Bismarck - How much did Bismarck's success from 1862-70 depend on the errors and misjudgements of others?

A detailed Summary of Bismarck - How much did Bismarck's success from 1862-70 depend on the errors and misjudgements of others?

According to the traditional German view, German unification was achieved in 1871 as a result of the actions of one great man, Otto von Bismarck, the Minister-President of Prussia, who planned the events leading to unification in detail. However, more recent historians have argued that Bismarck had no such ``master plan''. Instead, Bismarck's success was a result of his flexibility as a statesman, combined with the advantages Prussia enjoyed both in its resources and its diplomatic situation, the latter of which was improved by the mistakes and misjudgements of others.

There were essentially two halves to Bismarck's supposed master plan: defeat Austria, keeping her as an ally by treating her leniently, and defeat France. Defeating Austria required the neutrality of France and Russia, and a way in which to trick Austria into declaring war with Prussia, so that Austria would appear to be to blame. According to the traditional view, Bismarck planned ways in which to carry this out.

Originally it was said that Bismarck's handling of the rebellion in Russian Poland resulted in Russian neutrality: the rebellion was a potential threat to Russia, so Bismarck offered the Tsar military help, thereby gaining Russia's friendship. However,

this was not entirely the case, and Bismarck almost ruined the good diplomatic position he had inherited: There was almost a French, British and Austrian alliance of liberal opposition against Prussia over the matter, and Russia resented Prussian interference.

This is in fact what happened. On 4th July 1866, Napoleon III wrote to King William I proposing an armistice. If Bismarck refused, there would be the risk of France joining the war, and a longer war would allow Austria to transfer troops from Italy at a time when the Prussian army was being weakened by spreading cholera. Fortunately for Bismarck, Napoleon III's terms were generous, and allowed the creation of a North German Confederation dominated by Prussia, in return for the promise that the south German states should remain independent from Prussia and allowed to form their own federation. Bismarck had anticipated having to make greater concessions, as shown by his preparations to buy off France with the Saar.

Bismarck had a number of other advantages that made his victories against France and Austria surer. Prussia had a formidable economic strength. Prussia had come to dominate Germany economically, through the Prussian-dominated Zollverein and the growth of its population. The Prussian currency dominated Germany at the expense of the Austrian currency. This put Prussia in a strong military position, since it could rely on an expansive railway network for mobilising its armies and a metal industry for arming them.

Bismarck's successes from 1862-70, resulting in German unification in the form of the German Empire, did owe a lot to the errors and misjudgements of others. Austrian misjudgement of Bismarck's aims in the Schleswig-Holstein dispute led to the situation in which Bismarck could declare war on Austria. France's misjudgement of the situation when it called for an armistice in the war led Bismarck to conclude peace quickly, strengthening Prussia's position at the expense of France. Later, France's mistakes in the Hohenzollern candidature crisis led to the war which Prussia won, allowing the founding of the German Empire. In each case, others' mistakes created a situation which Bismarck was quick to exploit. Bismarck's ability to exploit these situations was dependent on Prussia's long-term position of military strength, combined with the favourable diplomatic situation for Prussia in Europe.

Bismarck was also fortunate that liberal opposition in Prussia was willing to make concessions. Had he needed to raise extra taxes, the Landtag would have put up a fight against him. However, the liberals were prepared to trade in their liberal views in exchange for

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Approximate Word count = 1787
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History