How significant was Bismarck in securing the unification of Germany 1862-71?Bismarck's significance in securing the unification of Germany can be measured by looking at his individual role

A revival of the conflict between German and Danish nationalism over Schleswig-Holstein gave Bismarck his next opportunity to enlarge Prussia. When the Danish king Frederick VII attempted to incorporate Schleswig into Denmark, it caused an outburst of nationalist feeling in Germany. Bismarck tried to remain as neutral as possible due to the fact that Prussian annexation of Schleswig-Holstein would be impossible due to the Treaty of London and opposition from Austria. Bismarck therefore chose the other option which was to ally with Austria, as both Austria and Prussia viewed the triumph of German nationalism as a threat at this point. When the joint forces entered Schleswig, war began with Denmark and ended quickly. After an agreement between the Austrian emperor and the King of Prussia at the Convention of Gastein, Holstein would go to Austria and Schleswig to Prussia. Bismarck's role in the Schleswig-Holstein affair proved to be very useful and the fact that after the events, the Austrian government believed they had been outmanoeuvred by Bismarck shows Bismarck controlling the situation rather than reacting to it, like in the Polish revolt. Another clear example of Bismarck's manoeuvring was an informal meeting with Napoleon III at Biarritz. At this meeting Napoleon was encouraged by Bismarck to remain neutral in an Austro-Prussian war. In return for this, France could expect to gain territory in the Rhineland and Austria's remaining Italian territory in Venetia would be given to Italy. Napoleon also expected the war to be long and costly so he could step in and impose his own peace terms on the two exhausted powers. With the position of France assured, Bismarck had to assure all other international relations were favourable. With Great Britain and Russia unwilling to intervene, "Bismarck's master-stroke was the Italian alliance of 1866" (According to the historian S.Lee) I agree with this historians view that this was a perfect demonstration of Bismarck at his best, and clearly he is tailoring an inevitable unification to his liking (under Prussia). His position by 1866 was so strong that he chose to bring on a war from which Prussia forged the North German Confederation. This is a clear showcase of Bismarck preparing the way internationally, and due to the strength of Prussia militarily and Bismarck's aggressive statesmanship the North German confederation was formed. He had succeeded in uniting a large part of Germany under a Prussian Monarchy through force of arms. Bismarck is very significant here in the type and timing of unification.

Perhaps Bismarck's most significant role towards securing the unification of Germany was his tactical manoeuvring in the summer of 1870. With Napoleon seeking territory on the West bank of the Rhine. Bismarck was able to use his demands to pressurise the south German states into signing secret military alliances with the North German Confederation. Effectively Bismarck had set the base for political unification by integrating the militaries of the North & South of Germany. With France isolated, war with Prussia was looking like a very distinct possibility. The event which turned out to be the spark for the Franco-Prussian war was the engineering of the Ems Telegram by Bismarck. When a demand was made to Prince Leopold (a relative of King William of Prussia), the French decided this was unacceptable. Fearing that it would place a Prussian puppet on the throne of their southern neighbour and this would further shift the balance of power in Europe to Frances disadvantage, Napoleon demanded assurances from William that he would never accept the candidacy. But when William refused to never say never, Bismarck stepped in and edited the telegram to make it look as if William had snubbed the French. Napoleon could only follow the outraged demands of his people and declare war in Prussia. Bismarck realised by now that Prussia had outstripped France militarily and the Southern German states were 'ripe' for gathering, it was Bismarck's direct actions that led to war, the result of which was German unification on 18th January 1871.

Arguably the most important factor in German unification, Bismarck & the international situation were not the sole factors contributing to unification. It could be said that the German states were in a promising position before the appearance of Bismarck through the economic health of Prussia and Prussia's military structure. Prussia benefited substantially from the Congress of Vienna in 1815, receiving part of Saxony and the valuable Rhineland, as well as Westphalia and Pomerania. As well as this, the population of Prussia had been more than doubled to 10 million. With the introduction of the railway, transporting goods, soldiers and communication became much easier. The historian Stiles view that "There can be no doubt that Prussia's economic domination of the smaller states was a vital factor in her eventual success in uniting Germany" agrees with mine again that the economic base of the Zollverein meant that the basis of German unification had already been laid by Prussia. The Zollverein created a single system of tariffs for the movement of goods around Prussia. It later included most German states but essentially, it excluded Austria, being excluded from this free trading zone meant huge economic difficulties for Austria. Prussia had achieved a position of economic leadership within the Confederation, and the Zollverein became a focal point for national feeling, mainly with the nationalist view that "it made their dreams of a politically united Germany seem more likely to be realised." (According to Stiles) This in my view sparked a surge which would eventually grow to be significant. The Zollverein would turn out to be pivotal in the movement from a group of German trading states to a Kleindeutsch Germany. Very significantly, Bismarck had little influence in the establishment of the Zollverein, without Bismarck, Prussia would still have found itself in such a promising position and so therefore it could be said that Bismarck did not have such a significant role in German Unification.

Coupled with Prussia's economic strength, its military proved to be of major use in such instances as the Austro-Prussian war of 1866 and Franco-Prussian war of 1870. After serious defects had been revealed in Prussia's defences in 1859, King William appointed von Roon as Minister of war to make some major reforms in the army. His aims were to increase the army's annual intake, create new infantry regiments and increase the number of years of service. When a bill for these reforms was put to the Prussian parliament, opposition from liberals meant that King William had to use Bismarck to sort out this mess. Through his bold actions, and aggressive approach the Progressives were no match for the mighty Bismarck and he completed the army reforms. Testament to these reforms were numerous victories most significantly in the war with Austria where together with the meticulous planning from the Prussian general von Moltke and Prussia's superior weaponry Austrian forces were defeated in the decisive battle at Koniggratz from which the North German Confederation was formed. Bismarck's role in his use of the army is in my view a microcosm of his role in German unification in the sense that he merely utilised what was already available to solidify unification. The fact that he used the army very well later on knowing exactly 'when' to fight a war to win it does show Bismarck's qualities, however it still remains it was his use of the army, and not himself which contributed to unification.

Bismarck's significance can be assessed by looking at his role in the gradual increase in German nationalism. Bismarck can be seen to have merely harnessed nationalism when it suited his aims, most noticeably before the Austro and Franco - Prussian wars where he utilised a surge of anti-French nationalism effectively to lead the south German states to war which ultimately resulted in unification. The fact that he sided with Austria against nationalism in the Schleswig-Holstein affair suggests that if nationalism hindered his desire for his type and timing of unification then he would have no hesitation in crushing it. Michael John's view that Bismarck's political opportunities and chances can be strongly linked with rising nationalism begs the question 'did Bismarck need nationalism more than it needed him?' It can be seen as a mutual relationship implying his significance in unifying Germany once again relied on utilising an existing force; in this case Bismarck was merely a leader using nationalism as a tool to help solidify unification.

Although Bismarck influenced many situations, there are many examples where he relied on luck and chance. The Polish revolt is a clear example where Bismarck was reacting to events rather than controlling them. Due to sheer luck, after the Polish revolt a coalition between France-Austria-Russia was now unlikely, meaning these 3 threats to German unification could not work together. Another example of luck was the marginalisation of Russia. With Russia being such a potentially powerful country and a major power in Europe, if they had a strong economy and a stable social position, it is safe to say they would have prevented Prussia expanding and ultimately German unification.

There is no doubt that Bismarck had a huge part to play in German Unification. This is obvious through his aggressive statesmanship, and his excellent political manoeuvring in such instances as the Austro-Prussian war, the Schleswig-Holstein affair, and the Hohenzollern Candidacy the result of which was the Franco-Prussian war which ultimately led to German Unification on 18th January 1871. However, Bismarck's significance can be measured by looking at certain circumstances surrounding German Unification. It can be said that Prussian strengths both militarily and economically coupled with a fortunate international situation meant that the foundations for some sort of unification were already set. Through his utilisation of Prussian strengths in the Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian wars, his pragmatic approach, strong conviction and excellent diplomatic skills, Bismarck merely solidified the cause of German Unification in its final form and timing (under Prussia).