.

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Bismarck’s role in Uniting Germany

In order to establish Prussia as a preeminent power in Europe, Bismarck decided the best way would be to start a series of wars with its neighbours, for starters he attacked Denmark and incorporated the territories of Schleswig-Holstein. But incorporating Germany-speaking territories would not be enough for a united German Empire to come to fruition.

The German states were just as distrustful of outsiders as they were of each other.

However an external aggression from a foreign enemy would turn matters on its head. Engineering events through his liking, Bismarck provoked Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I into beginning the Austro-Prussian war.  The war ended in defeat for the Austrians but it would merely be the beginning for Bismarck and Prussian dominance.

Going a step further he decided that another foreign enemy will cement German unification for good. Since the southern German  principalities had refused to join the union under Prussia, he decided a threat from their immediate neighbour – France, would change their minds. Tensions were simmering between France and Prussia for some time, especially with the latter’s rise to power. To light the proverbial gunpowder keg, Bismarck edited a telegram from William I in such a way that both France and Prussia would feel insulted.

France went ahead and declared war on Prussia in 1870. The Prussians and their German allies handed a sound defeat to the French by 1871. In the process they annexed the border provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, imposed a heavy war indemnity on France and lastly crowned William the emperor of a unified Germany in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles – the last factor being an insult to the French to such an extent that they would seek vengeance for it.

It would be one of the causes for World War I that would break out in 1914.

But for now Otto von Bismarck had achieved his goal – he would become the Chancellor of a unified German Empire.

Chancellor of a United Germany

With Germany unified and external affairs dealt with, it was time to turn to matters domestic. Throughout the 1870s he pursued a policy against Catholics, who were about 36% of Germany’s population, with the majority being Protestant. He placed parochial schools under state control and expelled the Jesuits. But he relented in his anti-Catholic policies when the socialist factions began to make an appearance of their own in Germany. He allied with the Catholics against a socialist threat.

The socialists were anti-monarchy in nature and wanted a society where the people would be in power and the state would take care of their needs. To counter this, he created Europe’s first modern welfare state by establishing national healthcare, accident insurance and old age pensions.

Bismarck later hosted the Berlin Conference in 1885 which ended the “Scramble for Africa” – a colonial drive by European powers to carve out their own holdings in Africa. The Berlin Conference led to the African continent being divided between the Europeans with Germany getting colonies in Cameroon and East and Southwest Africa.

Abroad, Bismarck aimed to make the German empire the most powerful in Europe. In 1879, he negotiated an alliance with Austria-Hungary to counteract France and Russia. Italy later joined the alliance. To avoid alienating Britain, Bismarck arranged the two Mediterranean Agreements of 1887, designed to preserve the status quo against a Russian threat.

Legacy of Otto Von Bismarck

William I would die in 1888 and would be succeeded by Frederick III and his grandson William II. Both monarchs were disparaging of the amount of influence that Bismarck wielded and would prefer him to take an early retirement from politics. William II would have his way when he would force Bismarck to retire. However William II would not have the diplomatic tact to keep the web of intrigue Bismarck had worked hard to keep a flourishing German state alive.

Soon the balance of power between the international rivalries would unravel in a way that Bismarck could scarcely imagine. Regardless, he is widely regarded as the principal architect of the unification of Germany. Respected and honored in the years following his death, Otto von Bismarck became a quasi-mythic figure invoked by German leaders from time to time -either for peace or war.

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