Introduction
The history of Europe especially Prussian Empire developed amidst many aspects of unity and kingship but Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck took an outstanding role in the peak and fall of the empire. Bismarck can not go unmentioned in this subject for he was the main character in shaping the entire place during his time. The 19th century experienced dramatic changes in terms of social, political, and economic aspects, which were mainly influenced by the industrial revolution, French revolution and Napoleon wars.
The maps were reorganized politically and this period saw development of nationalism and patriotism, though they ended with the First World War. The rise of the German empire was one of the major events in the age and Bismarck took active role in it. However, without understanding him one can fail to understand German history during his time.
Otto von Bismarck retired from politics in 1890. At this time he had been the longest serving member in politics. For more than two decades he had been the prime minister of Prussia and for 19 years he had served as the imperial chancellor of the German Empire in addition to being the minister of foreign affairs and doing some presidential duties; thus he contributed too much change in the Prussian empire (Kent 38).
While starting his political career in 1862, German was weak and unstable as opposed to 1890 when he left office. He transformed the German empire to a powerful military and economic power in the whole of Europe. He led three wars and contributed a lot to the unity of Germany. He had two major achievements, alliance with various countries and worldwide social reforms of insurance social insurance laws, Health Insurance Act, Accident insurance and Old age pension.
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck (1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a chief figure in the German history, having an active role in the unification of the Prussian Empire. He was known for his conservativeness, loyalty, and patriotism to the state of Prussia. He started his career in the political arena in 1849 in the Prussian chambers of deputies as an elected member. He pushed for nationalism regarding to be called a Prussian and not German. His loyalty to the state of Prussia paid off in 1851 when he was appointed as the Prussian representative to the federal diet in Frankfurt, a position that was highly important at the time.
In 1854, he actively opposed the Prussian cooperation with Australia since it was trying to dominate the Prussian states. However, it was not until 1859 that he became the Prussian ambassador to Russia although he was to later on be moved to the French capital in the same capacity. When Prussia was running internal development in September, 1862, King William I recalled him back to reign as the Prime Minister (Whitfield, & Whitfield 26). Moreover, his experience with the French, Austrians, and Russians came in handy in his reign.
With a revision of the constitution in 1867, he transformed to be the chancellor of Prussia. Through all this time he became an infamous politician throughout the German empire due to his policies and dictatorship. However, he was later to contribute actively to the unification of Germany. The unification was an objective of the revolutions that had occurred earlier though it was long to be achieved with the measures of a new constitution and the fear of other territories by the then king Friedrich Wilheim IV.
The German unification
Bismarck’s speech of 1862 to the budget committee of the Prussian chambers of deputies made him a famous and brave leader to achieve the German unification. He mainly dealt with the importance of Prussia to maintain its power and supremacy which was at stake. He declared that the states surrounding the Prussian empire must be won through “iron and blood”. Bismarck also led to the defeat of Denmark and Hungary in the 1860’s. This huge military success made him regain his political support and supremacy in his career.
He made treaties with other territories and kingdoms so that they could join the larger Prussia. The kingdom of Hanover, an ally to Austria was also approached and Bismarck benefited a lot from the treaty as he got 50% of crown assets from the kingdom and set up the “reptiles’ fund” which he used in corrupt deals and personal gains. Basically, he used the funds to win supremacy and support of other kings and made the kingdom of Prussia united and strong.
This German victory made the region euphoric and other strong empires like France feared the imbalance of power in Europe. Bismarck also continued war with France, keeping them from winning other states from the European region. A huge war erupted for the supremacy in Spain in 1870 which was triggered by Bismarck. Bismarck had forged inflammatory sentiments to both kingdoms which created uproars and finally the Franco-Prussian war erupted but was won by the Prussians. This led to Napoleon being taken as a prisoner. Bismarck particularly needed Napoleon so that he could further his ambitions to puppet the French empire. Bismarck’s move was commonly to use weakness of the enemies to defeat the entire empire. After the death of Napoleon in 1873, the French empire renamed itself to be the new French republican who tried to fight back to no avail (Whitfield & Whitfield 41).
Bismarck continued with the unification of Germany with extension of negotiations to the states that were to the south. He offered special concessions once the states agreed to the unity call. This made the empire grow and the then King Wilhelm of Prussia was declare the “German Emperor”. The king became the first among equals and never maintained sovereignty in the entire German empire. The leader of the empire was the president but only discussed policies which were passed from the chancellor (the chancellor was appointed by the president).
Strategies
As the war with France came to an end Bismarck also became the one to oppose annexation. This was a strategy to remain a friend of France even after the war. This was more of his strategies to keep people fighting while still retaining his friendship with them all. He wanted to be powerful and renowned, a fete that he achieved when he got the powers in 1871 after he was made the imperial chancellor of the German Empire; however, he retained ministerial (minister of foreign affairs) and presidential duties (Kent 39). He also gained a new title and rank of lieutenant-general which made him control over most domestic and foreign issues of the empire and run them as he would have liked.
In 1873, the office of Chancellor was separated from the minister president, and despite being separated, Bismarck continued to occupy both offices after the resignation of Albrecht von Roon who had been chosen to occupy the minister president office. His main goal was to dominate and rule the whole empire and be a key figure in whatever was to be decided in the empire.
The objective he had after being made chancellor was to minimize the Catholic’s church influence in Germany. This was mainly triggered by the anti-liberal statements in the syllabus of errors of 1864 given by the Pope Pius IX and more due to the 1870’s dogma of Papal infallibility (ex-cathedra teachings) which states that the Pope is guided from any possible error by the holly spirit (Toner para. 6). He feared that his political supremacy would be at risk if the Pope would comment on anything that caused political instability or even by trying to induce Catholics against Protestants.
He even tried to hijack the process of Papal appointments so that he could manipulate those elected; however, this was not supported by leaders around Europe. He had proposed that leaders should eliminate unsuitable elements to be Popes and then deal with cardinals who voted for the pope to vote suitable candidates. This strategy was aimed at furthering his goals of supremacy and domination though they never yielded. In fact, he wanted to rein his supremacy even in religion. The deep meaning in this ambition was to dominate even south of the German Empire and entire Europe since Catholics were mainly found in the south German states whereas the northern was dominated by Protestants.
He had foreseen that religion was more of an empire and the largest of it was the Roman Catholic, and therefore ruling and manipulating it would be a reign in a bigger region and a massive contribution to his political power. The Catholic Center Party established in 1870 was also a concern since he feared to be overthrown by the majority group attached to religion. Due to this, he led an intense campaign against the Catholic faith known as the Kulturkampf.
In a quest to retain dominance, he forced out Jesuits from Germany, who were believed to be a major share of Catholics. In 1873, he introduced to strict anti-Roman catholic laws. This gave the government power and authority to oversee and take charge of catholic clergy and strict discipline in the church. When Pope Pius died in 1878, Pope Leo XIII took over the reigns and time-honored a better relation with Chancellor Bismarck who later abandoned Kulturkampf (Pflanze 43).
The long depression of 1873 hit all parts of Europe, and German was hard hit. The collapse of Vienna stock exchange and an ailing economy necessitated fast action from the chancellor. His response included the abolishing of free trade and instilling new trade tariffs. Since the National Liberals had taken part in the Kulturkampf and now the free trade was being protested against, Bismarck broke ties and joined conservative parties for support, one of them being the Catholic Centre Party. The enactment of tariffs to protect agriculture and industries from foreign competition made the conservatives support him.
He also Germanized the state to prevent people of different nationalities from conflicting. This means he was a nationalist and a leader who could unite the masses. This unity was based on assumption that the other nationalities were a threat to the German empire especially the Polish nationals. Though he spoke polish he led the change to German, a situation that shows that he never minded where he came from but rather where he was going.
The social democratic party also worried the chancellor. This led to the introduction of anti-social laws in 1878 where all meetings and organizations of social movements were prohibited. In addition, sale and distribution of social literature was made illegal. Many social leaders were arrested and detained but the movements still grew strong and garnered more support in representation in the Reichstag (Kent, 1978). In a bid to stem the popularity of the socialists and improve his dominance, he started several social programs that were appealing to the working class.
The social programs included insurance laws. He was a pioneer in the introduction of the social insurance laws in the region of Europe which later spread to the rest of the world. In 1883, he introduced the Health Insurance Act which made the workers access health insurance; introduced accident insurance in 1884; and in 1889 he introduced old age pension and disability insurance. The welfare of the women and children was also looked at and though he had thought of introducing a law for the unemployed, it never saw the light. This means he worked and schemed his ways out of any crisis he could be in. The laws introduced paved way for better social amenities but never guaranteed the support of the working class due to his conservative nature.
Analysis
Bismarck can be said to be self ambitious, dominating and an escapist. He used others to achieve his means, though he was a nationalist and unitary leader. He concentrated all the power and took many offices that had been created. Indeed, he had three offices at one time which were; the imperial chancellor of the German Empire, the ministerial (minister of foreign affairs) and presidential roles. This domination can be seen in many of his schemes to be the only dominating individual where he beats all his opponents and emerges top.
He was an escapist since he left others in trouble and continued to show his image as the good one. He initiated the war between the French and German and when it is over, he took the referee role. In this incident, Bismarck needed Napoleon so that he could further his ambitions to puppet the French empire and dominate the entire European region. Bismarck used the weakness of the enemies to conquer many empires in the region. He also fought the Catholics and finally lost the battle but he never took the blame; he evaded, leaving the blame to the national liberals (Whitfield & Whitfield 69).
In all instances, Bismarck was seen to use others to achieve what he wanted. He shifted allegiance to parties and joined those who had opposed him earlier to achieve superiority. For example, he joined the Catholic Centre party after breaking ties with the National liberals in a bid to win the majority of the Catholics.
He also shifted to where the masses were. He was wise and cunning and acted to please the masses whenever there was a crisis. He acted quickly to shift the blame to others and worked on to please people. For instance, he tried to win the workers by introducing social insurance laws in Europe, Health Insurance Act, accident insurance, old age pension and disability insurance. He also looked after the welfare of the women and children and wanted to introduce a law for the unemployed. All this was done to cut the popularity of the socialist movements that were more dominant than him (Pflanze 59).
He was a nationalist, patriotic and unitary leader. He further strengthened and united the empire through wars which he participated in. indeed, he declared that the empire had to expand through iron and blood (Toner para. 62). This means that he was ready to fight for his empire till death, which is a strong point of nationalism and patriotism. He later united the region and made the language of German to be spoken in the empire. The polish language was eliminated despite being the language he spoke since his childhood days. He did this is a mission to unite the empire and increase his dominancy. In fact, he mainly defeated his enemies through preventing his rivals from uniting.
Bismarck’s foreign policy majored on peace and unity in the European region. He used his skills in statesmanship to promote peace especially in France. Moreover, he evaded the longing to even the score for the loss of Franco-Prussian war (revanchism) and continued with his diplomatic isolation of France but kept close ties with the rest of Europe. He extended cordial relations to other empires like the Austro-Hungarian and Russia Empire to form the League of the Three Emperors (Dreikaiserbund.) (Kent 103).
His foreign policies were unquestionable at all times due to his dictatorship. He would deal with those opposing the foreign policies accordingly to an extent that many had to go to exile once they disputed his policies. France never mended ways with the Prussian empire due to the Franco-Prussian War; they were constant enemies even after Bismarck became chancellor. High tension still reigned and France militarized and regained its power. The looming war between France and Germany in 1875 was stopped by British and Russia though the tension remained high with Bismarck still interfering with the French business.
Although Bismarck detested Italians, he maintained close mutual ties. He contributed highly in the Italian unification which was a social movement composed of many diverse states of Italy. Bismarck also helped broker the congress of Berlin after the Russo-Turkish war which occurred in 1887-1878 (Toner para. 8).
Bismarck’s domestic policy mainly focused on domination and governance. In addition, the national rebels helped him generate a civil and criminal code with the empire implementing gold standards and free trade. He had abandoned his conservative doctrines and he fought against conservative leaders and regimes and came up with guiding principles that ensured swift industrialization. Indeed, the Kulturkampf (war on political Catholicism) was also part of his domestic policies but implemented by the National Liberals.
The rise of many parties came as a surprise to him with several parties coming up like the Catholic Center Party, the Liberal Progressive Party and the social democrats. He was against all of them and had declared them as foes of the empire for they did tend to block a united empire. All the parties were pushing for different agendas and this led to Bismarck using them at his convenience. Actually, the Liberal progressive party was against a conservative empire, the socialists were against capitalism, while the Catholic Center Party was against Protestants and centralization of the empire (Whitfield, & Whitfield 71).
With the league of the three emperors collapsing, Bismarck needed an alliance to keep him stable from any Russian attacks. In 1879, he sought the alliance of Austria –Hungary which was known as the dual alliance and by 1882 they had formed an active alliance which also included Italy which was transformed to a triple alliance. The “three league of emperors” was revived in 1881 but never lasted long and in 1887 the Russian-Austrian-Prussian was set up by the reinsurance treaty. This treaty would expire soon after Bismarck’s retirement from politics in 1890. This treaty maintained peace so that the empires would not attack each other and they remained neutral.
The scramble for colonies began during this period and Bismarck never favored the idea of processing colonies. He maintained that the gains surpassed the costs of acquiring, sustaining and holding the colony. In the early 1880’s, many people agreed with obtaining colonies, influencing Bismarck to reform. The German colonial empire started and never had major incidents. Germany joined states like Britain and France to be colonial masters and the scramble for colonies went to as far as Africa with Germany colonizing Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Namibia. In 1884-1885, the Berlin conference was held so that conventions were set for the scramble of African colonies.
The German colonies spread to parts of the pacific where it acquired several colonies. These colonies expanded the German empire beyond the European borders and contributed to growth of the empire. The later stand of Otto von Bismarck made the transformation of the empire to possess immense wealth that was led by independent colonizers that the German government had to support with invasion treaties, diplomatic support and military presence (Pflanze 124).
The death of the then Emperor Wilhelm I made his son Friedrich III succeed him. However, Emperor Friedrich was ailing and died shortly after whereby he was succeeded by his son Wilhelm II. The new emperor was mainly opposed to Bismarck’s foreign policies and opted for dynamic and rapid development in the German empire. This was in order to achieve a “place in the sun”. Bismarck’s domination emerged and thought to dominate the emperor, leading to a split when Otto sought to introduce anti social reforms in the early 1890. The tension led to the resignation of Bismarck in 1890 and spent much of his time writing memoirs.
With focus and clear strategies, he had managed to make an impact in the entire empire of Prussia. The transformation led to a new constitution and unification of the empire where several kings were befriended and the empire remained strong even after his resignation.
Assessment
Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck stands out as a German leader who transformed the land. He left a legacy that no other leader was courageous enough to attempt. He remained visionary and strategic in all his objectives and dominated the issues. His participation in the German Empire left traces that impact even in the previous generations. His name as the iron emperor was suitable since he moved fearlessly to conquer and claims many territories through “iron and blood”. He was aggressive and domineering in his goals, strategies and tactics, and fully plotted his way of survival in the whole period of his rule of 30 years (Whitfield, & Whitfield 89).
He lacked sociological values and never took time to identify with ethical powers. Moreover, he never involved others in furtherance of his goals but believed in himself to be strong. From the start of his political career in 1847 to 1871 being at the whelm of power as a Chancellor, until he retired in 1890, he was a true statesman and nationalist who used skilful diplomatic connections to conquer the European region and become a renown leader of his time.
He used techniques of limited war and intermingled policy and strategy in the unification of many sovereign states to produce a single enormous Prussian empire. Ignique (1), in his article ‘Bismarck and the European Alliance System’ notes that
Bismarck’s political goal to expand Prussian rule over German territories that resulted in the limited wars of 1864, 1866, and 1870, was a meticulously planned calculation of diplomacy that was followed by limited military action. His political genius that was characterized by tremendous vision operated to such an extent that only limited military action was necessary for the final coup de grace.
Bismarck was a timely leader he fulfilled his political goals and ambitions through influence, rule and interactions of the Prussian empire. He warded off general war by scheming perfectly through diplomacy, military operations, and domestic public support. He was a perfect timer in “making and breaking alliances, sue for peace, and resist articulating his political views to the military”.
Conclusion
The life and times of Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck can be described as a success. His ambitions can be said to be strategic and objective given that he managed to rule Prussia for 28 years as prime minister and 19 years as imperial chancellor of German Empire, with his contribution during that reign being felt far and wide; more so having transformed the German Empire to military and economic powerhouse in the European region. Thus he contributed too much change in the Prussian empire. In his debut to politics in 1862 German was weak and unstable as opposed to 1890 when he left office.
Moreover, he led three wars and contributed a lot to the unity of Germany not forgetting his achievements of alliance with various countries and worldwide social reforms of insurance social insurance laws, Health Insurance Act, Accident insurance, and Old age pension.
His prime goal of a united German empire was achieved, although those who were left behind never continued the vision. His foreign, domestic, and social policies changed and revolutionized the European region. Indeed, the transformation of German people present should use the challenges, weaknesses, and strengths of Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck to correct and improve the country.
Works Cited
Ignique, Ferro. “Bismarck and the European Alliance System.” Bismarck and the European Alliance System. N.d. 2010. Web.
Kent, George O. Bismarck and His Times Southern Illinois University Press: Carbondale and Edwardsville. 1978. Web.
Pflanze, Otto. Bismarck and the development of Germany: the period of unification, 1815-1871, New York, Princeton University Press. 1971. Web.
Toner, Patrick. “Infallibility.” The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1910. Web.
Whitfield, Bob & Whitfield, Robert. Germany 1848-1914. Oxford, Heinemann. 2000. Web.