I.

Introduction

Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), Prusso-German statesman, who was the architect of German unification and the first chancellor (1871-1890) of the united nation. Through Bismarck’s efforts, Germany was transformed from a loose collection of small states into the German Empire, the strongest industrialized nation in continental Europe. A unified Germany permanently changed the European balance of power. Though Bismarck dominated German and European politics for nearly 30 years, his career was a series of paradoxes. An ultraconservative, he initiated social and welfare reform. A master politician, he despised parliaments and parties. A Prussian patriot, he created a German empire.