Otto von Bismarch

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Otto von Bismarch : biography

01 April 1815 – 30 July 1898

Bismarch didn’t finish his education in Gottingen, because he lived in a grand style but it was burdensome for his financial situation. He left the city when menace of arrest by municipal authorities appeared in front of him. For a year he was recorded as a student of New Capital University of Berlin, where he defended a dissertation on philosophy in the field of political economics. His university education was finished. Naturally Bismarch at once decided to start a career as a diplomat as his mother hoped. But the Prussian minister of foreign affairs refused to young Bismarch and advised him to find a post in one of administrative institutions in Germany but not in the field of European diplomacy. Possibly this decision of the minister was influenced by speculations about Otto’s wild student life and about his liking for solving problems in duels.

Work

Finally Bismarch went to work in Ahen which lately became a part of Prussia. In this health resort town the influence of France was felt and Bismarch worked on problems which were connected with joining this frontier territory to Prussian customs union. But Bismarch said that his work was not difficult and he had much time to read books and enjoy life. At that time he nearly married a daughter of English parish priest Isabella Lorein-Smith.

Bismarch fell into disgrace in Ahen and had to join up in the army – in spring of 1838 he signed up in the guardian battalion of huntsmen. But his mother’s illness helped him to shorten terms of his service. His mother’s health was undermined by long years of caress about children and the estate. Mother’s death finished Bismarch’s blowing hot and cold in searching of business – it was absolutely clear that he had to do managements of his Pomeranian estates.

When Bismarch settled in Pomerania he started to think over methods of increasing profitability of his estates and soon he became respectful among his neighbors owing to his theoretical knowledge and practical success. Life in the estate made Bismarch more disciplined especially in comparison with his student years. He was known as a keen-witted and practical landowner. But student habits didn’t disappear and soon neighboring junkers called him “a mad man”.

Bismarch became close with his younger sister Malvina who finished education in Berlin. Brother and sister had spiritual intimacy which was aroused because of resemblance of their likes and sympathies.

Bismarch never stopped considering himself as a religious person and a follower of Martin Luther. Every morning he read fragment from the Bible. Otto decided to conclude engagement with Johanna von Puttkamer and made it without problems.

Political career

Bismarch at the first time received the possibility to enter politics as a deputy of again established the United Landtag of Prussian Kingdom. He decided to use this chance and on the 11th of May in 1847 he became a deputy and for a while postponed his wedding. This was time of sharp opposition of liberals and conservative royal forces: liberals demanded from the king Frederick William IV to assert the constitution and big civil rights but the king didn’t hurry to give it, he needed money to built railroad from Berlin to Eastern Prussia. He made the United Landtag consisted from eight provincial landtags in order to discuss this question.

After the first speech in landtag Bismarch became scandalously famous. He tried to disprove the statement of liberal deputy about constitutional character of the war for independence in his speech. As a result with the help of press “a mad junker” from Pomerania turned into “a mad deputy” of Berlin Landtag. A month later Otto received a nickname “a persecutor of Finke” because of his constant attacks on liberal idol and mouthpiece Georg von Finke. Revolutional moods grew in the country especially among city lower strata and workers who were dissatisfied with growth of prices for food. In these conditions Otto von Bismarch and Johanna Puttkamer finally married.

1848 was rich for revolutions in France, Italy, Austria. In Prussia revolution was started under pressure of liberals with patriotic views, they demanded to unite Germany and make a constitution. The king had to accepts these demands. Bismarch at first was afraid of revolution and even was going to help leading the army to Berlin but soon his heat got cold and he was only disappointed in the monarch who made concessions.