Otto von Bismarck

Otto von Bismarck was a Prussian and later German statesman and diplomat who played a crucial role in the unification of Germany and the establishment of the German Empire in 1871. He served as the first chancellor of the German Empire from 1871 to 1890 and dominated European affairs with his skillful diplomacy and Realpolitik. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest statesmen of the 19th century and one of the founders of modern Germany. Bismarck was born into a noble family of Junker landowners in Schönhausen, Saxony, on April 1, 1815. He studied law and politics at the universities of Göttingen, Berlin, and Greifswald. He entered the Prussian civil service in 1836 but soon resigned and returned to manage his family estates. He married Johanna von Puttkamer in 1847 and they had four children. He became involved in politics as a conservative member of the Prussian parliament in 1847 and later as a representative of Prussia in the German Confederation and the Frankfurt Parliament. Bismarck's political career took off when he was appointed as the Prussian ambassador to Russia in 1859 and then to France in 1862. In the same year, he became the minister president and foreign minister of Prussia under King Wilhelm I. He pursued a policy of strengthening Prussia's position in Germany and Europe by provoking three short and decisive wars against Denmark (1864), Austria (1866), and France (1870-1871). These wars resulted in the creation of the North German Confederation in 1867 and the German Empire in 1871, with Prussia as the dominant power and Bismarck as the chancellor. Bismarck's main goal as chancellor was to maintain the peace and stability of Europe and to secure Germany's interests against potential rivals such as France, Russia, and Britain. He formed a series of complex alliances and treaties to isolate France and to balance the powers of Russia and Austria-Hungary. He also introduced several domestic reforms to appease the growing social and political demands of the German people, such as universal male suffrage, social welfare legislation, tariffs, and anti-socialist laws. Bismarck's influence began to decline in the late 1880s due to his deteriorating health, his conflicts with the young Emperor Wilhelm II, and his failure to cope with the rise of nationalism and democracy in Europe. He was forced to resign by Wilhelm II in 1890 and retired to his estate in Friedrichsruh. He died on July 30, 1898, at the age of 83. He was buried in a mausoleum near his estate. His legacy is still debated by historians and politicians today.