A. Plan of Investigation
The focus of this study is the effect that Otto Von Bismarck's leadership and politics had on Pre-World War One tensions in Europe. This study investigates to what extent the actions of Otto Von Bismarck led to World War One. The focus of this study is the period between Bismarck's appointment to Minister President of Prussia on September 23, 1862 and the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war on Serbia on July 28, 1914. Bismarck's earlier career is discussed briefly but only as a method to understand his political attitudes. And similarly, as Bismarck was removed from office in 1890, the only events discussed between 1890 and 1914 will be based off of policies instilled by Bismarck, not those of Wilhelm II.
Research will be drawn from many sources including several historical studies and online articles. The sources used revolve around Bismarck's attitudes and actions toward German unification and general policy. Sources include works by historians A.J.P. Taylor and James Wycliffe Headlam. The policies of Bismarck during the interwar period were researched as well, through several scholastic journals and written works.
B. Summary of Evidence
Germany was already on its way to unification in the early 1800s. The Congress of Vienna in 1815 had set up the German Confederation, with both Prussia and Austria-Hungary lacking the power to impose their rule over the area (Greusel 71). Austria-Hungary was generally seen as the more dominant of the German states. The capital of the German Confederation was Frankfurt, in the Austrian state of Hesse-Kassel (Headlam 87). Two solutions were considered to this duality: "Großdeutsche" and "Kleindeutsche." The Großdeutsche approach suggested a unification of all Ger...
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...19th Century History. About.com, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Mowbray, James A. "Preceding the Outbreak of War." The Great War. United States Air Force: Air War College, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Otto Von Bismarck, Reden 1847-1869, Hg., Wilhelm Schüßler, Band 10, Bismarck: Die gesammelten Werke, Hg. Hermann von Petersdorff. Berlin: Otto Stolberg, 1924-35, S. 139-40.
Sarkin-Hughes, Jeremy. Germany's Genocide of the Herero: Kaiser Wilhelm II, His General, His Settlers, His Soldiers. Cape Town, South Africa: UCT, 2011. Print.
Schofield, Benedict. Private Lives and Collective Destinies: Class, Nation and the Folk in the Works of Gustav Freytag (1816-1895). London: Modern Humanities Research Association, 2012. Print.
Steinberg, Jonathan. Bismarck: A Life. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. Print.
Taylor, A. J. P. Bismarck the Man and the Statesman. London: Hamilton, 1955. Print.
Bismarck believed that Germany should be united under Prussian leadership and that Austria should have nothing to do with Germany. Bismarck was chosen as chancellor by the Prussian king as he had a proven record as a monarchist and had little time for liberal and excessive parliamentary ideas. Bismarck helped his long term plan to unite Germany and to be the ruler by getting in a strong position with the king. The king owned Bismarck a 'favour´ as Bismarck had solved the king´s constitutional crisis. Bismarck played a crucial part in the unification of Germany as he helped to set up the Northern German Confederation after defeating Austria in the second of three wars.
The origins of World War One The Fritz Fisher thesis Fritz Fisher focuses on the Kaiser, Gottlieb von Jagow, Bethmann Hollweg and Helmut von Moltke. These four were the German leading figures at that time; Fischer is convinced that these people were responsible for the outbreak of World War One. Fischer’s three main claims were: 1. Germany was prepared to launch the First World War in order to become a great power. 2. Germany encouraged Austria-Hungary to start a war with Serbia, and continued to do so, even when it seemed clear that such a war could not be localized.
In 1914, Europe was diving into two separate powers. One was Triple Entente composed of France, Russia and Britain. Other one was Triple Alliance, consists of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. (Pope 2) Each of the countries was connected with different treaties. The caused of European countries’ unstable political situation and threat of war was present. By arranging alliances with other governments, most countries found ways to protect themselves from assault. While Germany was becoming the center of the struggle, Europe made a spider web of tangled alliance that led most countries into two opposing powers. (Hamilton 16) In the late nineteenth century, the most surprising event in Europe was the birth of united state of Germany. Under the leadership of the Chancellor of Germany, Otto von Bismarck, system of alliances was established to achieve peace in Europe. By 1890, Bismarck succeeded in having every major power into his alliance system...
The German economy under the Kaiser is an example of the effect the economy had on change in the country. The Weltpolitik policy was as adopted by Germany in the 19th century and they wanted their ‘place in the sun.’ Germany had industrialised rapidly since 1850 so that by 1900 under the Kaiser, its industry was the equivalent of Britain’s and bigger than France’s. This meant Germany had economic power and many people wanted to translate this into territorial expansion. Kaiser Wilhelm was too obsessed with his idea of increasing Germany’s sphere of influence over Europe. Growing in confidence Germany was involved in a Naval Race with Britain in the building of Dread...
One major problem arose where the relationship of Austria and Prussia should have shared influence in the unified German Confederation or to have only Prussia as the major power speaker for Germany. The parliament was separated by different fractions of members who some wanted a Grossdeutshland (Great Germany) which would include Austria in to the unified Germany and some who wanted a Kleindeutshland (Little Germany) which would exclude Austria and include the whole of Prussia.
Richard Watt’s Kings Depart: The German Revolution and the Treaty of Versailles, 1918-19 argues that the German Revolution played a major part in postwar Germany(Thesis). The history type is one of the German people after the defeat of WWI. Watt wants to bring to light the unknown history of Germany between the armistice of November and the Treaty of Versailles. The intended audience of Watt is those interested in the German revolution and the interwar period. The evidence used by Watt varies from personal diaries to newspapers of that era to re-accounts by those who survived.
Canning, Kathleen. “Responses to German Reunification.” The Journal of the International Institute. 2000. The Regents of the University of Michigan. 07 March 05
He was an excellent strategizer and could see all the pawns and pieces and knew where and how they needed to move. He grew to power by giving advice to the German states. When Bismarck became foreign affairs chairman he had a main goal to unify Germany and then unify Europe. He succeeds at unifying Germany by alienating Austria and leaving them out of affairs. He also took on realpolitik, which was politics based on reality of the people and focused on the advancement of the nation (523). Bismarck makes a secret alliance with Italy then fires up a war with Austria in which Prussia wins over the grand Austrian army (548). France saw this as not only a defeat for Austria but a defeat for France and then France started feuds with Prussia, scared that Germany might use their power to starts taking over. Agitated with Prussia for slandering them France begins the Franco-Prussian war, which ends with France paying Prussia (551-552). Bismarck resigned at age 75 by Wilhelm II’s persistent requests and dislike of Bismarck’s policy of socialism leaving Germany in a powerful state with a monarch that believed Europe belonged to
Bismarck’s role in unification was unparalleled, and Germany may never have united if not for the efforts of this Prussian diplomat. Annotated Bibliography "Carlsbad Decrees." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 July 1998. Web.
Berghahn Books. 2000 Germany and the Germans. After the Unification of the. New Revised Edition. John Ardagh.
German history is seen as a ‘painful issue for thousands of Germans and other Europeans’ . However it has interested many historians over the years into inquiring how and why Hitler came to power and how much of this was to do with the failure of parliamentary democracy in Germany. To fully ascertain to what extent these events have in common and what reasons led to the fall of democracy and rise of the Nazis, each have to be looked at individually. Also it seems beneficial, to be able to evaluate these in the relevant context, to look at the situation in Germany was in prior to 1920.
Bismarck was one of the most dominant and significant statesmen of the nineteenth century. A political intellect who achieved the apparently impossible undertaking of unifying Germany without a political party to support him, despite an unsympathetic parliament and with no direct control over any army. His—Bismark— only arsenals were the utter force of his personality and his crafty ability to influence Emperor Wilhelm I.
The Congress of Vienna in 1814-15 created the so-called German Confederation under Austrian and Prussian hegemony, but this unit disappointed the dreams of nationalists. The rivalry of Austria and Prussia paralyzed it in a way comparable to the effects of Soviet-American dualism on the United Nations during the Cold War. Almost everywhere, the old rulers repressed the nationalist movement after 1815. The German princes realized that nationalism required reform.... ...
The importance of the alliance system that developed in Europe in the decades before World War I as a cause for it is still an important topic of debate and argument between modern historians. Some argue that the alliance system was a direct cause of the outbreak of war between all major countries in Europe while other historians prefer to state that the alliance configuration we observe before the war started was simply a symptom of the conflicts and disagreements, fears and envies that had been accumulating since the Bismarck system of alliances collapsed, and even before then. This last opinion is becoming more accepted as the one that describes the true importance of the actual alliance system as a cause of the war. In order to determine the importance of the alliance system as a cause for the war we must first explore the origins of these alliances. We will take high-point of the Bismarck system in 1878 as our starting point as the Franco-Prussian war is a key factor for the development of this system.
Sprout, Otto. Bismarck and the Development of Germany Vol. 1. The Period of Unification, 1815-1871. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990.