BIsmarck and his Foreign Policy

Bismarck's short time success was great, he desired to prevent war, and Germany was blessed by being the strongest industrial power on the continent. He also prevented anti-German coalition, and helped prevent Austria and Russia from coming to blows in the Balkans.

In 1872 he extended the hand of friendship to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia by the formation of the Dreikaiserbünd. This was a clever move by Bismarck, this was an alliance of three conservative monarchies designed to stop the spread of revolution in Europe and preserve the status quo in Europe. However the alliance had little substance. There were no military features to it as Austria refused to agree to any. It did however ensure co-operation among the three Eastern powers rather than rivalry which was Bismarck's primary objective. By bringing the two potential enemies into an alliance it was doomed to fail from the beginning.

Bismarck also helped negotiate a settlement at the Congress of Berlin in 1878, by offered to act as an "honest broker". Russia had ratified the Treaty of San Stefano and was happy in controlling Bulgaria and treating it as a satellite country.