Otto von Bismarck
Discover Otto von Bismarck — the 'Iron Chancellor' who unified Germany through 'blood and iron' and dominated European diplomacy for three decades.
Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898) was the Prussian statesman who unified Germany, served as its first chancellor, and dominated European diplomacy for three decades. His combination of ruthless pragmatism, political genius, and conservative authoritarianism earned him the title 'Iron Chancellor' and made him one of the most consequential political figures of the 19th century.
Bismarck's method was Realpolitik — politics based on practical calculations of power rather than ideology or moral principles. He provoked and won three wars (against Denmark, Austria, and France) to achieve German unification under Prussian leadership. But he was equally masterful in peace: after 1871, he constructed an intricate system of alliances designed to keep France isolated and prevent a coalition against Germany.
Domestically, Bismarck was a complex figure. He fought the Catholic Church (Kulturkampf) and tried to suppress socialism through anti-socialist laws — but also created the world's first comprehensive welfare state, with health insurance, accident insurance, and old-age pensions, to undercut socialist appeal. His dismissal by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1890 removed the diplomatic genius who had maintained European peace; within 24 years, the alliance system Bismarck had managed collapsed into World War I.