Bismarck is known to have created a united Germany by 1871. Bismarck proved to be a significant leader as early as: war with Austria, North German Confederation, Franco-Prussian war, and more. That aside, Bismarck managed to achieve a speedy unification due to his ambition and by defeating the French in 1870. A.J.P. Taylor would argue weather if Bismarck saw was with France as the only option to unite Germany. Historians: Kolb, Craig, and Carr go to say that Bismarck never really wanted the war, and was surprised by the war. However, Germany won the war by incomparable measures. Proving that Bismarck took time to plan the war and knew it was a suitable option to unite Germany as historian Eyck would argue.
Many historians discredit the results of Bismarck’s policies. Historians such as Abrams states that Bismarck “left a legacy of unresolved problems” and others such as Pflanze would argue that nothing Bismarck established survived World War II except the social insurance system (which he disdained). The Kulturkampf against the Catholic Church power was a key example when Bismarck didn’t obtain the result he would have wanted. Bismarck who was quite narcissist, disliked the fact of a German owing alliance to someone other then the Kaiser (Kitson). Furthermore, he aimed to secure a stronger support for liberals. The fact that most Catholics lived in the south where German unity was least wanted made Bismarck’s desires exceptionally challenging. The Kulturkampf would soon come to an end and instead of making the Catholic Church weaker, the Church managed to get stronger and more united then ever. Bismarck’s plan further backfired when Windthorst of the Centre Party appealed to the Catholics (Centre Party becomes biggest party in Reichtag 1884). However, historians who took policies such as the Kulturkampf, failed to look at the “big picture”. With Bismarck’s policies Germany was able to avoid much burden. A historian named Hamerow was able to note that Bismarck’s unique abilities held together a complex system (Germany). Examples of his success include concurring territories overseas, creating alliances, and knowing when to stay neutral. He demonstrated such skills in his foreign policy in which he managed leave Germany out of troubles by forming a difficult alliance with both France (eventually Bismarck chooses to isolate from French), Russia even though his polices didn’t managed to solve the basic problem. Later, Bismarck able to establish the Three Emperors League and was able to form an alliance with Austria.
Bismarck proved to be an efficient ruler and it is evident that Bismarck accomplished a lot throughout the 1871 German unification, and through his domestic and foreign policies 1871-1890. Despite the fact that that the majority of his accomplishments did not remain permanent (short term) and some occurred due to luck, it is satisfactory to state that his establishments paved the road for a more sustainable Germany. Conclusively, for historians to not consider and discredit Bismarck for obtaining a reasonable contribution to German history would be an injustice to all that Bismarck achieved as a political leader for Germany.
Works Cited/Work Consulted
BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bismarck_otto_von.shtml>.
Kitson, Ailson. Germany. Oxford: Oxford University, 2001. Print.
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edandre10 (student)
