Otto von Bismarck - History - BBC

Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck was born into an aristocratic family at Schönhausen, northwest of Berlin, on 1 April 1815. He attended a prestigious school ... BritishBroadcastingCorporationHomeAccessibilitylinksSkiptocontentSkiptolocalnavigationSkiptobbc.co.uknavigationSkiptobbc.co.uksearchAccessibilityHelp Thispagehasbeenarchivedandisnolongerupdated. Findoutmoreaboutpagearchiving. History AncientHistory BritishHistory WorldWars HistoricFigures FamilyHistory HandsonHistory HistoryforKids OnThisDay OttovonBismarck(1815-1898) a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z OttovonBismarckinuniform  © BismarckwasresponsiblefortransformingacollectionofsmallGermanstatesintotheGermanempire,andwasitsfirstchancellor. OttoEduardLeopoldvonBismarckwasbornintoanaristocraticfamilyatSchönhausen,northwestofBerlin,on1April1815.HeattendedaprestigiousschoolinBerlinfollowedbytheUniversityofGöttingen.HethenenteredthePrussiancivilservicebutwasboredbyhisjobandin1838resigned.Fornearlyadecade,hehelpedhisfathermanagethefamilyestates. In1847,BismarckmarriedJohannavonPuttkamer,whoprovidedhimwithstability.Itwasayearofsignificantchangeinhislife,whenhealsoembracedtheChristiantraditionofLutheranism,andbeganhispoliticalcareerinthePrussianlegislature,wherehegainedareputationasanultra-conservativeroyalist.In1851,KingFrederickWilhelmIVappointedBismarckasPrussianrepresentativetotheGermanConfederation.HethenservedasambassadortoRussiaandFrance.In1862,hereturnedtoPrussiaandwasappointedprimeministerbythenewking,WilhelmI. BismarckwasnowdeterminedtounitetheGermanstatesintoasingleempire,withPrussiaatitscore.WithAustriansupport,heusedtheexpandedPrussianarmytocapturetheprovincesofSchleswigandHolsteinfromDenmark.HethenescalatedaquarrelwithAustriaanditsGermanalliesovertheadministrationoftheseprovincesintoawar,inwhichPrussiawasthevictor.PrussiathenannexedfurtherterritoryinGermany. UnabletopersuadethesouthernGermanstatestojoinwithhisNorthGermanConfederation,heprovokedhostilitieswithFranceasawayofunitingtheGermanstatestogether.TheGermanvictoryintheFranco-PrussianWarwonoverthesouthernGermanstates,andin1871theyagreedtojoinaGermanempire.WilhelmIofPrussiabecameemperor. As'chancellor'ofthenewGermany,Bismarckconcentratedonbuildingapowerfulstatewithaunifiednationalidentity.OneofhistargetswastheCatholicChurch,whichhebelievedhadtoomuchinfluence,particularlyinsouthernGermany.Healsoworkedtopreventthespreadofsocialism,partlybyintroducinghealthinsuranceandpensions. Abroad,BismarckaimedtomaketheGermanempirethemostpowerfulinEurope.In1879,henegotiatedanalliancewithAustria-HungarytocounteractFranceandRussia.Italylaterjoinedthealliance.ToavoidalienatingBritain,BismarckarrangedthetwoMediterraneanAgreementsof1887,designedtopreservethestatusquoagainstaRussianthreat. In1890,Bismarckresignedafterdisagreeingwiththenewemperor,WilhelmII.HeretiredtohisestatenearHamburganddiedthereon30July1898. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z «; MoreHistoricFigures WorldWarOneCentenary FindoutmoreabouthowtheBBCiscoveringtheWorldWarOneCentenary,andseethe latestprogrammesandonlinecontent WarPoetry HasDulceetDecorumEstaffectedourviewofWW1? BBCiDBBCiDSettingsSignoutSearchterm:BBCnavigationNewsSportWeatheriPlayerTVRadioMore…CBBCCBeebiesComedyFoodHistoryLearningMusicScienceNatureLocalNorthernIrelandScotlandWalesFullA-ZofBBCsitesBBClinksMobilesiteTermsofUseAbouttheBBCPrivacyAccessibilityHelpCookiesContacttheBBCParentalGuidanceBBC©2014TheBBCisnotresponsibleforthecontentofexternalsites.Readmore.Thispageisbestviewedinanup-to-datewebbrowserwithstylesheets(CSS)enabled.Whileyouwillbeabletoviewthecontentofthispageinyourcurrentbrowser,youwillnotbeabletogetthefullvisualexperience.Pleaseconsiderupgradingyourbrowsersoftwareorenablingstylesheets(CSS)ifyouareabletodoso.