Otto Van Bismarck
| Otto von Bismarck | |
|---|---|
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| Chancellor of Germany | |
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In office 21 March 1871 – 20 March 1890 |
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| Monarch |
Wilhelm I Friedrich III Wilhelm II |
| Deputy |
Otto zu Stolberg-Wernigerode Karl Heinrich von Boetticher |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Leo von Caprivi |
| Minister President of Prussia | |
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In office 9 November 1873 – 20 March 1890 |
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| Monarch | Wilhelm I Friedrich III Wilhelm II |
| Preceded by | Albrecht von Roon |
| Succeeded by | Leo von Caprivi |
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In office 23 September 1862 – 1 January 1873rvv |
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| Monarch | Wilhelm I |
| Preceded by | Adolf zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen |
| Succeeded by | Albrecht von Roon |
| Chancellor of the North German Confederation | |
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In office 1 July 1867 – 21 March 1871 |
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| President | Wilhelm I |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Foreign Minister of Prussia | |
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In office 23 November 1862 – 20 March 1890 |
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| Prime Minister | Himself Albrecht von Roon |
| Preceded by | Albrecht von Bernstorff |
| Succeeded by | Leo von Caprivi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 April 1815 Schönhausen, Kreis Jerichow II, Province of Saxony, Prussia (in modern Saxony-Anhalt, Germany) |
| Died | 30 July 1898 (aged 83) Friedrichsruh, Schleswig-Holstein, German Empire |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) |
Johanna von Puttkamer (1847–94; her death) |
| Children | Marie Herbert Wilhelm |
| Parents | Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Bismarck (1771–1845) Wilhelmine Luise Mencken (1789–1839) |
| Alma mater |
University of Göttingen University of Berlin University of Greifswald |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
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Styles of The Prince of Bismarck |
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| Reference style | His Serene Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Serene Highness |
| Alternative style | Sir |
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg (1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), known as Otto von Bismarck (German: [ˈɔtoː fɔn ˈbɪsmark]), was a conservative Prussian statesman who dominated German and European affairs from the 1860s until 1890. In the 1860s, he engineered a series of wars that unified the German states, deliberately excluding Austria, into a powerful German Empire under Prussian leadership. With that accomplished by 1871, he skillfully used balance of power diplomacy to maintain Germany's position in a Europe which, despite many disputes and war scares, remained at peace. For historian Eric Hobsbawm, it was Bismarck who "remained undisputed world champion at the game of multilateral diplomatic chess for almost twenty years after 1871, [and] devoted himself exclusively, and successfully, to maintaining peace between the powers". However, his annexation of Alsace-Lorraine gave new fuel to French nationalism and promoted Germanophobia in France. This helped set the stage for the First World War.
In 1862, King Wilhelm I appointed Bismarck as Minister President of Prussia, a position he would hold until 1890 (except for a short break in 1873). He provoked three short, decisive wars against Denmark, Austria, and France, aligning the smaller German states behind Prussia in its defeat of France. In 1871, he formed the German Empire with himself as Chancellor, while retaining control of Prussia. His diplomacy of realpolitik and powerful rule at home gained him the nickname the "Iron Chancellor". German unification and its rapid economic growth was the foundation to his foreign policy. He disliked colonialism but reluctantly built an overseas empire when it was demanded by both elite and mass opinion. Juggling a very complex interlocking series of conferences, negotiations and alliances, he used his diplomatic skills to maintain Germany's position and used the balance of power to keep Europe at peace in the 1870s and 1880s.
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