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Prince Otto von Bismarck Biography - Duke of Lauenburg (April 1, 1815 – July 30, 1898) was one of the most prominent leaders of the 19th century; as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Prussia (1862–1890) he unified Germany (except Austria) with a series of successful wars and became the first Chancellor (1871–1890) of the German Empire.
Initially a deeply conservative, aristocratic, and monarchist Junker politician, Otto von Bismarck fought the growing social democracy movement in the 1880s by outlawing several organizations and pragmatically instituting mandatory old-age pensions, and health and accident insurance for workers. He became known as the Iron Chancellor and is considered one of the most important figures in German history.
Early life and rise to power - Otto von Bismarck Biography
Otto von Bismarck was born Otto Eduard Leopold Graf (count) von Bismarck in Schönhausen and studied law at Göttingen and Berlin. He married Johanna von Puttkamer in 1847, and their long and happy marriage produced three children.
Delighted after the failure of the revolution of 1848, Otto von Bismarck was elected to the Prussian parliament in 1849. Appointed to represent Prussia in Frankfurt, Bismarck slowly became convinced that a Prussian-led unified German nation was an important goal (this was considered a liberal objective at the time). Subsequently, he worked as ambassador in St. Petersburg (where he befriended his future adversary, Prince Gorchakov) and Paris. In 1862, the Prussian king Wilhelm I appointed him Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Prussia, as part of a conflict between the increasingly liberal Prussian parliament and the king.
The unification of Germany - Otto von Bismarck Biography
The extent to which Bismarck was responsible for the unification of Germany is a highly controversial topic amongst historians. There is also much debate about whether what happened was a unification of Germany, or an expansion of the Prussian state. What is certain however, is that Otto von Bismarck was partly responsible for the initiation of several wars which lead to dramatic changes in the political structure of Germany. First, in cooperation with Austria, Schleswig and Holstein were conquered and taken from Denmark in the Second War of Schleswig; a peace treaty was concluded in Vienna on October 30, 1864. Although already in 1865 Austria was pressured to let Prussia take care of these northern lands, in 1866 he attacked Austria and won quickly at the Battle of Königgratz, annexing Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, Nassau, and Frankfurt to Prussia and forming the North German Confederation.
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