Otto von Bismarck. Iron Chancellor of Germany. Otto von Bismarck - "Iron Chancellor" of the German Empire
Tough, firm, strong-willed - throughout his life, the Minister-President of Prussia and German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck skillfully created such an image among those around him. Behind the iron will, willfulness and rare obstinacy, he tried to hide a deep mind and natural resourcefulness. Everything that this man did, he did reliably.
Principles of strong power
It took Bismarck less than nine years to unite Germany, which had been fragmented for centuries. He ruled the empire he created for 19 years. His state system was distinguished by stability and ability to develop, a reliable international position. In his Thoughts and Reminiscences, Bismarck formulated the principles on which his power rested.
Principle 1: Power over law.
Having come to power, Bismarck introduced a system of total subordination along the vertical: the king (Kaiser) - chancellor - ministers - officials. Only with the help of such a device of state power can a strong state be created. Any opposition was ground to powder. Force is higher than right, the Chancellor believed.
Principle 2: Any means is good if it serves the interests of the state.
If the requirements of the current moment are such that war is needed, then there will be war! Thus, in order to induce southern Germany into an alliance with Prussia, Bismarck needed to provoke aggression from France. With cunning diplomatic moves, he completely confused Napoleon III, angered the French Foreign Minister Gramont, calling him a fool. Then he shortened the letter of William I to the French king (the so-called "Ems dispatch") in such a way that it took on a character that was completely offensive to France. Bismarck ordered this document to be published in all newspapers and sent to all European missions. As a result, France considered itself insulted and declared war (which was what the Chancellor wanted).
Principle 3: the necessary should always come first, and only then the desirable.
A wise politician must move firmly towards the intended goal. But at the same time, be flexible, see “a few moves ahead”, understand and feel what is preferable in this particular situation, be able to adapt to circumstances and benefit from everything.
Principle 4: after defeating the enemy, the main thing is not to go too far.
If possible, war should be avoided. But if it is inevitable, then it must be won and the subjects must be convinced of its necessity, justifying their actions. It is only necessary to be able to transfer the formal responsibility for its occurrence to the enemy. But the main thing is not to go too far, not to engage in retributive justice. Bismarck, in principle, respected the interests of other European powers. The defeated people should not feel insulted and enslaved, otherwise they will be an unreliable ally.
Principle 5: you need to feel responsible for your subjects and give them at least a minimum of social benefits.
An important concern of the Reich Chancellor was to ensure the development of Germany. He succeeded - by the end of the XIX century. In terms of development, Germany was second only to Great Britain. In 1872-1875. At the initiative of Bismarck, laws were passed to deprive the clergy of the right to supervise schools, to abolish articles of the constitution that provided for the autonomy of the church. In 1881-1889. he passed a number of "social laws": on the insurance of workers in case of illness and injury, on old-age and disability pensions. Insurance, which now exists almost everywhere in the world, was an innovation of the Iron Chancellor.
About politics and politicians
To suppose that a statesman can draw up a plan for a long-term perspective and consider for himself as a law what he will undertake in a year, two or three years, would mean not understanding the essence of politics ... In politics, one cannot draw up a plan for a long period and blindly follow it .
The government should not hesitate. Once having chosen the road, it must, without looking back to the right and left, go to the end.
It is possible only in general terms to adhere to the chosen direction; True, it must be adhered to unwaveringly, but the paths along which we go to the goal are not always familiar to us. The statesman is like a traveler in the forest: he knows the route of the hike, but not the point at which he will leave the forest. Likewise, a politician must lay out well-trodden roads so as not to get lost.
Politics is the art of adapting to circumstances and taking advantage of everything, even that which is disgusting.
Whoever calls me an unscrupulous politician, let him first test his own conscience on this springboard.
Never fight on two fronts!
The only sound basis of a large state, and in this it essentially differs from a small state, is state egoism, and not romance, and it is unworthy of a great country to argue about a matter that is not within the sphere of its own interests.
Contrasting views, without bringing any benefit, can, in any case, bring harm., for they may cause doubt and indecision, and in my opinion any policy is better than a policy of hesitation.
For a prudent politician, the necessary is always in the first place, and only then the desirable, i.e. at first the equipment of the house, and only then its expansion. And the ability to wait, watching the development of events, is a prerequisite
practical politics.
If we do not assume the role of the hammer, then it can easily happen that only the role of the anvil remains.
About officials and ministers
An official is like a musician in an orchestra: no matter what instrument he is sitting at - at the first violin or at the triangle - he must, without looking at everything as a whole and without trying to influence it, perform his part as it should be. But I want to perform the kind of music that I myself recognize as good, or none at all.
There is no case so entangled that its core cannot be husked out in a few words.
With bad laws and good officials, it is quite possible to rule the country. But if the officials are bad, even the best laws will not help.
One, and only one, person should be responsible for each task assigned.
It is unacceptable for a king to have two foreign ministers.
The duty of a minister is, in my opinion, first of all to be a faithful adviser to his sovereign, to provide the means for the fulfillment of his intentions and, this is the main thing, to keep his image unsullied in the eyes of the world.
inserts
With a gentleman I will always be half a great gentleman, with a swindler I will always be a half big swindler.
During his student years, Bismarck gained a reputation as a reveler and nutcase. In 18 months, he participated in 27 duels and won everything, while receiving 28 marks, some of the duels were scales. With this option, the duelists stand motionless against each other at a distance less than a blade and strike. While critical organs are protected, the wounds can still be horrendous. Bismarck's ability to drink without getting drunk became a legend. He has not lost a single alcoholic duel. The young Bismarck used to notify his friends of his arrival by shooting at the ceiling. Once he appeared in the living room of a neighbor and brought a frightened fox on a leash, like a dog, and then, amid loud hunting cries, let her go. For his violent temper, the neighbors nicknamed him "mad Bismarck." He recalled: "I enjoy some authority among the landowner neighbors, because ... I smoke very strong cigars ... and with polite composure I get my friends drunk." Despite this lifestyle, Busmarck managed to increase its value by more than a third during the years during which he managed his family estate. He even managed to bring out a successful breed of Ulm Great Danes (Bismarck Great Danes), crossing Great Danes with German Mastiffs.
You can learn more about the life and work of the great chancellor Otto von Bismarck in just half an hour by reading the mini-book “Thoughts and Memories” by Otto von Bismarck in the Main Thought Library.
April 1, 1815 was born Otto von Bismarck, the "Iron Chancellor", whose work largely determined the boundaries of modern Europe. All his life Bismarck was connected with Russia. He, like no one else, understood the strength and inconsistency of our state.
Russian love
Bismarck had a lot to do with our country: service in Russia, "apprenticeship" with Gorchakov, knowledge of the language, respect for the Russian national spirit. Bismarck also had Russian love, her name was Katerina Orlova-Trubetskaya. They had a stormy romance in the resort of Biarritz. It took Bismarck only one week in her company to be captivated by the charms of this young attractive 22-year-old woman. The story of their passionate love almost ended in tragedy. Katerina's husband, Prince Orlov, was seriously wounded in the Crimean War and did not take part in his wife's merry festivities and bathing. But he accepted Bismarck. She and Katerina almost drowned. They were rescued by the lighthouse keeper. On that day, Bismarck would write to his wife: “After several hours of rest and writing letters to Paris and Berlin, I took another sip of salt water, this time in the harbor when there were no waves. A lot of swimming and diving, twice dipping into the surf would be too much for one day. This incident became a "bell" for the future chancellor, he did not cheat on his wife anymore. Yes, and there was no time - big politics has become a worthy alternative to adultery.
Ems dispatch
In achieving his goals, Bismarck did not disdain anything, even falsification. In a tense situation, when the throne was vacated in Spain after the revolution in 1870, Leopold, the nephew of Wilhelm I, began to claim it. The Spaniards themselves called the Prussian prince to the throne, but France intervened. Understanding the desire of Prussia for European hegemony, the French made a lot of efforts to prevent this. Bismarck also made a lot of efforts to push Prussia against France with their foreheads. Negotiations between the French ambassador Benedetti and Wilhelm came to the conclusion that Prussia would not interfere in the affairs of the Spanish throne. An account of Benedetti's conversation with the king was reported from Ems by telegraph to Bismarck in Berlin. Having received assurances from the chief of the Prussian General Staff, Moltke, that the army was ready for war, Bismarck decided to use the dispatch sent from Ems to provoke France. He changed the text of the message, shortening it and giving it a harsher, more offensive tone for France. In the new text of the dispatch, falsified by Bismarck, the end was composed as follows: "His Majesty the king then refused to receive the French ambassador again and ordered the adjutant on duty to tell him that his majesty had nothing more to report."
This text, insulting to France, was transmitted by Bismarck to the press and to all Prussian missions abroad, and the next day became known in Paris. As Bismarck expected, Napoleon III immediately declared war on Prussia, which ended in the defeat of France.
Russian "nothing"
Bismarck continued to use the Russian language throughout his political career. Russian words now and then slip through his letters. Having already become the head of the Prussian government, he sometimes even made resolutions on official documents in Russian: “Impossible” or “Caution”. But the favorite word of the "Iron Chancellor" was the Russian "nothing". He admired its nuance, ambiguity and often used it in private correspondence, for example, like this: "Alles is nothing." One incident helped him to penetrate the secret of the Russian "nothing". Bismarck hired a coachman, but doubted that his horses could go fast enough. "Nothing-oh!" - the driver answered and rushed along the rough road so briskly that Bismarck became worried: “But you won’t throw me out?”. "Nothing!" - answered the coachman. The sleigh overturned, and Bismarck flew into the snow, breaking his face until it bled. In a rage, he swung at the driver with a steel cane, and the latter scooped up a handful of snow with his hands to wipe Bismarck's bloodied face, and kept saying: "Nothing ... nothing, oh!" Subsequently, Bismarck ordered a ring from this cane with an inscription in Latin letters: "Nothing!" And he admitted that in difficult times he was relieved, saying to himself in Russian: “Nothing!” When the “Iron Chancellor” was reproached for being too soft on Russia, he replied: “In Germany, only I say “nothing!”, And in Russia, the whole people.”
sausage duel
Rudolf Virchow, a Prussian scientist and opposition figure, was dissatisfied with the policies of Otto von Bismarck and the bloated Prussian military budget. He began to investigate the typhus epidemic and came to the conclusion that Bismarck himself was not to blame for it (overcrowding is caused by poverty, poverty is caused by poor education, poor education is caused by lack of funding and democracy).
Bismarck did not deny Virchow's theses. He simply challenged him to a duel. The duel took place, but Virchow prepared for it outside the box. As a "weapon" he chose sausages. One of them was poisoned. The noble duelist Bismarck preferred to refuse the duel, saying that the heroes do not overeat to death and canceled the duel.
Gorchakov's student
It is traditionally believed that Alexander Gorchakov became a kind of "godfather" of Otto von Bismarck. There is a reasonable grain in this opinion. Without the participation and help of Gorchakov, Bismarck would hardly have become what he became, but one cannot underestimate the role of Bismarck himself in his political development. Bismarck met Alexander Gorchakov during his stay in St. Petersburg, where he was the Prussian envoy. The future "Iron Chancellor" was not very pleased with his appointment, taking him for a link. He was far from "big politics", although Otto's ambitions told him that he was born for this. Bismarck was received favorably in Russia. Bismarck, as they knew in St. Petersburg, opposed with all his might during the Crimean War the mobilization of German armies for the war with Russia. In addition, the Dowager Empress, wife of Nicholas I and mother of Alexander II, nee Princess Charlotte of Prussia, favored the courteous and educated countryman. Bismarck was the only foreign diplomat who had close contact with the royal family. Work in Russia and communication with Gorchakov seriously influenced Bismarck, but Gorchakov's diplomatic style was not adopted by Bismarck, he formed his own methods of foreign policy influence, and when the interests of Prussia diverged from the interests of Russia, Bismarck confidently defended the positions of Prussia. After the Berlin Congress, Bismarck broke up with Gorchakov.
Descendant of Rurik
Now it is not customary to remember this, but Otto von Bismarck was a descendant of the Rurikovich. His distant relatives were Anna Yaroslavovna. The call of Russian blood in Bismarck manifested itself in full, he even once had a chance to hunt a bear. The "Iron Chancellor" knew and understood the Russians well. The famous phrases are attributed to him: “It’s worth either playing fair with Russians, or not playing at all”; “Russians harness for a long time, but they drive fast”; “The war between Germany and Russia is the greatest stupidity. That's why it's bound to happen."
200 years ago, on April 1, 1815, the first chancellor of the German Empire, Otto von Bismarck, was born. This German statesman went down in history as the founder of the German Empire, the "Iron Chancellor" and the de facto leader of the foreign policy of one of the greatest European powers. Bismarck's policy made Germany the leading military and economic power in Western Europe.
Youth
Otto von Bismarck (Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen) was born on April 1, 1815 at Schönhausen Castle in the province of Brandenburg. Bismarck was the fourth child and second son of a retired captain of a small estate nobleman (they were called junkers in Prussia) Ferdinand von Bismarck and his wife Wilhelmina, nee Mencken. The Bismarck family belonged to the ancient nobility, descended from the conquering knights of the Slavic lands on Labe-Elbe. The Bismarcks traced their lineage all the way back to the reign of Charlemagne. Schönhausen Manor has been in the hands of the Bismarck family since 1562. True, the Bismarck family could not boast of great wealth and did not belong to the largest landowners. Bismarcks have long served the rulers of Brandenburg in peace and military fields.
Bismarck inherited toughness, determination and willpower from his father. The Bismarck family was one of the three most self-confident Brandenburg families (Schulenburgs, Alvenslebens and Bismarcks), Friedrich Wilhelm I called them “bad, recalcitrant people” in his “Political Testament”. The mother was from a family of civil servants and belonged to the middle class. During this period, Germany was in the process of merging the old aristocracy and the new middle class. From Wilhelmina Bismarck received the liveliness of the mind of an educated bourgeois, a subtle and sensitive soul. This made Otto von Bismarck a very extraordinary person.
Otto von Bismarck spent his childhood in the Kniphof family estate near Naugard, in Pomerania. Therefore, Bismarck loved nature and retained a sense of connection with it all his life. He was educated at the private Plaman School, the Friedrich Wilhelm Gymnasium and the Zum Grauen Kloster Gymnasium in Berlin. Bismarck graduated from the last school at the age of 17 in 1832, having passed the matriculation exam. During this period, Otto was most interested in history. In addition, he was fond of reading foreign literature, studied French well.
Otto then entered the University of Göttingen, where he studied law. Study then attracted Otto little. He was a strong and energetic man, and gained fame as a reveler and a fighter. Otto participated in duels, in various tricks, visited pubs, dragged women and played cards for money. In 1833 Otto moved to the New Capital University in Berlin. During this period, Bismarck was mainly interested, in addition to "tricks", in international politics, and the area of \u200b\u200bits of his interests went beyond the borders of Prussia and the German Confederation, within which the thinking of the vast majority of young nobles and students of that time was limited. At the same time, Bismarck had a high conceit, he saw himself as a great man. In 1834 he wrote to a friend: "I will become either the greatest scoundrel or the greatest reformer of Prussia."
However, good abilities allowed Bismarck to successfully complete his studies. Before exams, he attended tutors. In 1835 he received a diploma and began working at the Berlin Municipal Court. In 1837-1838. served as an official in Aachen and Potsdam. However, being an official quickly bored him. Bismarck decided to leave the civil service, which went against the will of his parents, and was the result of a desire for complete independence. Bismarck was generally distinguished by a craving for full will. The career of an official did not suit him. Otto said: "My pride requires me to command, and not to fulfill other people's orders."
Bismarck, 1836
Bismarck the landowner
From 1839, Bismarck was engaged in the arrangement of his estate Kniphof. During this period, Bismarck, like his father, decided to "live and die in the countryside". Bismarck studied accounting and agriculture on his own. He showed himself to be a skilled and practical landowner who knew well both the theory of agriculture and practice. The value of the Pomeranian estates increased by more than a third during the nine years that Bismarck ruled them. At the same time, three years fell on the agricultural crisis.
However, Bismarck could not be a simple, albeit intelligent, landowner. There was a strength in him that did not allow him to live in peace in the countryside. He continued to gamble, sometimes in the evening he lowered everything that he managed to accumulate after months of painstaking work. He led a campaign with bad people, drank, seduced the daughters of peasants. For violent temper he was nicknamed "mad Bismarck".
At the same time, Bismarck continued to educate himself, read the works of Hegel, Kant, Spinoza, David Friedrich Strauss and Feuerbach, and studied English literature. Byron and Shakespeare fascinated Bismarck more than Goethe. Otto was very interested in English politics. Intellectually, Bismarck was an order of magnitude superior to all the Junker landowners around him. In addition, Bismarck - the landowner participated in local government, was a deputy from the district, deputy landrat and a member of the Landtag of the province of Pomerania. Expanded the horizons of his knowledge through travels to England, France, Italy and Switzerland.
In 1843 Bismarck's life took a decisive turn. Bismarck made acquaintance with the Pomeranian Lutherans and met the bride of his friend Moritz von Blankenburg, Maria von Thadden. The girl was seriously ill and dying. The personality of this girl, her Christian convictions and fortitude during her illness struck Otto to the core. He became a believer. This made him a staunch supporter of the king and Prussia. Serving the king meant serving God for him.
In addition, there was a radical change in his personal life. Bismarck met Johanna von Puttkamer at Maria and asked for her hand in marriage. Marriage to Johanna soon became Bismarck's mainstay in life, until her death in 1894. The wedding took place in 1847. Johanna bore Otto two sons and a daughter: Herbert, Wilhelm and Maria. A selfless wife and caring mother contributed to Bismarck's political career.
Bismarck with his wife
"Mad Deputy"
In the same period, Bismarck enters politics. In 1847 he was appointed representative of the Ostelbe knighthood in the United Landtag. This event was the beginning of Otto's political career. His activities in the inter-regional body of estate representation, which mainly controlled the financing of the construction of the Ostbahn (Berlin-Konigsberg road), mainly consisted of delivering critical speeches directed against the liberals who were trying to form a real parliament. Among the conservatives, Bismarck enjoyed a reputation as an active defender of their interests, who was able, without really delving into substantive argumentation, to arrange a "firework", divert attention from the subject of the dispute and excite the minds.
Opposing the liberals, Otto von Bismarck helped organize various political movements and newspapers, including the New Prussian Newspaper. Otto became a member of the lower house of the Prussian Parliament in 1849 and of the Erfurt Parliament in 1850. Bismarck was then opposed to the nationalist aspirations of the German bourgeoisie. Otto von Bismarck saw in the revolution only "the greed of the have-nots." Bismarck considered his main task to be the need to point out the historical role of Prussia and the nobility as the main driving force of the monarchy, and the protection of the existing socio-political order. The political and social consequences of the 1848 revolution, which swept through much of Western Europe, had a profound effect on Bismarck and strengthened his monarchist views. In March 1848, Bismarck even planned to make a march on Berlin with his peasants in order to put an end to the revolution. Bismarck occupied the far right positions, being more radical even than the monarch.
During this revolutionary time, Bismarck acted as an ardent defender of the monarchy, Prussia and the Prussian Junkers. In 1850, Bismarck opposed a federation of German states (with or without the Austrian Empire), as he believed that this union would only strengthen the revolutionary forces. After that, King Frederick William IV, on the recommendation of the Adjutant General of the King Leopold von Gerlach (he was the leader of the ultra-right group surrounded by the monarch), appointed Bismarck as Prussian envoy to the German Confederation, in the Bundestag, which met in Frankfurt. At the same time, Bismarck also remained a member of the Prussian Landtag. The Prussian conservative debated the constitution with the liberals so vehemently that he even had a duel with one of their leaders, Georg von Vincke.
Thus, at the age of 36, Bismarck assumed the most important diplomatic post that the Prussian king could offer. After a short stay in Frankfurt, Bismarck realized that the further unification of Austria and Prussia within the framework of the German Confederation was no longer possible. The strategy of the Austrian chancellor Metternich, trying to turn Prussia into a junior partner of the Habsburg empire within the "Central Europe" led by Vienna, failed. The confrontation between Prussia and Austria in Germany during the revolution became clear. At the same time, Bismarck began to come to the conclusion that war with the Austrian Empire was inevitable. Only war can decide the future of Germany.
During the Eastern Crisis, even before the outbreak of the Crimean War, Bismarck, in a letter to Prime Minister Manteuffel, expressed the fear that the policy of Prussia, which oscillates between England and Russia, if it deviates towards Austria, an ally of England, could lead to war with Russia. “I would be careful,” Otto von Bismarck noted, “in search of protection from the storm, to moor our elegant and durable frigate to the old, worm-eaten warship of Austria.” He proposed to use this crisis wisely in the interests of Prussia, and not of England and Austria.
After the end of the Eastern (Crimean) War, Bismarck noted the collapse of the alliance based on the principles of conservatism of the three Eastern powers - Austria, Prussia and Russia. Bismarck saw that the gap between Russia and Austria would last for a long time and that Russia would seek an alliance with France. Prussia, in his opinion, had to avoid possible opposing alliances, and not allow Austria or England to involve her in an anti-Russian alliance. Bismarck increasingly took an anti-English position, expressing his distrust of the possibility of a productive alliance with England. Otto von Bismarck noted: "The security of England's island location makes it easier for her to abandon her continental ally and allows her to be abandoned to her fate, depending on the interests of British policy." Austria, if it becomes an ally of Prussia, will try to solve its problems at the expense of Berlin. In addition, Germany remained an area of confrontation between Austria and Prussia. As Bismarck wrote: “According to the policy of Vienna, Germany is too small for the two of us ... we both cultivate the same arable land ...”. Bismarck confirmed his earlier conclusion that Prussia would have to fight against Austria.
As Bismarck improved his knowledge of diplomacy and the art of government, he moved further and further away from the ultra-conservatives. In 1855 and 1857 Bismarck paid "reconnaissance" visits to the French emperor Napoleon III and came to the conclusion that he was a less significant and dangerous politician than the Prussian conservatives believed. Bismarck broke with Gerlach's entourage. As the future "Iron Chancellor" said: "We must operate with realities, not fiction." Bismarck believed that Prussia needed a temporary alliance with France to neutralize Austria. According to Otto, Napoleon III de facto suppressed the revolution in France and became the legitimate ruler. The threat to other states with the help of the revolution is now "England's favorite pastime."
As a result, Bismarck was accused of betraying the principles of conservatism and Bonapartism. Bismarck answered his enemies that "... my ideal politician is impartiality, independence in decision-making from sympathies or antipathies to foreign states and their rulers." Bismarck saw that the stability in Europe was more threatened by England, with her parliamentarism and democratization, than by Bonapartism in France.
Political "study"
In 1858, the mentally ill brother of King Frederick William IV, Prince Wilhelm, became regent. As a result, Berlin's political course changed. The period of reaction ended and Wilhelm proclaimed a "New Era", defiantly appointing a liberal government. Bismarck's ability to influence Prussian policy declined sharply. Bismarck was recalled from the Frankfurt post and, as he himself bitterly noted, sent "to the cold on the Neva." Otto von Bismarck became an envoy in St. Petersburg.
Petersburg experience greatly helped Bismarck as the future Chancellor of Germany. Bismarck became close to the Russian Foreign Minister, Prince Gorchakov. Later, Gorchakov would help Bismarck isolate first Austria and then France, making Germany the leading power in Western Europe. In Petersburg, Bismarck will realize that Russia still holds key positions in Europe, despite the defeat in the Eastern War. Bismarck studied the balance of political forces in the environment of the king and in the metropolitan "light", and realized that the position in Europe gives Prussia an excellent chance, which falls very rarely. Prussia could unite Germany, becoming its political and military core.
Bismarck's activities in St. Petersburg were interrupted due to a serious illness. For about a year, Bismarck was treated in Germany. He finally broke with the extreme conservatives. In 1861 and 1862 Bismarck was twice introduced to Wilhelm as a candidate for the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs. Bismarck outlined his view on the possibility of unifying "non-Austrian Germany". However, Wilhelm did not dare to appoint Bismarck as a minister, as he made a demonic impression on him. As Bismarck himself wrote: "He found me more fanatical than I really was."
But at the insistence of the War Minister von Roon, who patronized Bismarck, the king nevertheless decided to send Bismarck "to study" in Paris and London. In 1862, Bismarck was sent as an envoy to Paris, but did not stay there long.
To be continued…
Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck was born on April 1, 1815 in a family of small estate nobles in the Schönhausen estate in Brandenburg. A native of the Pomeranian Junkers.
He studied law first at the University of Göttingen, then at the University of Berlin. In 1835 he received a diploma, in 1936 he underwent an internship at the Berlin Municipal Court.
In 1837-1838 he worked as an official in Aachen, then in Potsdam.
In 1838 he entered the military service.
In 1839, after the death of his mother, he retired from the service and managed the family estates in Pomerania.
After his father's death in 1845, the family property was divided and Bismarck received the estates of Schönhausen and Kniephof in Pomerania.
In 1847-1848, he was a deputy of the first and second United Landtags (parliament) of Prussia, during the revolution of 1848 he advocated armed suppression of unrest.
Bismarck became known for his conservative stance during the constitutional struggle in Prussia from 1848-1850.
Opposing liberals, he contributed to the creation of various political organizations and newspapers, including the "New Prussian newspaper" (Neue Preussische Zeitung, 1848). One of the organizers of the Prussian Conservative Party.
He was a member of the lower house of the Prussian Parliament in 1849 and of the Erfurt Parliament in 1850.
In 1851-1859 he was the representative of Prussia in the Allied Sejm in Frankfurt am Main.
From 1859 to 1862 Bismarck was the Prussian envoy to Russia.
In March - September 1962 - the Prussian envoy to France.
In September 1862, during a constitutional conflict between the Prussian royalty and the liberal majority of the Prussian Landtag, Bismarck was called by King Wilhelm I to the post of head of the Prussian government, and in October of the same year became Minister-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Prussia. He stubbornly defended the rights of the crown and achieved a resolution of the conflict in her favor. In the 1860s, he carried out a military reform in the country and significantly strengthened the army.
Under the leadership of Bismarck, the unification of Germany was carried out by means of a "revolution from above" as a result of three victorious wars of Prussia: in 1864 together with Austria against Denmark, in 1866 against Austria, in 1870-1871 against France.
After the formation of the North German Confederation in 1867, Bismarck became Chancellor. In the German Empire proclaimed on January 18, 1871, he received the highest state post of imperial chancellor, becoming the first Reich Chancellor. Under the 1871 constitution, Bismarck was given virtually unlimited power. At the same time, he retained the post of Prussian Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Bismarck reformed German law, administration and finance. In the years 1872-1875, on the initiative and under pressure from Bismarck, laws were passed against the Catholic Church depriving the clergy of the right to supervise schools, prohibiting the Jesuit order in Germany, on compulsory civil marriage, on the abolition of articles of the constitution providing for the autonomy of the church, etc. These events seriously limited the rights of the Catholic clergy. Attempts to disobey caused repression.
In 1878, Bismarck passed through the Reichstag an "exceptional law" against the socialists, which prohibited the activities of social democratic organizations. He ruthlessly persecuted any manifestation of political opposition, for which he was nicknamed the "Iron Chancellor".
In 1881-1889, Bismarck passed "social laws" (on insurance of workers in case of illness and injury, on pensions for old age and disability), which laid the foundations for the social insurance of workers. At the same time, he demanded a tougher anti-worker policy and during the 1880s successfully sought the extension of the "exclusive law".
Bismarck built his foreign policy on the basis of the situation that developed in 1871 after the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian war and the seizure of Alsace and Lorraine by Germany, contributed to the diplomatic isolation of the French Republic and sought to prevent the formation of any coalition that threatened the hegemony of Germany. Fearing a conflict with Russia and wishing to avoid a war on two fronts, Bismarck supported the creation of the Russian-Austrian-German agreement (1873) "Union of the Three Emperors", and also concluded a "reinsurance agreement" with Russia in 1887. At the same time, in 1879, on his initiative, an alliance agreement was concluded with Austria-Hungary, and in 1882, the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy), directed against France and Russia and marked the beginning of the split of Europe into two hostile coalitions. The German Empire became one of the leaders in international politics. Russia's refusal to renew the "reinsurance pact" at the beginning of 1890 was a serious setback for the chancellor, as was the failure of his plan to turn the "exclusive law" against the socialists into a permanent one. In January 1890, the Reichstag refused to renew it.
In March 1890, Bismarck was dismissed from his post as Reich Chancellor and Prussian Prime Minister as a result of contradictions with the new Emperor Wilhelm II and with the military command on foreign and colonial policy and on the labor issue. He received the title of Duke of Lauenburg, but refused it.
Bismarck spent the last eight years of his life at his Friedrichsruhe estate. In 1891 he was elected to the Reichstag for Hanover, but never took his seat there, and two years later refused to run for re-election.
From 1847 Bismarck was married to Johanna von Puttkamer (died 1894). The couple had three children - daughter Marie (1848-1926) and two sons - Herbert (1849-1904) and Wilhelm (1852-1901).
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Otto von Bismarck is a prominent German statesman. He was born in 1815 in Schönhausen. Otto von Bismarck received He was the most reactionary deputy of the united Prussian Landtags (1847-1848) and advocated the harsh suppression of any revolutionary speeches.
In the period 1851-1859 Bismarck represented Prussia in the Bundestag (Frankfurt am Main). From 1859 to 1862 he was sent to Russia as an ambassador, and in 1862 to France. In the same year, King Wilhelm I, after a constitutional conflict between him and the Landtag, appoints Bismarck to the post of President-Minister. In this post, he defended the rights of royalty and resolved the conflict in her favor.
In the 60s, contrary to the constitution and budgetary rights of the Landtag, Otto von Bismarck reformed the army, which seriously increased the Prussian military power. In 1863, he initiated an agreement with the Russian government on joint measures to suppress possible uprisings in Poland.
Relying on the Prussian war machine, he carried out the Danish (1864), Austro-Prussian (1866) and Franco-Prussian (1870-1871) wars. In 1871, Bismarck received the post of Reich Chancellor. In the same year, he actively assisted France in the suppression. Using his very broad rights, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in every possible way strengthened the positions of the bourgeois Junker bloc in the state.
In the 70s he spoke out against the Catholic Party and the claims of the clerical-particularist opposition, supported by Pope Pius IX (Kulturkampf). In 1878, the iron chancellor Otto von Bismarck applied the Exceptional Law (against dangerous and harmful intentions) against the socialists and their program. This norm forbade the activities of social democratic parties outside the Landtags and the Reichstag.
Throughout his tenure as Chancellor, Bismarck unsuccessfully tried to prevent the flywheel of the workers' revolutionary movement from spinning up. His government also actively suppressed the national movement in the Polish territories that were part of Germany. One of the countermeasures was the total Germanization of the population. The chancellor's government pursued a protectionist course in the interests of the big bourgeoisie and the Junkers.
Otto von Bismarck in foreign policy considered the main priority to be measures to prevent the revenge of France after its loss in the Franco-Prussian war. Therefore, he was preparing for a new conflict with this country even before it could restore its military power. The French state in the previous war lost the economically important regions of Lorraine and Alsace.
Bismarck greatly feared that an anti-German coalition would be created. Therefore, in 1873, he initiated the signing of the "Union of the Three Emperors" (between Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia). In 1979, Bismarck signed the Austro-German Treaty, and in 1882, the Triple Alliance (Italy, Germany, Austria-Hungary), which was directed against France. However, the chancellor was afraid of a war on two fronts. In 1887, he concluded a "reinsurance agreement" with Russia.
In the late 1980s, German militaristic circles wanted to start a preventive war against the Russian Empire, but Bismarck considered this conflict extremely dangerous for the country. However, Germany's penetration and lobbying of Austro-Hungarian interests there, as well as measures against Russian exports, spoiled relations between the states, which led to a rapprochement between France and Russia.
The chancellor tried to get closer to Britain, but did not take into account the depth of the existing contradictions with this country. The intersection of Anglo-German interests as a result of British colonial expansion led to a deterioration in relations between states. Recent failures in foreign policy and the ineffectiveness of counteracting the revolutionary movement led to the resignation of Bismarck in 1890. He died on his estate 8 years later.