Otto von Bismarch

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Otto von Bismarch : biography

01 April 1815 – 30 July 1898

In January of 1861 king Frederick William IV died and his place was occupied by former regent William I, after that Bismarch was appointed to be an ambassador in Paris.

Blood and iron

A regent of a weak-minded king Frederick William IV, prince William was closely connected with the army and he was very disappointed by the existence of landver – a territorial army which played a decisive role in struggle with Napoleon and had liberal views. Moreover rather independent from the government landver turned out to be ineffective in suppression of revolution in 1848. that;s why he supported Prussian war minister Roon in development of military reform which supposed to make a regular army with risen up to three years term of service in infantry and four years in cavalry. Military charge supposed to be increased in 25%. It was met with resistance and the king dismissed liberal government and replaced it with reactionary administration. But the budget wasn’t affirmed once more.

This time European trade was developing very actively and Prussia played in it an important part with its intensively developing industry, but Austria was an obstacle which had a position of protectionism. To make it moral damage Prussia admitted legitimacy of Italian king Victor-Emmanuel who came to power after the revolution against Gabsburgs.

In 1861 William became a Prussian king William I and met an opposition of Landtag’s deputies in budget questions, the constitutional crisis started. To overcome it William called Bismarch from Paris who was an ambassador there.

William knew Bismarch’s position of an extreme conservative and had serious apprehension in him. But during the audience in Bablsberg on the 22th of September in 1862 Bismarch assured the king that he would serve to him as loyally as a vassal to his suzerain. On the next day the king made Bismarch his minister and president of Prussian government and gave him wide authority.

Bismarch formed his cabinet from conservative ministers which didn’t have bright persons except Roon. Then he turned his attention to “the hole in the constitution” which didn’t have a mechanism of governmental actions during the constitutional crisis.

In his famous speech in Lower chgamber of Landtag he claimed that the principle of elections by decisions of majority of voices was a great mistake in 1848-1849, that’s why the most important decisions should be made supporting on “blood and iron”. He meant firstly unification of Germany. Bismarch was sure that it was time to Austrian and Prussian rivalry for domination on German land.

Austria felt danger and initiated a conference of all rulers of all German states in order to make federal reforms under the chairmanship of France-Joseph and future conducting of general elections in the national parliament. France-Joseph went on the resort in Gastein where William was at that time, but Bismarch convinced the king to refuse. Gathered together in Frankfurt-on-Mein rulers of German stated made a conclusion that united Germany must have Prussia, Austria’s hopes for hegemony in German land collapsed.

In 1864 a war with Denmark began because of the question about Schleswig and Holstein’s status – it was a part of Denmark, which was inhabited mainly by ethnic German. The conflict appeared long ago but in 1863 it was sharpened under pressure of nationalists. As a result in 1864 Prussian army occupied the territory and soon these counties were devided between Austria and Prussia.

Joining of West Germany

In 1866 it was clear that was in inevitable and both part began to mobilize military forces. Prussia had an alliance with Italy which pressed on Austria from south-wet and tried to occupy Venice. Prussian armies soon occupied major part of north lands and were ready for the main campaign against Austria. Austrian defeated constantly and had to accept a peace treaty imposed by Prussia. Prussia got Gessen-Kassel, Nassau, Hannover, Schleswig-Holstein and Frankfurt-on-Main.

Declaration of Reich