Otto von Bismarck
About Otto von Bismarck
The Iron Chancellor who unified Germany in 1871 through blood and iron. Bismarck fought wars against Denmark, Austria, and France to create the German Empire. He pioneered the modern welfare state, introducing social insurance in the 1880s to undermine socialism. Bismarck maintained a complex system of alliances to isolate France and preserve peace in Europe. He was dismissed by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1890. Without Bismarcks restraining influence, Germany pursued aggressive policies that eventually led to World War I. Bismarck famously predicted that some damned foolish thing in the Balkans would trigger a great war.
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