"Supreme opportunism was the key to unification" How far would you agree with this statement in reaction to Bismarck and Germany?

The first 200 words of this essay...

"Supreme opportunism was the key to unification" How far would you agree with this statement in reaction to Bismarck and Germany?

The Prussian leader Otto Von Bismarck is often singularly credited with uniting Germany. However, there is much historical debate over whether this is well deserved or not, as it is argued that unification would have happened anyway, regardless of Bismarck, because of the pressures that were increasing in the 19th century. For example, Germany had the shame of the Frankfurt parliament collapse in 1849 which was brought on by the Revolutions in Germany; the first attempts to challenge Austria's power in Germany. The Parliament broke down due to it's divided leadership and inexperience. It was called 'a layers parliament' meaning that it was too divided and 'talked too much and did too little'. This also led to Frederick William IV refusing to lead a united Germany, then the fail of the Erfurt Parliament and the 'Humiliation of Oldmutz' which had all recently taken place. Therefore, there was much pressure on Germany and it's military leader to thrive and prove to its people and the other nations that it was still a powerful country. Nevertheless, the key debate is