To add to this, Bismarck was successful in carrying out his policy.

             Bismarck managed to convince the people at the 1878 election that protectionism was the way forward and subsequently the National Liberals were defeated. Tariffs were imposed, and a new political pattern of Conservative dominance emerged, which Bismarck had hoped for. Bismarck also managed here to strengthen German unity by showing the people that it was in German interests from Europe competition. Hence a successful policy for Bismarck, and not as suggested by the comment.

             The 'Kulturkampf' that emerged during the 1870s brought Bismarck his first major political defeat. This 'struggle for civilisation' within Germany, were Bismarck's attempts to hold off the threat he saw as Catholicism. Bismarck's aim in domestic policy was for a united Reich, socially and politically. To achieve this, he had to rid of threats to Protestantism, so as to create the Protestantized Germany that he wanted. The Catholics were 'something to hate for unity'.

             Most of the southern and Rhine states were Catholic. The new empire mixed Protestants and Catholics, yet the Catholics were still in a minority. They had formed the Centre party, and won 57 seats in the 1871 election. Bismarck saw this party as a grave danger to the unity he wanted to create, especially as he knew they would always obey Rome and not Berlin. In one sense here, it can be said that Bismarck's execution of the 'Kulturkampf' was not inept or even a wrong decision to take. Bismarck had his aims and merely tried to establish them, whilst eradicating possible threats to them.

             However one could not say that Bismarck was successful in this course of action, backing up the suggested comment. Bismarck had attacked the Catholic Church over the issue of 'Papal Infallibility' by using the press, which was followed by the expulsion of Jesuits. In 1873, Bismarck passed anti-Catholic legislation better known as the 'May Laws', which included state control of the Church and clerical appointments, with civil marriages made compulsory; another attack on the Church.