Edward Leopold Otto von Bismarck was born in 1815 in an aristocratic Prussian family. He was well educated and when he was appointed as the Prussian Ambassador to Russia and later to France, he gained firsthand knowledge and experience about European politics. He was appointed as Chancellor of Prussia in 1862 by King William.
He made up his mind to unify Germany under the monarchy of Prussia as he believed that Prussia alone had the ability to lead the German States. He also knew that Austria was to be defeated to achieve this goal. So he began to re-organize the Prussian military with the help of General Roon and General Moltke. Very soon, the Prussian army was among the best in Europe.
1. War with Denmark: The King of Denmark was also the Duke of the German provinces of Schleswig and Holstein. They were declared to be part of Denmark by Christian IX of Denmark. The people of these provinces and other German states were unhappy at this move. In 1864, Bismarck made an alliance with Austria, attacked and defeated Denmark and captured these provinces back. The Peace Treaty of Vienna was signed in Oct 1864. Later on, Prussia and Austria agreed to administer Schleswig and Holstein respectively according to the Convention of Gastein.
2. Austro – Prussian war (1866): Bismarck promised compensation to Napoleon III, the Emperor of France for the French neutrality, in case of a war with Austria. Prussia and Italy also came to a secret understanding to militarily help each other. Prussia proposed a National Constitution and a National Diet for the German States for which some of the States were reluctant to be part of. Prussia and Italy started troop movements near the Austrian borders. Austria responded by full-scale mobilization of troops. The troop movements of the Prussian army near the Austrian borders arranged by Bismarck, made Austria declare war on Prussia and appear as the aggressor.
The hitherto reluctant States joined Prussia and the well prepared Prussian army with the support of Italy and the States defeated Austria and in 1866 annexed Schleswig and Holstein. The decisive battle was fought at Koniggratz near Sadowa, in which Austria was completely routed. This war is also called as ‘Seven Weeks War’. The Austro Prussian war of 1866 ended with the Treaty of Prague. The formation of the North German Confederation resulted in a partial Unification of Germany.
3. Franco-Prussian war (1870-71): Bismarck did not keep up the promise of compensation to France for its neutrality. He desired a war with France to complete his scheme of unification. He knew that a war with France would make the remaining German states join the North German confederation. The dispute for the Spanish throne offered a pretext for war. Bismarck supported the claims of Prince Leopold, a relative of the Prussian King. The French were alarmed at the growth of Prussian power.
The French opposed the claims and were successful in pressurizing Leopold to decline the offer. Bismarck diplomatically managed the situation in such a way that Napoleon III of France declared war on Prussia. France was alone and the South German States also joined hands with Prussia and the French forces were defeated at different fronts and even Paris was captured. The unification of Germany was complete. The Prussian King William was crowned as the Emperor of United Germany with the title ‘Kaiser’.
4. Conclusion: Bismarck was a brilliant Statesman, Strategist, and Manipulator. His main aim was the unification of the German States. He realised that Prussia alone was capable of leading the States to Unification. To that end, he first reorganised the Prussian Military into a strong unit. He then made alliances with the different powers to achieve his goal and managed to defeat Denmark, Austria, and France one by one and made United Germany a reality and a powerful nation.
