Otto von Bismarck and the Unification of Germany, Appunti di Storia

Scarica Otto von Bismarck and the Unification of Germany e più Appunti in PDF di Storia solo su Docsity! THE LATE 18th CENTURY “I have a burden on my soul. During my long life, I did not make anyone happy, neither my friends, nor my family, nor even myself. I have done many evil things...I was the cause of the beginning of three big wars. About 800,000 people were killed because of me on the battlefields., and their mothers, brothers, and widows cried for them. And now this stands between me and God.” This quote by Otto von Bismarck reveals his deep sense of remorse and guilt towards the end of his life. He recognized what he had done and what was he responsible to do. Otto von Bismarck was a very important leader in Europe during the 1800s. He was born into a noble family in Prussia in 1815. A significant event took place in Prussia some years later, in March of 1848, when crowds of people gathered in Berlin to present their demands to King Frederick William IV. The demonstrators expressed their desires for political reforms, including parliamentary elections, a constitution, and freedom of the press. King Frederick William IV, who was taken by surprise by the scale of the gathering, verbally agreed to all the demands put forth by the demonstrators. This included the promise that Prussia would be merged into Germany without delay. This moment marked a key point in Prussian history as it demonstrated the power of popular protest. During this time Bismark started working in politics and diplomacy, and he became the Chancellor of the German Empire. Bismarck is famous for unification of Germany. He did this by being smart with politics and sometimes using military force. He took advantage of conflicts between other countries to make Germany stronger. Bismark said: “We live in a wondrous time, in which the strong is weak THE G RMANY UNIFICATION- because of his scruples and the weak grows strong because of his audacity.” This quote suggests that strong people might not act as strong because they have morals holding them back. Meanwhile, those who are usually seen as weak can become strong by being bold. Bismarck also made important decisions inside the country. He worked to keep peace and order and made laws to help people, like social reforms to take care of the poor. He believed in keeping a balance of power in Europe and tried to avoid starting wars. Otto von Bismarck was a powerful leader whose actions changed Europe and made a big impact on history. Otto von Bismark was concerned about the possibility of another country becoming as dominant and powerful as France was under Napoleon's rule. He worried that if Germany stayed divided into many smaller states, it could be vulnerable to a strong and unified nation, just like France was in the past. Bismarck feared that such a powerful neighbor could pose a threat to Germany's freedom and stability. To address this concern, Bismarck saw the unification of Germany as a crucial step to make the country stronger and more secure. By bringing together the various German states into one unified nation, he believed that Germany would be better able to defend itself against potential threats and maintain its independence. Bismarck viewed German unification as a way to prevent the emergence of another powerful adversary like France under Napoleon's control.