Otto Von Bismarck Iron Policy Analysis

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Before unification in 1871, Germany was simply a group of many small states that all spoke German and shared many things in common. However, many people tried but were not successful in bringing them together to create a single state. It was not until Otto von Bismarck's personal obsession to build a united empire at any material or human cost made it happen. The great loss of life and the inflexible goal became known as his "blood and iron" policy, finally pulling those many small states together to create one large and very powerful German nation. The blood is that of the soldiers spilled in all the wars that Bismarck's army had fought to conquer the neighboring countries in order to unify Germany. The iron stood for the strength of his leadership, because iron is hard, resistant and very strong. Bismarck was a very strong leader and he did not let anything or anyone get in his way. Also, iron represented all the weapons of the used by the soldiers that fought in the wars. Bismarck's ideal to create a unified and larger Germany was put into effect by forming an army and going to war against its neighbors, such as Denmark, Austria and France. Otto von Bismarck's personal goal of creating a German empire, and his method of overcoming any political obstacle in his way, together with his powerful policy of "blood and iron," helped lead up to the unification of Germany.
"The constitutional crisis brought Bismarck to power." (Graham) When Bismarck worked with the Minister of War von Ron and the Chief of General Staff Moltke William, they created proposals to convince the Prussian parliament to increase the size of the army and carry out various other army reforms. (Graham) The main reform of the army was increasing its s...

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...ed in their hatred for France since the Napoleonic Wars, when France had looted the German states and pressed an estimated 250,000 Germans into the French armies." ("Causes of the Franco") This war lasted around 6 months, and the German states, headed by Prussia, defeated the French forces.
Even though Bismarck's "blood and iron" policy created many conflicts throughout the years, he ended up turning Germany into one united state. How did Otto von Bismarck use "blood and iron" to unite Germany? He used his army (the "blood") to attack the neighboring countries and he used his strength and determination (the "iron") to get what he wanted once he did that. Bismarck could not have done what he did without the help of many people, but his strong character and his will to never give up on his goals, helped him turn 39 separate states into the Germany we know today.

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