German Unification

German Unification It would be impossible to tell the story of German Unification without

giving Bismarck's role due prominence. Between 1862 and 1871 the map

of Germany was altered radically, and Bismarck played a key role in

the events, which led to the foundation of the new Reich, but his

success was due to a combination of factors, not simply his own skill

and genius as a politician.

Bismarck was a Junker landowner who first made his mark in Prussian

politics as a reactionary defender of the status quo, when he was

elected to the united diet in 1847. During 1848-9 he gained his

reputation as a defender of the old order. Healso learned from the

experiences of 1848 that ideal have to be made practical through

compromises with reality. He was beginning to develop and refine his

own political philosophy, "Realpolitik". The essence of this was

summed up in the statement he made: "The only sound foundation of a

great state… is state egoism… and not romanticism… it is unworthy of a

great state to fight for something in which it has no interest."

As a Prussian and a loyal servant of the Prussian king, he placed the

interests of the Prussian state at the top of his list of priorities.

His overriding aim throughout the 1850s and 1860s was to establish

Prussian dominance in northern Germany, which would inevitably involve

a struggle with Austria. He was not, however, hell-bent on provoking a

war with Austria. War was always one effective solution, but Bismarck

regarded it as a last resort to be used only when all other options

had been exhaus...

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...it was not something, which

he could have planned or predicted.

It is impossible to explain the process of German unification without

emphasising the role played by Bismarck. In the complex political and

diplomatic situation of the 1860s both inside Prussia and in its

dealings with the German states and other European powers, Bismarck

displayed great diplomatic skill and dexterity. He had a clear view of

his aims and the absolute conviction that his methods could be

justified by the extent to which they served the interests of the

Prussian state. However Bismarck was not infallible. He made mistakes

in his first year in office and his diplomacy was not always

successful. The Hohenzollern candidature nearly ended in humiliation

for Bismarck, but he was rescued by the blunders of the French and his

own opportunism.