Otto von Bismarck as a Statesman - Term Paper Example

?Otto von Bismarck as a sman Otto von Bismarck Biography Early life and Career Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck was born on first April of 1815.He was born of a noble family at Schonhausen in the northwest of Berlin. With his mother's encouragement, he took up the study of law at the University of Gottingen in the kingdom of Hanover. Evidently Bismarck was a mediocre student who spent much of his time drinking with his comrades in an aristocratic fraternity. He studied at Berlin and Gottingen and after school he held minor administrative and judicial offices in the Prussian civil service. In 1838, he resigned from his job because of boredom. In 1847, he got married to Johanna von Puttkamer; this was a turning point in his life because of the enormous support he received from Puttkamer. During the same period he embraced Christian tradition of the Lutheranism and began his service in the Prussian legislature; in 1847, he was elected into the Prussian parliament. In his tenure in the parliament, he opposed the liberal movement and campaigned for the unification of Germany under the support of Prussia. He also protected the rights of the Junkers (his elite social class). He served as a Prussian minister in the German government at Frankfurt between 1851 and 1859. He also served as an ambassador to Paris in 1862 and to St. Petersburg between 1859 and 1862. In both services he acquired more insight and experience that would partially establish his subsequent policies (The Questia.com 1).it is up to today debated whether Bismarck had a master plan to expand the north German confederation of 1866 to include the remaining independent German states into one country or maybe he just wanted to expand the power of the kingdom of Prussia .many reaction to Danish and other neighboring country provided foci for German unity Bismarck was an opportunist and good diplomat than a master planner. Political discontent and democratic liberalism were spreading through the parliaments and streets of Europe and people like Bismarck staunchly opposed to democratic liberalism were staunchly opposed to democratic liberalism were to work very hard to stay afloat. Bismarck did it by being pragmatist instead of idealist. He opposed any concession to the liberals and expressed contempt for the king’s willingness to bargain with revolutionaries. He was the best into taking advantage of his opportunities and leading them in the right way always. He was the main factor in unification of Germany. Otto von Bismarck was a very conservative political leader Germany has ever had. Wars with Austria and France He was appointed as a premier in 1862 by William I in order to securely adopt the Prussian program for the king’s army; the program was overwhelmingly rejected in the parliament. Bismarck’s main purpose was to drive out Austria from the German Confederation. He provoked the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 by accusing Austria of violation of the Gastein treaty. Austria was defeated and Germany reorganized into the North German Confederation under the Prussian leadership; Austria was not included. He also provoked the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and he was able to obtain Lorraine and Alsace from France (The Questia.com 1). Alignments and Alliances Bismarck had full control of the domestic and foreign affairs. For the consolidation of the empire, he aimed at gaining the friendship of Austria, maintain British friendship by avoiding colonial or naval rivalry and isolate France through diplomacy. Thus, in 1872, he created the Three Emperor’s League (Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Germany). A rift in the Russo-German relations led to a Dual Alliance with Austria and the Dual Alliance became a Triple Alliance when Italy joined in 1882. The Reinsurance Treaty of 1887 revived Germany relationship with Russia (The Questia.com 1) how strong the nationalism. Bismarck knew very well that the alliances that war could accomplish his goals. How Bismarck dealt with Austria shows his commitment to maintaining boundaries based on political and territorial lines. Prussia with pressure on Austria on Northern provinces which led to the battle of Konniggratz and the northern confederation was formed. It is this northern confederation that came to be catalyst in uniting all the Germany. There was war between France and Prussia since the Germany state believed that France was aggressor and so joined the northern confederation led by Bismarck ser ving France a resounding defeat. It brought Germany state together resulting to modern German state excluding Austria. After that instrumental in the creation of what was then in German empire and he was named a chancellor Using his diplomatic authority, he made important and progressive decisions at home and worked to keep peace abroad. End of an Era His brilliant steering of these factors without even arousing hostility from Prussia's neighbors was the epicenter of the German Unification, and this would have quite possibly not have happened without Bismarck putting things in place, no matter The end of Bismarck period was marked with the demise of Emperor Frederick III. After the Franco-Prussian War he created prince (Furst) and he was made the duke (Herzog) of Luneburg. He resigned from the office in 1890 after a dispute with Kaiser Wilhelm II. He then spent the rest of his life in retirement before his demise in 1898 (The Questia.com 1). The Role of Bismarck in German Unification and the Formation of the German Empire The German Empire also known as the Second Reich was formed in 1871. It was established on an unequal alliance between the conservative Prussian state-leadership and the liberal and national movements. The German Empire consisted of the kingdoms of Bavaria, Wurttemberg and Saxony, Prussia, Alsace-Lorraine, three free cities and eighteen lesser states (Welch 1). Otto von Bismarck is credited for the unification of Germany after a series of victorious military wars. There were three most important steps in the unification of German; the formation of the German Confederation in 1815, the creation of the German Customs Union known as Zollverein in 1834, and the era of Austria influence decline between 1852 and 1864 (Welch 1). The Germany system was ruled by one man, Otto von Bismarck. The personality of Bismarck was very evident in the coming up of the complicated constitutional system. He dominated the key administrative and government positions such as the Prussian Prime Minster and the Chancellor. A firm parliamentary system did not exist, rather there existed a government of parties and the system was referred to as the Chancellor dictatorship. The main feature of the Empire was that of a nationalist authoritarian monarchy rather than a constitutional country under the people’s sovereignty (Welch 1). Bismarck was appointed as the Prussian Prime Minister by Wilhelm I in 1862 to get approval of the parliament in the expansion of the Prussian military. Wilhelm had hopes that the appointment of Bismarck would alter the thinking of the parliament. His strategy was wrong and the parliament once again refused to provide him with funds for the expansion of the Prussian military (Lemons 436). The parliament according to the constitution established in 1860 had the powers of rejecting the proposals made by Wilhelm. Bismarck violated the constitution by declaring that Wilhelm would rule without the parliamentary vote and would use the Prussian budget without the approval of the parliament. Although this was a violation of the constitution, it was the view of Bismarck of achieving nationalism and uniting all the German states under the Prussian rule (Lemons 436). His desire to achieve nationalism and unite all the German countries under the Prussian rule led to three main wars; (a) the war between the alliance of Austria-Hungary and Prussia against Denmark, (b) the war between Prussia and Austria-Hungary, and (c) the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 – this is the war that created the new German Empire (Lemons 436). The first three wars occurred due to the Bismarck’s aspiration to get the territories of Holstein and Schleswig; the provinces were under the rule of Denmark and held a large number of German nationals. In 1864, Prussia defeated Denmark with the aid of Austria and as a result, Schleswig came under the rule of Prussia and Holstein came under the rule of Austria. This short war ignited another short war as Bismarck provoked another conflict. The conflict was between Austria and Prussia. It was the desire of Bismarck to rid off Austria any influence on the German states and thus he wanted Holstein and Schleswig under the Prussian rule. This was motivated by his desire for German unification. It became the war of Hapsburgs family and Hohenzollern family and these were among the steps towards the creation of the Second Reich (Lemons 436). The Emperor of Austrian Hapsburgs, Franz Josef felt that Schleswig and Holstein should be separate states within the non-unified Germany. Tension between the two states (Prussia and Austria) increased and thus in 1866, Franz declared war against Prussian State. However, the war lasted for seven weeks and Prussia emerged the victor and Bismarck’s desire was near accomplishment. The victory of Prussia led to the birth of North German Confederation in 1866 (Lemons 436). Bismarck entered war with France with the hope that the members of the South Germany would join the new North German Confederation and fight the French Army which was led by Napoleon III (Lemons 436). His assumptions were right and as a consequence, the North German Confederation won the war against France. This was the third war and it is popularly known as the Franco-Prussian war. Two important things happened as a result of the war with France; (a) France was forced by Germany to give up Alsace and Lorraine provinces by signing the treaty of Frankfurt, and (b) the North German Confederation became the Second Reich or the new German Empire (Lemons 437). Bismarck was capable of accomplishing what he had desired; to unite all the German states under the German Empire. This made up the Second Reich and Austria-Hungary was out of the empire due to their lack of support for the German unification. After the defeat of Austria by Prussia in 1866, Franz attempted to strengthen its military through a compromising alliance with Hungary. The alliance would eventually enter into another alliance with the German Empire because of the Bismarck’s desire to create friendship with someone in the empire and at the same time maintaining cohesion and unity within the German population. Bismarck did not wish to ally the empire with Austria, but he was forced to do so to maintain harmony with the German population. He was also reluctant to ally the weaker Austro-Hungarian Empire with Germany fearing that its collapse would force him to annex his empire and bring in majority of the south Germans (people he cared less for) into his Reich (Lemons 437). Military force helped him satisfy his desires, all the Germans under one Reich. Despite the unification under one Reich, a major rift was created between Germany and France over the acquired territories. France felt that the regions should be under their jurisdiction (Lemons 437). Economic development is seen as the leading factor in German Unification, the tool for military and growth. The army’s fighting capacity was really improved by the minister of Prussia. He ensured after training and army equipment available for the protection of his territory. The fact that Prussia was regarded as a second biggest power also helped Bismarck bring about German unification. The economy was greatly improved by the Prussian Customs Union formed in 1818. The web of internal customs duties was changed by a tariff to be charged at the frontier. Prussia's small neighbors were so impressed by the Customs Union that they agreed to join it and even allowed Prussian customs officers to operate the system. Growth of railways was encouraged by these economical friendship this proves to be very important in battles, for mobilization purposes. Prussia was growing economically as well as politically, starting to compete with Austria, as Austria becomes economically isolated These developments were to provide Bismarck with financial backing for implementing reform in Prussia. Policies Enacted by Bismarck Bismarck was against trade unionists but in his struggle to reduce the appeals of socialism he introduced the first welfare schemes or policies in the world. He designed three bills to deal with health insurance, old age and disability insurance and accident insurance. Health insurance bill Bismarck considered this bill to be least important and least politically troublesome therefore it was the first bill to be enacted into law in 1883. It was designed to provide health care to the German workers. These policies made Otto Von Bismarck very famous in Europe and were able to move to other nation convincing the use of socialism as a better way for unity in the area. The cost of this health service was divided between employees and employers. The employees contributed about 75% while the employers contributed 25%. Accident Insurance Bill Bismarck proposed to the federal Government to pay part of the accident insurance contribution so as to demonstrate the government’s willingness to lessen the hardship experienced by the workers. This was done to win them away from the left wing parties especially the Social Democrats. Although the National Liberals were against the bill, they had to pass it in 1884 to be an expression of state socialism. The entire expense of the bill was to be covered by the employers. In return to this the citizens were the one to benefit due to be relieved tax and the government could compensate by paying for the in the spirit of socialism and this was to win the citizens confidence. Old Age and Disability Insurance Bill It was financed by tax imposed on workers. It was passed in 1889 to provide pension annuity to those who were permanently disabled and workers who had reached 65 years. It covered agrarian, industrial, artisan and servants of the state, Bismarck was able to cater the less fortunate in the Germany age factor was among the main agenda in his old age agenda and the disability bill was able to cater for those farmers and worked who had any medical complication .health system in his territory was well covered by him to the interest of the citizens although oppositions used to rise from some members of parliament but they could not mobilize the public to oppose the Otto Von Bismarck’s rule on health services Domestic Policies In order to develop the largest economy in Europe, Bismarck developed a common currency and Central Bank. He also assisted in fashioning a civil law and single code of commercial for Germany. He also developed important social reforms and was the first statesman in Europe to develop a social security scheme. This gave workers insurance against sickness, old age and accident. Bismarck assisted in emancipating the Jews and enacted the May Laws which were meant to attack the Catholics. They created a civil criminal code for the new empire and accomplished German’s adoption of the gold standard and move towards free trade. Foreign Polices Bismarck designed the Bismarck system to primarily keep France isolated. He viewed France as Germany’s mortal enemy. He made a series of alliances and counter alliances to secure his empire. Bismarck alliances were mainly formed to keep France isolated and prevent them from taking revenge against Germany for their loss of the two cities. In 1870, he formed the Three Emperors League to isolate France further. The Three Emperors’ League (Dreikaiserbund) was made with Russia and Australia-Hungary. But rivalry in the Balkans led to the Russo-Turkish war of 1877 and Bismarck was forced to mediate at the Berlin Congress to maintain the peace. After the win of three wars he saw his task as promoting peace and gaining time so that the German empire would come to accepted as natural .he had two main concerns the Balkans where the disintegration of the Turkish empire could easily lead conflict between the Habsburg monarchy and Russia, and France where the desire to revenge the defeat at Sedan was strong. In each area European could flare and German could be involved. His Contribution on the Economy The crash of Vienna Stock Exchange led to a long depression in Germany, much of Europe and America. This caused a downturn hit on the economy of Germany for the first time and to help the falling industries, Bismarck abandoned free trade and developed protectionist tariffs which would alienate the National Liberals who were demanding for the free trade. he also assisted in fostering support from the conservatives by enacting laws on tariffs to protect German industry and agriculture from external competitors. His Views on Socialism Bismarck was worried about the growth of socialist movements especially that of Social democratic Party hence in 1878 he instituted the Anti-Socialist Laws. This law banned social organizations and meetings. Although leader of socialist organizations were arrested and tried in courts, the socialist movement did not end. Therefore Bismarck tried to appease the working class by enacting the social programs to reduce their appeal for socialism. His Views on Colonies Bismarck was opposed to acquisition of colonies because he believed that obtaining, maintaining and defending them would more expensive. But in 1870 and early 1880s there was great public demand to obtain them and Bismarck was forced to change his position on colonies. Germany therefore obtained colonies and they include Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, German South-West Africa, and German East Africa. Factors that contributed to his success Political isolation of opponents In domestic politics he was able to thwart the liberals in the Prussian parliament. He could do a lot of amendment without the acceptance of the parliament and the public could not resist anything that he planned to do. Many politicians termed him as a dictator who could not listen to advice of fellow leaders from the region or opposition. From 1862 to 1866 he waged a constitutional struggle in parliament. For instance, when parliament refused to vote for the taxes proposed by the government he went a head to collect them anyway. The people paid the taxes without protesting since it was in order for all citizens to do so. With regard to foreign policy, he viewed Austria (principal ally to Prussia) as the main obstacle to the growth of Prussia. Bismarck then fuelled the war between Austria and Prussia to isolate Austria. He used divide and rule in the region so that he could spread and expand his territory. Bismarck then presented himself as a democrat to further weaken Austria within Germany. Ability to rally public support at home Bismarck had ability to gather support of his citizens due to charisma and communication skills. Due to his charisma and the inborn public speaker he uses his convincing language to call for public support to push his agenda forward. He was able to gather all the support needed to overcome any obstacle that could arise during his plans. He also used his position to develop or design the social bills which were liked by the Germans hence gained their confidence and support. Since he had gained confidence from the Germans he could exploit it to the advantage of his opponents. Due to this support he was able to push for reforms with confidence knowing that the public was behind him with full support. In conclusion Bismarck’s legacy is a little bit confusing to the next generation. In foreign affairs his skills had led to 20 years of peace in Europe and had gained him a deserved reputation for modernization and sense of limit. Bismarck greatest achievement ,the German empire only survived him by 20 years although he had failed to create a unified people of Germany . References Lemons, Everette. The Third Reich, a Revolution of Ideological Inhumanity: The Power of Perception. Lulu.com, 2005. Print. The Questia.com. Otto von Bismarck. The Questia.com, 2010. Web. 4 March 2011. Welch, David. Modern European History 1871-2000: A Documentary Reader. New York, NY: Routledge, 2003. Print. Read More