Bismarck and the German Empire. A deatiled story about Bismarck and his role in history.

Essay by nchantn78University, Bachelor's February 2004

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Bismarck, a man of great power and a man of great problems. For most common knowledge Bismarck is known as "the man of blood and iron". He had an intellectual dominion over all the politians of his time, and his dominance was acknowledged by everyone. Bismarck was offended called by many people and historians as "a statesman who suppresses everything that he can imagine". (ix) Bismarck was born in 1815, became Prussian Prime Minister in 1862 (the same time Lincoln was president in the United States) and ruled over Prussia and the German Empire for twenty- eight years and died in 1898. Now, that this was summed up, lets start at the beginning, and that would be were the origin begins.

A person becomes who they are by their past, their up bringing and their parents/role models. Bismarck's background involves a father who was a Prussian Junker, a junker was a nobleman, and as a ruler a great landowner.

"His father status as a nobleman was expressed by the preposition 'von' before his name." (11) They that are part of the noble group are of a less important type, both in material wealth and in political influence. Many of them belonged to the small nobility and depended on their salary as officers or civil servants. Thus, the young Bismarck grew up at his father's country estate among people who were accustomed to accept the rule, even the dictatorship, of the nobleman, and who regarded every member of his family as a born master. Bismarck grew a very well accustomed to

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this life style, he in 1884, said to a Liberal member of parliament with whom he was on friendly terms: "I am a Junker and want to profit from it" (13). However, he was only of nobility from...