Bismarck's Influences on German Policy

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Bismarck loved Prussia because of its one unique culture. Although Bismarck hated Germany at first because of its separate and diverse culture, he soon had a change of heart. He lived in Frankfurt for eight years, where he experienced a commercial and cultural environment quite different from that of a Prussian estate. In 1849, Bismarck became the Prussian Chamber of Deputies (the lower chamber of the Prussian Diet) and moved his family to Berlin. At this stage he was far from a German nationalist. He told one of his fellow conservatives, “We are Prussians, and Prussians we shall remain…. We do not wish to see the Kingdom of Prussia obliterated in the putrid brew of cosy south German sentimentality.” In 1851 Frederick William IV appointed Bismarck as the Prussian representative to the federal Diet in Frankfurt, a clear reward for his loyalty to the monarchy. It was in Frankfurt that Bismarck began to reassess his view of German nationalism and the goals of Prussian foreign policy. This was the beginning of his political career as a chancellor in Germany.

Bismarck had a lot of domes...

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