Bismarck Foreign Policy Analysis

1.

The foreign policies of Otto Von Bismarck, the leader of Germany prior to World War I, differed from Kaiser Wilhelm II. To start, Bismarck disregarded France and did not want to interact with them in a direct way. This was because France was “an enemy of Germany since 1870” (Kislenko). Bismarck stayed neutral in French matters by making conservative treaties with Russia and Austria-Hungary. A second foreign policy of Bismarck was that he made an agreement with Russia that they would not be on opposing sides of each other in war. However this changed when Russia and Austria-Hungary, two of the closest countries to Germany got into conflicts with one another. Their conflict forced Bismarck to choose either one and he ultimately “tied

They gained great momentum at the time of the Spanish American War. The French “encompassed approximately 213,000 square miles” and a “population of about 38.5 million” (McIntyre). This signifies Frances’ expansion. The Third Republic of France “was a constitutional republic with a parliamentary organizational structure” (McIntyre). It existed from 1870 to 1940. The Third Republic of France was however, still trying to recover from their loss from the Franco-Prussian War.

The French were commercially involved with the Cubans because “the French favored retaining the status quo in Cuba as a means of protecting their own investments” and vice-versa (McIntyre). However as the Cuban War of Independence took place, Cuba asked French for assistance. The French refused and concluded with the idea that it was best if Spain and Cuba controlled their situation independently. One of the major current affairs the French were in was the Franco-Prussian war. This was between the French Prussians and Germans. Napoleon III, the president of France at the time got involved with Bismarck and was cheated by him. This was what made France and Germany ultimate

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