Short biography Otto von Bismarck - prince, politician, statesman, the first chancellor of the German Empire, who implemented the plan for the unification of Germany, called the "Iron Chancellor".
Otto von Bismarck full name Otto Eduard Leopold Karl-Wilhelm-Ferdinand Duke von Lauenburg Prince von Bismarck und Schönhausen (in German Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen)
Born April 1, 1815 at Schönhausen Castle in the Brandenburg province. The Bismarck family belonged to the ancient nobility, descended from the conquering knights (in Prussia they were called junkers). Otto's childhood passed in the Kniphof family estate near Naugard, in Pomerania.
From 1822 to 1827, Bismarck was educated in Berlin, studying at the Plaman school, in which the main emphasis was on the development of physical abilities, after which he continued his studies at the Frederick the Great Gymnasium.
Otto's interests are expressed in the study foreign languages, politics of past years, history of military and peaceful confrontation different countries. After graduating from high school, Otto entered the university. He studies law and jurisprudence in Göttingen, in Berlin. Upon graduation, Otto receives a position in the Berlin Municipal Court, and joins the Jaeger Regiment in Berlin. 
In 1838, having moved to Greifswald, Bismarck continues to serve in the military.
A year later, the death of his mother forces Bismarck to return to his "family nest". In Pomerania, Otto begins to lead the life of a simple landowner. Working hard, gains respect, raises the authority of the estate and increases their income. But for his quick temper and violent temper, the neighbors nicknamed him "mad Bismarck."
Bismarck continues to educate himself, studying the works of Hegel, Kant, Spinoza, David Friedrich Strauss and Feuerbach. The life of the landowner began to tire Bismarck, and in order to unwind he went to travel, visiting England and France.
After his father's death, Bismarck inherited the estates in Pomerania. In 1847 he married Johanna von Puttkamer.
May 11, 1847 Bismarck first had the opportunity to enter politics as a deputy of the newly formed United Landtag of the Prussian Kingdom.
From 1851 to 1959, Otto von Bismarck represented Prussia in the Allied Diet, which met in Frankfurt am Main.
from 1859 to 1862 Bismarck was the Prussian ambassador in Russia, in 1862 in France. Upon his return to Prussia, he becomes Minister-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs. The policy pursued by him during these years was aimed at the unification of Germany and the rise of Prussia over all German lands. As a result of three victorious wars Prussia: in 1864, together with Austria against Denmark, in 1866 against Austria, in 1870-1871 against France, the unification of German lands ended with “iron and blood”, so an influential state appeared - the German Empire. The most important consequence of the Austro-Prussian war was the formation in 1867 of the North German Confederation, the constitution for which was written by Otto von Bismarck himself. After the formation of the North German Confederation, Bismarck became Chancellor. On January 18, 1871, in the proclaimed German Empire, he received the highest state post of imperial chancellor, and, in accordance with the constitution of 1871, practically unlimited power. 
Via complex system unions: the union of three emperors - Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia 1873 and 1881; Austro-German Union 1879; Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy 1882; The Mediterranean agreement of 1887 between Austria-Hungary, Italy and England and the "reinsurance agreement" with Russia of 1887 Bismarck managed to keep peace in Europe.
In 1890, due to political disagreements with Emperor Wilhelm II, Bismarck resigned, receiving the honorary title of duke and the rank of colonel general of the cavalry. But in politics, he continued to be a prominent figure as a member of the Reichstag.
Otto von Bismarck died on July 30, 1898 and was buried in his own estate Friedrichsruhe, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. In Germany, there are monuments to Otto von Bismork, the most majestic was the 34-meter figure of Bismarck, which was designed by Hugo Lederer for 5 years.
Section topic: Brief biography of Otto von Bismarck
On the theme "Otto von Bismarck"
Pupil 9 "D" class
Secondary School No. 15
Moldasheva Taira
Otto Eduard Leopold von Schönhausen Bismarck
Otto von Schoenhausen Bismarck came from a noble but impoverished Prussian noble family. He was born on the small estate of Schönhausen, not far from Berlin. Following family tradition, he was supposed to become a military man, but his mother dreamed of seeing her son as a diplomat and Otto entered the law faculty of the University of Göttingen.
The future chancellor did not trouble himself with sciences, devoting most of his time to fencing and beer. Subsequently, he repeatedly boasted of victories in 27 duels. After graduating from the University of Berlin, Bismarck tried to enter the diplomatic service, but could not do this due to lack of connections and became an official of the judicial department. However, this service did not last long, because Bismarck soon left his post and went to the village, where he began to manage two of his father's estates. Soon he became a prosperous landowner who was famous for his hunting and other victories.
Bismarck was an unusually strong-willed and physically hardy person. In secular circles, he was called the "mad junker." Politically, Bismarck was an ardent monarchist. Subsequently, one of his associates formulated his political credo as follows: "Force prevails over right!"
In the days of the revolution of 1848, Bismarck came to Berlin to suppress the rebels at the head of an armed detachment of his peasants. Bismarck's actions were noticed by the authorities, and a few years later it was he who was entrusted with the post of head of German foreign policy.
Bismarck's political career began with the post of Prussian envoy to the Allied Diet in Frankfurt. There he studied all the intricacies of Austrian politics and realized that Austria wanted to weaken the influence of Prussia and play a major role in the political arena. In order to oppose Austria in this aspiration, it was necessary to acquire a strong ally.
Bismarck visited St. Petersburg and Paris as an ambassador and realized that Russia and France were the best allies for Germany. In 1862, he went to his homeland and at the same time became prime minister. On September 30, 1862, he delivered a famous speech in the Landtag: "The great questions of the time are not decided by speeches and not by decisions of the majority, but by iron and blood." Ignoring the liberal opposition, Bismarck completed military reform and strengthened the German army.
From that time on, Bismarck firmly and resolutely began to move towards the intended goal - the unification of Germany. In 1864 he led the war against Denmark and, with the support of Austria, captured Silesia and Holstein. The Prussian army then marched against Austria and defeated it in the Seven Weeks' War in 1866. As a result of the defeat, Austria recognized the right of Prussia to create the North German Confederation, which united 21 states.
German unification was completed in 1871 when Prussian troops defeated France. This is how Bismarck's plan to turn Germany into a German Reich was realized. On January 18, 1871, the King of Prussia was proclaimed German Emperor and Bismarck became its Chancellor.
However, Bismarck's career ended shortly after the death of Wilhelm I (1797 - 1888). His successor, Wilhelm II, feared the rise of Bismarck's influence. Bismarck's request for resignation was submitted and accepted on March 20, 1890. He left Berlin, with crowds of people noisily cheering for services to Germany. Already during his lifetime, he became an object of worship and imitation, and after the death of Bismarck, he was even erected monuments in different parts of the empire.
For more than a century there have been fierce disputes about the personality and deeds of Otto von Bismarck. Attitudes towards this figure varied depending on historical era. It is said that in German school textbooks the assessment of Bismarck's role changed no less than six times.
Otto von Bismarck, 1826
Not surprisingly, both in Germany itself and in the world as a whole, the real Otto von Bismarck gave way to myth. The myth of Bismarck describes him as a hero or a tyrant, depending on which political views adheres to the mythmaker. The "Iron Chancellor" is often credited with words that he never uttered, while many of Bismarck's really important historical sayings are little known.
Otto von Bismarck was born on April 1, 1815 into a family of small estate nobles from the Brandenburg province of Prussia. The Bismarcks were Junkers, descendants of conquering knights who founded German settlements east of the Vistula, where Slavic tribes had previously lived.
Otto, even while studying at school, showed an interest in the history of world politics, military and peaceful cooperation between various countries. The boy was going to choose the diplomatic path, as his parents wanted.
However, in his youth, Otto was not distinguished by diligence and discipline, preferring to spend a lot of time in entertainment with friends. This was especially evident in his university years, when the future chancellor not only took part in fun feasts, but also regularly fought in duels. Bismarck had 27 of those, and only one of them ended in failure for Otto - he was injured, a trace of which in the form of a scar on his cheek remained for life.
"Mad Junker"
After university, Otto von Bismarck tried to get a job in the diplomatic service, but was refused - his "riotous" reputation affected. As a result, Otto got a job at public service in the city of Aachen, recently included in Prussia, but after the death of his mother he was forced to deal with the management of his own estates.
Here Bismarck, to the considerable surprise of those who knew him in his youth, showed prudence, showed excellent knowledge in economic matters and proved to be a very successful and zealous owner.
But youthful habits did not go away completely - the neighbors with whom he was in conflict gave Otto his first nickname, "Mad Junker".
dream about political career began to be implemented in 1847, when Otto von Bismarck became a deputy of the United Landtag of the Prussian kingdom.
The middle of the 19th century was the time of revolutions in Europe. Liberals and socialists sought to expand the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.
Against this background, the emergence of a young politician with an extremely conservative attitude, but at the same time possessing undoubted oratorical skills, was a complete surprise.
The revolutionaries greeted Bismarck with hostility, but surrounded by the Prussian king, they noted an interesting politician who could benefit the crown in the future.
Mr. Ambassador
When the revolutionary winds in Europe subsided, Bismarck's dream finally came true - he found himself in the diplomatic service. The main goal of Prussia's foreign policy, according to Bismarck, during this period was to be the strengthening of the country's position as a center for the unification of German lands and free cities. The main obstacle to the implementation of such plans was Austria, which also sought to take control of the German lands.
That is why Bismarck believed that Prussian policy in Europe should be based on the need to contribute to the weakening of the role of Austria through various alliances.
In 1857, Otto von Bismarck was appointed Prussian ambassador to Russia. Years of work in St. Petersburg had a strong impact on Bismarck's subsequent attitude towards Russia. He was closely acquainted with Vice-Chancellor Alexander Gorchakov, who highly appreciated Bismarck's diplomatic talents.
Unlike many foreign diplomats of the past and present working in Russia, Otto von Bismarck not only mastered the Russian language, but was able to understand the character and mentality of the people. It is from the time of work in St. Petersburg that Bismarck's famous warning about the inadmissibility of war with Russia for Germany, which will inevitably have disastrous consequences for the Germans themselves, will come out.
A new round of Otto von Bismarck's career took place after Wilhelm I ascended the Prussian throne in 1861.
The ensuing constitutional crisis, caused by disagreements between the king and the Landtag on the issue of expanding the military budget, forced Wilhelm I to look for a figure capable of pursuing state policy with a “hard hand”.
Such a figure was Otto von Bismarck, who at that time held the post of Prussian ambassador to France.
Empire according to Bismarck
The extremely conservative views of Bismarck made even Wilhelm I doubt such a choice. Nevertheless, on September 23, 1862, Otto von Bismarck was appointed head of the Prussian government.
In one of his first speeches, to the consternation of the liberals, Bismarck proclaimed the idea of uniting the lands around Prussia with "iron and blood."
In 1864, Prussia and Austria acted as allies in a war with Denmark over the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. Success in this war greatly strengthened the position of Prussia among the German states.
In 1866, the confrontation between Prussia and Austria for influence on the German states reached its climax and resulted in a war in which Italy took the side of Prussia.
The war ended with the crushing defeat of Austria, which finally lost its influence. As a result, in 1867, the federal formation of the North German Confederation was created, headed by Prussia.
The final completion of the unification of Germany was possible only with the accession of the South German states, which France sharply opposed.
If with Russia, concerned about the strengthening of Prussia, Bismarck managed to settle the issue through diplomacy, then the French emperor Napoleon III was determined to stop the creation of a new empire by force of arms.
The Franco-Prussian war that broke out in 1870 ended in complete disaster for both France and Napoleon III himself, who was captured after the battle of Sedan.
The last obstacle was removed, and on January 18, 1871, Otto von Bismarck proclaimed the creation of the Second Reich (German Empire), of which Wilhelm I became Kaiser.
January 1871 was Bismarck's major triumph.
There is no prophet in his own country...
His further activities were aimed at containing internal and external threats. Under the internal conservative, Bismarck meant the strengthening of the positions of the Social Democrats, under the external - attempts at revenge by France and Austria, as well as other European countries that joined them, fearing the strengthening of the German Empire.
The foreign policy of the "iron chancellor" went down in history as "Bismarck's system of alliances."
The main task of the agreements being concluded was to prevent the creation of powerful anti-German alliances in Europe, threatening the new empire with a war on two fronts.
To this end, Bismarck managed to successfully manage until his retirement, but his cautious policy began to irritate the German elite. The new empire wanted to take part in the redistribution of the world, for which it was ready to fight with everyone.
Bismarck declared that as long as he was Chancellor, there would be no colonial policy in Germany. However, even before his resignation, the first German colonies appeared in Africa and pacific ocean, which spoke of the fall of Bismarck's influence in Germany.
The "Iron Chancellor" began to interfere with a new generation of politicians who no longer dreamed of a united Germany, but of world domination.
The year 1888 went down in German history as " year three emperors." After the death of the 90-year-old Wilhelm I and his son, Frederick III, who suffered from throat cancer, the 29-year-old Wilhelm II, the grandson of the first emperor of the Second Reich, ascended the throne.
Then no one knew that Wilhelm II, rejecting all the advice and warnings of Bismarck, would drag Germany into the First world war, which will put an end to the empire created by the "iron chancellor".
In March 1890, the 75-year-old Bismarck was sent into an honorable retirement, and with him his policies also resigned. Just a few months later, Bismarck's main nightmare came true - France and Russia entered into a military alliance, which England then joined.
The "Iron Chancellor" passed away in 1898, not having seen how Germany rushes at full speed towards a suicidal war. The name of Bismarck during the First World War and at the beginning of the Second World War will be actively used in Germany for propaganda purposes.
But his warnings about the destructiveness of the war with Russia, about the nightmare of a "war on two fronts", will remain unclaimed.
The Germans paid a very high price for this selective memory of Bismarck.
Otto von Bismarck (Eduard Leopold von Schönhausen) was born on April 1, 1815 in the family estate of Schönhausen in Brandenburg northwest of Berlin, the third son of the Prussian landowner Ferdinand von Bismarck-Schönhausen and Wilhelmina Mencken, at birth he received the name Otto Eduard Leopold.
Schönhausen Manor was located in the heart of the province of Brandenburg, which occupied a special place in the history of early Germany. Five miles to the west of the estate was the Elbe River, the main waterway of Northern Germany. Schönhausen Manor has been in the hands of the Bismarck family since 1562.
All generations of this family served the rulers of Brandenburg in peace and military fields.
Wilhelmina, Otto's mother, came from a family of civil servants and belonged to the middle class. Such marriages increased in the nineteenth century as the educated middle classes and the old aristocracy began to coalesce into a new elite.
At the insistence of Wilhelmina, Bernhard, the elder brother, and Otto were sent to study at the Plamann school in Berlin, where Otto studied from 1822 to 1827. At the age of 12, Otto left school and moved to the Friedrich Wilhelm Gymnasium, where he studied for three years. In 1830, Otto moved to the gymnasium "At the Gray Monastery", where he felt freer than in previous years. educational institutions. Neither mathematics, nor the history of the ancient world, nor the achievements of the new German culture attracted the attention of the young cadet. Most of all, Otto was interested in the politics of past years, the history of military and peaceful rivalry between different countries.
After graduating from high school, on May 10, 1832, at the age of 17, Otto entered the University of Göttingen, where he studied law. When he was a student, he gained a reputation as a reveler and a fighter, and excelled in duels. Otto played cards for money and drank a lot. In September 1833, Otto moved to the New Capital University in Berlin, where life turned out to be cheaper. To be more precise, Bismarck was only listed at the university, since he hardly attended lectures, but used the services of tutors who attended him before exams. In 1835 he received a diploma and was soon enlisted to work at the Berlin Municipal Court. In 1837, Otto took up the post of tax official in Aachen, a year later - the same post in Potsdam. There he joined the Guards Jaeger Regiment. In the autumn of 1838, Bismarck moved to Greifswald, where, in addition to performing his military duties, he studied animal breeding methods at the Elden Academy.
Bismarck is a landowner.
On January 1, 1839, Otto von Bismarck's mother, Wilhelmina, died. The death of his mother did not make a strong impression on Otto: only much later came to him a true assessment of her qualities. However, this event resolved for some time an urgent problem - what should he do after graduation. military service. Otto helped his brother Bernhard manage the Pomeranian estates, and their father returned to Schönhausen. His father's financial loss, together with an innate distaste for the lifestyle of a Prussian official, forced Bismarck to resign in September 1839 and take over the management of the family estates in Pomerania. In private conversations, Otto explained this by the fact that, due to his temperament, he was not suitable for the position of a subordinate. He did not tolerate any superiors over himself: "My pride requires me to command, and not to carry out other people's orders". Otto von Bismarck, like his father, decided "to live and die in the village" .
Otto von Bismarck himself studied accounting, chemistry, and agriculture. His brother, Bernhard, took almost no part in the management of the estates. Bismarck proved to be a quick-witted and practical landowner, winning the respect of his neighbors as his own. theoretical knowledge Agriculture and practical success. The value of the estates increased by more than a third in the nine years Otto ruled them, with three of the nine years having experienced a widespread agricultural crisis. And yet Otto could not be just a landowner.
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On the estate, Bismarck continued his education, taking up the works of Hegel, Kant, Spinoza, David Friedrich Strauss and Feuerbach. Otto did a great job English literature for England and her affairs occupied Bismarck more than any other country. Intellectually, the "mad Bismarck" was far superior to his neighbors - the junkers.
In mid-1841, Otto von Bismarck wanted to marry Ottoline von Puttkamer, the daughter of a wealthy Junker. However, her mother refused him, and in order to unwind Otto went traveling, visiting England and France. This vacation helped Bismarck to dispel the boredom of rural life in Pomerania. Bismarck became more sociable and made many friends.
Bismarck's entry into politics.
After his father's death in 1845, the family property was divided and Bismarck received the Schönhausen and Kniephof estates in Pomerania. In 1847 he married Johanna von Puttkamer, a distant relative of the girl he courted in 1841. Among his new friends in Pomerania were Ernst Leopold von Gerlach and his brother, who not only were at the head of the Pomeranian pietists, but were also part of a group of court advisers.
Bismarck, a student of Gerlach, became known for his conservative stance during the constitutional struggle in Prussia in 1848-1850. From a "mad junker" Bismarck turned into a "mad deputy" of the Berlin Landtag. Opposing liberals, Bismarck contributed to the creation of various political organizations and newspapers, including the "New Prussian newspaper" ("Neue Preussische Zeitung"). He was a member of the lower house of the Prussian Parliament in 1849 and of the Erfurt Parliament in 1850, when he opposed a federation of German states (with or without Austria), because he believed that this union would strengthen the growing strength revolutionary movement. In his Olmutz speech, Bismarck spoke in defense of King Frederick William IV, who capitulated to Austria and Russia. The contented monarch wrote of Bismarck: "Ardent reactionary. Use later" .In May 1851, the King appointed Bismarck as Prussian representative to the Allied Diet in Frankfurt am Main. There, Bismarck almost immediately concluded that Prussia's goal could not be a German confederation under Austrian dominance, and that war with Austria was inevitable if Prussia were to dominate a united Germany. As Bismarck improved in the study of diplomacy and the art of government, he increasingly moved away from the views of the king and his camarilla. For his part, the king began to lose confidence in Bismarck. In 1859, the king's brother Wilhelm, who was then regent, relieved Bismarck of his duties and sent him as an envoy to St. Petersburg. There Bismarck became close to Russian minister Foreign Affairs Prince A.M. Gorchakov, who assisted Bismarck in his efforts to diplomatically isolate first Austria and then France.
Otto von Bismarck - Minister-President of Prussia. His diplomacy.
In 1862, Bismarck was sent as an envoy to France at the court of Napoleon III. He was soon recalled by King William I to resolve the contradictions on the issue of military appropriations, which was vigorously discussed in the lower house of parliament.
In September of the same year, he became the head of the government, and a little later - the minister-president and minister of foreign affairs of Prussia.A militant conservative, Bismarck announced to the liberal middle-class majority in parliament that the government would continue to collect taxes in accordance with the old budget, because parliament, due to internal contradictions, would not be able to pass the new budget. (This policy continued in 1863-1866, which allowed Bismarck to carry out military reform.) At a meeting of the parliamentary committee on September 29, Bismarck emphasized: "The great questions of the time will not be decided by speeches and majority resolutions - this was a blunder of 1848 and 1949 - but iron and blood." Since the upper and lower houses of parliament were unable to develop a unified strategy on the issue of national defense, the government, according to Bismarck, should take the initiative and force parliament to agree to its decisions. By limiting the activities of the press, Bismarck took serious measures to suppress the opposition.
For their part, the liberals sharply criticized Bismarck for offering to support Russian emperor Alexander II in suppression Polish uprising 1863-1864 (Alvensleben convention 1863). Over the next decade, Bismarck's policies led to three wars: the war with Denmark in 1864, after which Schleswig, Holstein (Holstein) and Lauenburg were annexed to Prussia; Austria in 1866; and France (the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871).
On April 9, 1866, the day after Bismarck signed a secret agreement on a military alliance with Italy in the event of an attack on Austria, he submitted to the Bundestag his draft of a German parliament and universal secret suffrage for the country's male population. After the decisive Battle of Kötiggrätz (Sadova), in which the German troops defeated the Austrian ones, Bismarck managed to get the annexationist claims of Wilhelm I and the Prussian generals, who wanted to enter Vienna and demanded large territorial acquisitions, to be abandoned, and offered an honorable peace to Austria (Prague Peace of 1866) . Bismarck did not allow Wilhelm I to "bring Austria to its knees" by occupying Vienna. The future chancellor insisted on relatively easy peace terms for Austria in order to ensure her neutrality in the future conflict between Prussia and France, which year by year became inevitable. Austria was expelled from the German Confederation, Venice joined Italy, Hanover, Nassau, Hesse-Casel, Frankfurt, Schleswig and Holstein went to Prussia.
One of the most important consequences of the Austro-Prussian war was the formation of the North German Confederation, which, along with Prussia, included about 30 more states. All of them, according to the constitution adopted in 1867, formed a single territory with laws and institutions common to all. The foreign and military policy of the union was actually transferred into the hands of the Prussian king, who was declared its president. A customs and military treaty was soon concluded with the South German states. These steps clearly showed that Germany was rapidly moving towards its unification under the leadership of Prussia.
The southern German lands of Bavaria, Württemberg and Baden remained outside the North German Confederation. France did everything possible to prevent Bismarck from including these lands in the North German Confederation. Napoleon III did not want to see a united Germany on his eastern borders. Bismarck understood that this problem could not be solved without a war. In the next three years, Bismarck's secret diplomacy was directed against France. In Berlin, Bismarck introduced a bill to Parliament exempting him from liability for unconstitutional acts, which was approved by the Liberals. French and Prussian interests kept clashing on various issues. In France at that time militant anti-German sentiments were strong. Bismarck played on them.
Appearance "ems dispatch" was caused by scandalous events around the nomination of Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern (nephew of Wilhelm I) to the Spanish throne, vacated after the revolution in Spain in 1868. Bismarck correctly calculated that France would never agree to such an option, and in the event of Leopold's accession in Spain, he would begin to rattle weapons and make belligerent statements against the North German Confederation, which would sooner or later end in war. Therefore, he vigorously promoted the candidacy of Leopold, assuring, however, Europe that the German government was completely uninvolved in the claims of the Hohenzollerns to the Spanish throne. In his circulars, and later in his memoirs, Bismarck denied his participation in this intrigue in every possible way, arguing that the nomination of Prince Leopold to the Spanish throne was a "family" affair of the Hohenzollerns. In fact, Bismarck and Minister of War Roon and Chief of Staff Moltke, who came to his aid, spent a lot of effort to convince the reluctant Wilhelm I to support Leopold's candidacy.
As Bismarck had hoped, Leopold's bid for the Spanish throne caused an uproar in Paris. On July 6, 1870, the French Foreign Minister, the Duke de Gramont, exclaimed: "This will not happen, we are sure of it ... Otherwise, we would be able to fulfill our duty without showing any weakness or hesitation." After this statement, Prince Leopold, without any consultation with the king and Bismarck, announced that he was renouncing his claims to the Spanish throne.
This step was not included in Bismarck's plans. Leopold's refusal destroyed his hopes that France herself would unleash a war against the North German Confederation. This was fundamentally important for Bismarck, who sought to enlist the neutrality of the leading European states in future war, which he then succeeded in many respects due to the fact that it was France that was the attacking side. It is difficult to judge how sincere Bismarck was in his memoirs when he wrote that upon receiving the news of Leopold's refusal to take the Spanish throne "My first thought was to retire"(Bismarck repeatedly submitted his resignation to Wilhelm I, using them as one of the means of pressure on the king, who, without his chancellor, did not mean anything in politics), however, another of his memoirs dating back to the same time looks quite authentic: "I already at that time considered the war a necessity, from which we could not honorably evade" .
While Bismarck was thinking about other ways to provoke France into declaring war, the French themselves gave an excellent reason for this. On July 13, 1870, the French ambassador Benedetti came to William I, who was resting on the Ems waters, in the morning and conveyed to him a rather impudent request from his minister Gramont - to assure France that he (the king) would never give his consent if Prince Leopold again put forward his candidacy for Spanish throne. The king, outraged by such a trick that was really daring for the diplomatic etiquette of those times, answered with a sharp refusal and interrupted Benedetti's audience. A few minutes later, he received a letter from his ambassador in Paris, which stated that Gramont insisted that Wilhelm, in his own handwritten letter, assured Napoleon III that he had no intention of harming the interests and dignity of France. This news completely pissed off William I. When Benedetti asked for a new audience for a conversation on this topic, he refused to receive him and conveyed through his adjutant that he had said his last word.
Bismarck learned about these events from a dispatch sent that afternoon from Ems by adviser Abeken. The dispatch to Bismarck was delivered at lunchtime. Roon and Moltke dined with him. Bismarck read the dispatch to them. The dispatch made the most difficult impression on the two old soldiers. Bismarck recalled that Roon and Moltke were so upset that they "neglected food and drink." Having finished reading, after some time Bismarck asked Moltke about the state of the army and about its readiness for war. Moltke replied in the spirit that "an immediate outbreak of war is more advantageous than a delay." After that, Bismarck edited the telegram right there at the dinner table and read it to the generals. Here is her text: "After the news of the abdication crown prince The Hohenzollerns were officially communicated to the French imperial government by the Spanish royal government, the French ambassador presented his royal majesty in Ems with an additional demand: to authorize him to telegraph to Paris that his majesty the king undertakes for all future times never to give his consent if the Hohenzollerns return to their candidacy. His Majesty the King refused to receive the French ambassador again and ordered the adjutant on duty to tell him that his majesty had nothing more to tell the ambassador.
Even Bismarck's contemporaries suspected him of falsification "ems dispatch". The German Social Democrats Liebknecht and Bebel were the first to speak about this. Liebknecht in 1891 even published the pamphlet "The Ems Despatch, or How Wars Are Made". Bismarck, in his memoirs, wrote that he only crossed out "something" from the dispatch, but did not add "not a word" to it. What did Bismarck strike out of the Ems dispatch? First of all, something that could point to the true inspirer of the king's telegram appearing in print. Bismarck crossed out the wish of Wilhelm I to submit "to the discretion of your Excellency, i.e. Bismarck, the question of whether we should not inform both our representatives and the press about the new demand of Benedetti and the refusal of the king." To reinforce the impression of the French envoy's disrespect for William I, Bismarck did not include in the new text the mention that the king had responded to the ambassador "rather sharply." The rest of the reductions were not significant. The new edition of the Ems dispatch brought Roon and Moltke, who dined with Bismarck, out of depression. The latter exclaimed: "That sounds different; before it sounded like a signal to retreat, now it's a fanfare." Bismarck began to develop his future plans for them: “We must fight if we do not want to take on the role of the defeated without a fight. But success depends largely on the impressions that the origin of the war will cause in us and others; it is important that we are those who who was attacked, and Gallic arrogance and resentment will help us in this ... "
Further events unfolded in the most desirable direction for Bismarck. The publication of the "Ems dispatch" in many German newspapers caused an uproar in France. Foreign Minister Gramont shouted indignantly in parliament that Prussia had slapped France in the face. On July 15, 1870, the head of the French cabinet, Emile Olivier, demanded a loan of 50 million francs from Parliament and announced the government's decision to call up reservists into the army "in response to the call to war." The future President of France, Adolphe Thiers, who in 1871 would make peace with Prussia and drown the Paris Commune in blood, was still a member of Parliament in July 1870, and was perhaps the only sane politician in France in those days. He tried to convince the deputies to refuse credit to Olivier and to call up reservists, arguing that since Prince Leopold had renounced the Spanish crown, French diplomacy had achieved its goal and one should not quarrel with Prussia over words and bring matters to a rupture on a purely formal occasion. Olivier replied to this that he was "with a light heart" ready to bear the responsibility that henceforth fell on him. In the end, the deputies approved all the proposals of the government, and on July 19, France declared war on the North German Confederation.
Bismarck meanwhile communicated with the deputies of the Reichstag. It was important for him to carefully hide from the public his painstaking behind-the-scenes work to provoke France into declaring war. With his usual hypocrisy and resourcefulness, Bismarck convinced the deputies that in the whole story with Prince Leopold, the government and he personally did not participate. He shamelessly lied when he told the deputies that he learned about Prince Leopold's desire to take the Spanish throne not from the king, but from some "private person", that the North German ambassador from Paris left Paris himself "for personal reasons", but was not recalled by the government (in fact, Bismarck ordered the ambassador to leave France, being annoyed by his "softness" towards the French). Bismarck diluted this lie with a dose of truth. He did not lie when he said that the decision to publish the dispatch about the negotiations in Ems between William I and Benedetti was made by the government at the request of the king himself.
William I himself did not expect that the publication of the Ems Dispatch would lead to such a quick war with France. After reading Bismarck's edited text in the papers, he exclaimed: "This is war!" The king was afraid of this war. Bismarck later wrote in his memoirs that William I should not have negotiated with Benedetti at all, but he "left his person as a monarch to the shameless processing of this foreign agent" in large part due to the fact that he succumbed to the pressure of his wife Queen Augusta with "her justified in a feminine way by timidity and the national feeling that she lacked. Thus, Bismarck used Wilhelm I as a front for his behind-the-scenes intrigues against France.
When the Prussian generals began to win victory after victory over the French, not a single major European power stood up for France. This was the result of the preliminary diplomatic activity of Bismarck, who managed to achieve the neutrality of Russia and England. He promised Russia neutrality in the event of its withdrawal from the humiliating Treaty of Paris, which forbade it to have its own fleet in the Black Sea, the British were outraged by the draft treaty published at the direction of Bismarck on the annexation of Belgium by France. But the most important thing was that it was France that attacked the North German Confederation, despite the repeated peace-loving intentions and small concessions that Bismarck made towards her (withdrawal of Prussian troops from Luxembourg in 1867, statements of readiness to abandon Bavaria and create from it a neutral country, etc.). In editing the Ems dispatch, Bismarck did not impulsively improvise, but was guided by the real achievements of his diplomacy and therefore emerged victorious. And the winners, as you know, are not judged. The authority of Bismarck, even in retirement, was so high in Germany that it never occurred to anyone (except the Social Democrats) to pour tubs of dirt on him when, in 1892, the original text of the Ems dispatch was made public from the Reichstag rostrum.
Otto von Bismarck - Chancellor of the German Empire.
Exactly one month after the outbreak of hostilities, a significant part of French army was surrounded German troops under Sedan and capitulated. Napoleon III himself surrendered to William I.
In November 1870, the South German states joined the Unified German Confederation, which had been transformed from the North. In December 1870, the Bavarian king offered to restore the German Empire and the German imperial dignity, destroyed in his time by Napoleon. This proposal was accepted, and the Reichstag turned to Wilhelm I with a request to accept the imperial crown. In 1871, at Versailles, William I wrote the address on an envelope - "Chancellor of the German Empire", thus confirming Bismarck's right to rule the empire that he created, and which was proclaimed on January 18 in the mirror hall of Versailles. On March 2, 1871, the Treaty of Paris was concluded - difficult and humiliating for France. The border regions of Alsace and Lorraine were ceded to Germany. France had to pay 5 billion indemnities. Wilhelm I returned to Berlin as a triumph, although all the merit belonged to the Chancellor.
The "Iron Chancellor", representing the interests of the minority and absolute power, ruled this empire in 1871-1890, relying on the consent of the Reichstag, where from 1866 to 1878 he was supported by the National Liberal Party. Bismarck reformed German law, administration and finance. The educational reforms he carried out in 1873 led to a conflict with the Roman Catholic Church, but the main reason for the conflict was the growing distrust of German Catholics (who accounted for about a third of the country's population) in Protestant Prussia. When these contradictions surfaced in the activities of the Catholic "Centre" party in the Reichstag in the early 1870s, Bismarck was forced to take action. The struggle against the dominance of the Catholic Church was called "Kulturkampf"(Kulturkampf, struggle for culture). During it, many bishops and priests were arrested, hundreds of dioceses were left without leaders. Now church appointments had to be coordinated with the state; church employees could not be in the service of the state apparatus. Schools were separated from the church, civil marriage was introduced, the Jesuits were expelled from Germany.
Bismarck built his foreign policy on the basis of the situation that developed in 1871 after the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian war and the capture of Alsace and Lorraine by Germany, which became a source of constant tension. With the help of a complex system of alliances that ensured the isolation of France, the rapprochement of Germany with Austria-Hungary and the maintenance of good relations with Russia (alliance of three emperors - Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia in 1873 and 1881; Austro-German alliance in 1879; "Triple Alliance" between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy in 1882; "Mediterranean agreement" in 1887 between Austria-Hungary, Italy and England and "reinsurance agreement" with Russia in 1887), Bismarck managed to maintain peace in Europe. The German Empire under Chancellor Bismarck became one of the leaders in international politics.
In the realm of foreign policy, Bismarck made every effort to consolidate the gains of the Peace of Frankfurt in 1871, contributed to the diplomatic isolation of the French Republic, and sought to prevent the formation of any coalition that threatened German hegemony. He chose not to participate in the discussion of claims for weakened Ottoman Empire. When at the Berlin Congress of 1878, under the chairmanship of Bismarck, the next phase of the discussion of the "Eastern Question" ended, he played the role of an "honest broker" in the dispute between the rival parties. Although the "Triple Alliance" was directed against Russia and France, Otto von Bismarck believed that a war with Russia would be extremely dangerous for Germany. The secret treaty with Russia in 1887 - the "treaty of reinsurance" - showed Bismarck's ability to work behind the backs of his allies, Austria and Italy, to maintain the status quo in the Balkans and the Middle East.
Until 1884, Bismarck did not give clear definitions of the course of colonial policy, mainly because of friendly relations with England. Other reasons were the desire to preserve Germany's capital and keep government spending to a minimum. Bismarck's first expansionist plans provoked vigorous protests from all parties - Catholics, statesmen, socialists and even representatives of his own class - the Junkers. Despite this, under Bismarck, Germany began to turn into a colonial empire.
In 1879, Bismarck broke with the liberals and henceforth relied on a coalition of large landowners, industrialists, senior military and government officials.
Conflict with Wilhelm II and the resignation of Bismarck.
With the accession of Wilhelm II in 1888, Bismarck lost control of the government.
Under Wilhelm I and Frederick III, who ruled for less than six months, Bismarck's position could not be shaken by any of the opposition groups. The self-confident and ambitious Kaiser refused to play a secondary role, declaring at one of the banquets in 1891: "There is only one master in the country - this is me, and I will not tolerate another"; and his strained relationship with the Reich Chancellor became increasingly strained. Differences manifested themselves most seriously in the question of amending the "Exceptional Law Against Socialists" (in force in 1878-1890) and in the question of the right of ministers subordinate to the chancellor to a personal audience with the emperor. Wilhelm II hinted to Bismarck that his resignation was desirable and received a letter of resignation from Bismarck on March 18, 1890. The resignation was accepted two days later, Bismarck received the title of Duke of Lauenburg, he was also awarded the rank of Colonel General of the cavalry.Bismarck's removal to Friedrichsruhe was not the end of his interest in political life. He was especially eloquent in his criticism of the newly appointed Chancellor and Minister-President Count Leo von Caprivi. In 1891, Bismarck was elected to the Reichstag from Hanover, but never took his seat there, and two years later refused to run for re-election. In 1894, the emperor and the already aging Bismarck met again in Berlin - at the suggestion of Clovis Hohenlohe, Prince Schillingfürst, Caprivi's successor. In 1895, all of Germany celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Iron Chancellor. In June 1896, Prince Otto von Bismarck participated in the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Bismarck died in Friedrichsruhe on July 30, 1898. The "Iron Chancellor" was buried at his own request in his Friedrichsruhe estate, the inscription was engraved on the tombstone of his tomb: "Devoted servant of the German Kaiser Wilhelm I". In April 1945, the house in Schönhausen, where Otto von Bismarck was born in 1815, was burned down. Soviet troops.
Bismarck's literary monument is his "Thoughts and Memories"(Gedanken und Erinnerungen), and "Big Politics of European Cabinets"(Die grosse Politik der europaischen Kabinette, 1871-1914, 1924-1928) in 47 volumes serves as a monument to his diplomatic art.
References.
1. Emil Ludwig. Bismarck. - M.: Zakharov-AST, 1999.
2. Alan Palmer. Bismarck. - Smolensk: Rusich, 1998.
3. Encyclopedia "The World Around Us" (cd)
The message "Otto von Bismarck" summarized in this article will tell you about statesman Germany, the first Chancellor of the German Empire.
"Otto von Bismarck" report
Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen was born into the family of a landowner on April 1, 1815 in Prussia. At the age of 6, the mother sent the boy to the Plaman school in Berlin, where children from aristocratic families studied.
At 17, he entered the University of Gottingham. Through his character and love for disputes, the young man participated in duels 25 times. Constantly winning, Bismarck won the respect and authority of his classmates. IN student years he didn't even think about political activity. At first, the future chancellor worked as an official in the Berlin Court of Appeal, but he quickly got tired of the endless writing of protocols, and he transferred to an administrative position.
Having fallen in love with Isabella Lorraine-Smith, the daughter of a parish priest, Bismarck becomes engaged to her and stops going to work, returning to the family estate. There he leads a wild, cheerful life, for which the local population nicknamed him "wild Bismarck."
The revolutionary wave of 1848-1849 in Germany marked the beginning of its dizzying career politics. Already in 1847, as a reserve member of the United Landtag, he held his first public speaking. He developed a forceful method of solving political issues. Bismarck was sure that Germany, divided by Austria and Prussia, could only be united with "iron and blood." He also adhered to a conservative policy in politics, being in opposition to the liberals. Thanks to his assistance, political organizations and newspapers were created, the most influential of which was the New Prussian Newspaper. Otto von Bismarck as political figure was one of the founders of the Conservative Party.
In 1849 and 1850 he was appointed to the lower houses of Prussia and Erfurt respectively. For eight years (1851 - 1859) he was the representative of Prussia in the Sejm in Frankfurt am Main.
In the period 1857-1861 he was appointed Prussian ambassador to Russia. While in a foreign country, he learned Russian. Also here, the 47-year-old politician met 22-year-old Princess Katerina Orlova-Trubetskaya, with whom he had an affair. And he was not even too lazy to tell his wife about it in letters.
He went home in 1862 and at the same time was elected to the post of prime minister. From that moment on, the politician decided to firmly go towards his goal - the unification of Germany. In 1864, Bismarck, with the support of Austria, leads the war against Denmark. He managed to capture Holstein and Silesia. After Otto von Bismarck made a knight's move, speaking out against Austria in the Seven Weeks' War and winning in 1866 great victory. Austria was forced to recognize the right of Prussia to create a North German Confederation with 21 states in its composition. The final unification of Germany was completed in 1871 when the Prussian army defeated the French forces. On January 18, 1871, King Wilhelm I was proclaimed German Emperor, and Bismarck was proclaimed Chancellor. He was called " iron chancellor Otto von Bismarck.
For 19 years, the figure ruled the country with iron and blood. During this time he annexed to Germany a large number of overseas territories. Thanks to his imperious and strong-willed character, the politician managed to achieve the rise of Germany. That is why Otto von Bismarck was called the Iron Chancellor.
After the death of Wilhelm I, the post of emperor was taken by Wilhelm II, who, fearing the popularity of Bismarck, issued a decree on his resignation. What did Otto von Bismarck do? He himself submitted his resignation on March 20, 1890. The former chancellor took up writing Thoughts and Memoirs. In 1894 his wife died and Bismarck's health began to fail. He died on July 30, 1898.
- Every morning the Chancellor began with prayer and exercise.
- While in Russia, he liked to hunt bears in the forests. Once, during another hunt, Bismarck got lost in the forest and severely frostbitten his legs. Doctors predicted amputation for him, but, fortunately, nothing happened.
- In memory of the affair with Ekaterina Orlova-Trubetskoy, he kept an olive branch in a box all his life.
- He wore a ring with the word "nothing" engraved on it.
- Otto von Bismarck was a descendant of the Ruriks. His distant relatives were Anna Yaroslavovna.
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