Otto Von Bismarck

 He was born in a noble family west of Berlin in Prussia. He was very educated and knew many
languages like English, French, Italian Polish and Russian.
 His first political position was in the Prussian Parliament. There he gained a reputation as a man
capable of stinging rhetoric. He also openly advocated for the idea that the monarch should
have all the power.
 Ironically enough, in 1849, he opposed the idea of unification, arguing that Prussia would lose its
power.
 After a political dispute between Prussia and Austria, Prussia was humiliated, Otto changed his
views. He knew that in order to counter Austria’s influence, Prussia would have to ally with
other states.
 Between 1849 – 1857, he occupied different positions.
 1857 – made Prussia’s ambassador to the Russian Empire. Helmuth von Moltke was made chief
of staff and Albrecht von Roon as Minister of War. These three men lead Prussia to greatness.
 1862 - prime minister of Prussia as a result of a crisis caused by not being able to make a budget
 In 1849, they tried unifying Germany by electing king Wilhelm both in Frankfurt and in Prussia.
He expressed his own thoughts on unification in 1862.
 After that there was a series of wars between Prussia and Denmark, Prussia and Austria allied
with other germanic states. The victories here led to a skyrocketing of his political popularity.
 He published the Ems Dispatch, a carefully edited version of a conversation between King
Wilhelm and the French ambassador to Prussia, that ignited popular sentiment on both sides in
favor of war. The Prussians wons and captured Napoleon the IIIrd.
 On the 18th of January 1871, Wilhelm I of Prussia was proclaimed the German Emperor. The new
german empire was a federation consisting of 25 states.