- Joined
- Feb 4, 2023
I'm growing more of the opinion that Otto von Bismarck is the one of the most overrated political figures of history, and I am also placing blame on him for ultimately dooming Germany in the long run. I will not deny that Bismarck was a diplomatic genius, in which he successfully unified German states, both Protestant and Catholic, into one single federal entity in a series of maneuvers that united a manipulative form of German nationalism to humiliate Denmark, Austria, and finally France. As Minister President of Prussia, Bismarck was really effective. However, when the German realms united to form the Kaiserreich, Bismarck was essentially a mediocre Chancellor.
Bismarck's biggest flaws is his paranoia and his belief in Prussian supremacy no matter what and that all countries should be subservient to Prussia. Due to this belief, Bismarck had an irrational hatred of the Roman Catholic Church because he believed since Prussia is the superior power of Germany, Protestantism (Lutheran) should be supreme of the realm. He would launch the failed Kulturkampf campaign to limit the Catholic Church's influence, but it ultimately strengthen its political influence and everyday life of Catholicism, creating powerful enemies to Bismarck. Paranoid, Bismarck ditched the campaign and backstabbed his political allies such as the National Liberals, allowing his socialist enemies such as the Social Democratic Party to gradually attain more power even with Bismarck's State Socialism policies.
Bismarck is a monarchist, yes, but ONLY as it pertains to Prussia and Germany. Viewing republic as worse than monarchy, he would sponsor republican parties in Catholic states such as France, Spain, and Belgium against Catholic monarchists with the belief that these states, if they were republics, would be ultimately be weaker and thus ensure Germany's national security. Bismarck's constant bullying of France would lead to conversations of the German elite to demand a preventive war to keep France weak. When the British and the Russians found out that the Germans was planning a preventive war with Bismarck's knowledge, Bismarck had to shut down this attempt and admit he does not want war, and thus he was humiliated.
In regards to foreign policy, Bismarck was way too much of a micromanager that ultimately made enemies of the Foreign Ministry of Germany, who wanted a consistent foreign policy. Although Bismarck's string of alliances managed to preserve the peace of Europe, they were built on top of very contrasting ambitions. The Triple Alliance is composed of two nations: Germany and Italy, having belligerent histories with the third: Austria-Hungary. Even so, Italy has territorial ambitions within Austria-Hungary itself. The League of the Three Emperors would fail, because of Austria-Hungary and Russia's contrasting interests in the Balkans. It can be said that Austria-Hungary is the odd one out because the failure of these alliances rest on Austria's impractical and stagnant foreign policy.
When Bismarck was dismissed, the Ministry had to trim to fat to maintain a consistent policy, and thus saw no need to renew Bismarck's Reinsurance Treaty with Russia, as it was a secret treaty that was probably considered less as a priority in contrast to the Triple Alliance, thus unfortunately leading to the Franco-Russian alliance. The Bismarckian Triple Alliance would then in the end prove folly, because Italy backstabs the Germans and Austro-Hungarians to then join the Entente. You can blame post-Bismarck Germany foreign policy for not maintaining Bismarck's alliances, but you can only micromanage this much before the House of Cards falls apart. If the Triple Alliance was just Germany, Russia, and Italy with the consistent policy being anti-Austria, you would have probably seen those monarchies and empires existing today, with Gróßdeutschland being achieved when Germany annexes Austria in a future war, fulfilling Prussian supremacy and hegemony over Germania as Bismarck would have wanted it.
I just think that if Bismarck was more forethoughtful (especially the fact that war is coming no matter what in the Balkans and prepare for it) and less paranoid on the present (establishing weak alliances to preserve European peace), he would understand that it is better to maintain a consistent foreign and domestic policy that will be continued under his successors that would continue to stack the cards in Germany's favor once war breaks out. I found Bismarck to be way too shortsighted for his own good as the Chancellor of the Kaiserreich following Germany's reunification, but it was ultimately overshadowed by his longsighted achievements leading up to the unification of Germany.
Bismarck is a monarchist, yes, but ONLY as it pertains to Prussia and Germany. Viewing republic as worse than monarchy, he would sponsor republican parties in Catholic states such as France, Spain, and Belgium against Catholic monarchists with the belief that these states, if they were republics, would be ultimately be weaker and thus ensure Germany's national security. Bismarck's constant bullying of France would lead to conversations of the German elite to demand a preventive war to keep France weak. When the British and the Russians found out that the Germans was planning a preventive war with Bismarck's knowledge, Bismarck had to shut down this attempt and admit he does not want war, and thus he was humiliated.
In regards to foreign policy, Bismarck was way too much of a micromanager that ultimately made enemies of the Foreign Ministry of Germany, who wanted a consistent foreign policy. Although Bismarck's string of alliances managed to preserve the peace of Europe, they were built on top of very contrasting ambitions. The Triple Alliance is composed of two nations: Germany and Italy, having belligerent histories with the third: Austria-Hungary. Even so, Italy has territorial ambitions within Austria-Hungary itself. The League of the Three Emperors would fail, because of Austria-Hungary and Russia's contrasting interests in the Balkans. It can be said that Austria-Hungary is the odd one out because the failure of these alliances rest on Austria's impractical and stagnant foreign policy.
When Bismarck was dismissed, the Ministry had to trim to fat to maintain a consistent policy, and thus saw no need to renew Bismarck's Reinsurance Treaty with Russia, as it was a secret treaty that was probably considered less as a priority in contrast to the Triple Alliance, thus unfortunately leading to the Franco-Russian alliance. The Bismarckian Triple Alliance would then in the end prove folly, because Italy backstabs the Germans and Austro-Hungarians to then join the Entente. You can blame post-Bismarck Germany foreign policy for not maintaining Bismarck's alliances, but you can only micromanage this much before the House of Cards falls apart. If the Triple Alliance was just Germany, Russia, and Italy with the consistent policy being anti-Austria, you would have probably seen those monarchies and empires existing today, with Gróßdeutschland being achieved when Germany annexes Austria in a future war, fulfilling Prussian supremacy and hegemony over Germania as Bismarck would have wanted it.
I just think that if Bismarck was more forethoughtful (especially the fact that war is coming no matter what in the Balkans and prepare for it) and less paranoid on the present (establishing weak alliances to preserve European peace), he would understand that it is better to maintain a consistent foreign and domestic policy that will be continued under his successors that would continue to stack the cards in Germany's favor once war breaks out. I found Bismarck to be way too shortsighted for his own good as the Chancellor of the Kaiserreich following Germany's reunification, but it was ultimately overshadowed by his longsighted achievements leading up to the unification of Germany.
This is a really good video where a lot of the aforementioned information above comes from regarding Bismarck's flaws as a Chancellor (segment starts 1:10:30):
Wilhelm I was fine with being Emperor as long he was referred as "Emperor of Germany" (Kaiser von Deutschland) because it gave him a position of superiority over the German states. He despised the title "German Emperor" (Deutscher Kaiser) because it felt inferior, even more than the title "King of Prussia." Instead of being an emperor over a nation, Wilhelm is an emperor who happens to be an ethnic citizen of the nation. However, Bismarck convinced/gaslit him to take the latter title because the former title might cause protest by the Southern German monarchies and Austria.
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