Otto von Bismarck

Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (; born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a Prussian statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany. Bismarck's Realpolitik and firm governance resulted in him being popularly known as the Iron Chancellor (German: Eiserner Kanzler).

From Junker landowner origins, Otto von Bismarck rose rapidly in Prussian politics under King Wilhelm I of Prussia. He served as the Prussian ambassador to Russia and France and in both houses of the Prussian parliament. From 1862 to 1890, he held office as the minister president and foreign minister of Prussia. Under Bismarck's leadership, Prussia provoked three short, decisive wars against Denmark, Austria, and France. After Austria's defeat in 1866, he replaced the German Confederation with the North German Confederation, which aligned the smaller North German states with Prussia while excluding Austria. In 1870, Bismarck secured France's defeat with support from the independent South German states before overseeing the creation of a unified German Empire under Prussian rule. Following Germany's unification, he was given the aristocratic title, Prince of Bismarck (German: Fürst von Bismarck). From 1871 onwards, his balance-of-power approach to diplomacy helped maintain Germany's position in a peaceful Europe. While averse to maritime colonialism, Bismarck ultimately acquiesced to elite and popular opinion by building an overseas empire.

Throughout his career as Chancellor, Prince Bismarck remained loyal to German Emperor Wilhelm I who steadfastly supported his policies against the advice of his wife, Empress Augusta, and son, Crown Prince Frederick. As the architect of Germany's domestic policies, Bismarck created the first modern welfare state, which also had the effect of undermining his socialist opponents. In the 1870s, he allied himself with the anti-tariff, anti-Catholic Liberals while repressing the Catholic Church in the Kulturkampf ("culture struggle"). Additionally, under his governance, the Imperial Reichstag was elected by universal male suffrage but did not control government policy. A staunch monarchist, Bismarck inherently distrusted democracy and ruled through a strong, well-trained bureaucracy with power concentrated in the hands of the Junker elite. After being dismissed from office by Wilhelm II, he retired to write his memoirs.

Otto von Bismarck is most famous for his role in German unification. He became a hero to German nationalists, who built monuments honouring him. While praised as a visionary who kept the peace in Europe through adroit diplomacy, he is criticized for his persecution of Poles and Catholics as well as the immense power centralized within his office as Chancellor. He is also criticized by opponents of German nationalism, as it became engrained in German culture, galvanizing the country to aggressively pursue nationalistic policies in both World Wars.