Otto von Bismarck
Best known as: founder of the German Empire
Occupation: Politician
Full name: Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck
Nicknames: The Iron Chancellor
Nationality: German
Religion: Lutheran
Born: April 1, 1815 in Schonhausen, Altmark, Prussia
Died: July 30, 1898 in Friedrichsruh, Germany
Remains: buried in the Bismarck Mausoleum, Friedrichsruh, Germany
Education: Plamann Institute, Frederick William Gymnasium, and University of Gottingen Law School
Offices held:
- Prussian Ambassador to Russia (1859-1862)
- Prussian Ambassador to France (1862)
- Prussian Prime Minister (1862-1872 and 1873-1890)
- Chancellor of Germany (1871-1890)
Short biography:
Otto von Bismarck is best known for unifying the several German states into a single nation. His pragmatic policies were known as "Realpolitik," or "realistic politics." He began his political career in 1847 at the age of 32 and served in the Prussian legislature for about a dozen years and then became the ambassador to Russia and then France. In 1862, in the middle of a budget crisis with the legislature, King Wilhelm I appointed Bismarck Prime Minister. Prussia went to war with Austria in 1866, resulting in Prussia taking control of the states of Schleswig, Holstein, Frankfurt, Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, and Nassau. In 1870 Prussia fought against France in the Franco-Prussian War, and Prussia's string of victories persuaded the Southern German states to join Prussia as part of as a unified Germany. Bismarck officially became Chancellor of the German Empire in 1871, and Wilhelm became emperor. He was largely an authoritarian but pragmatic ruler, cracking down on Catholics, Poles, and socialists, reducing the power of the legislature, passing protective tariffs, keeping peace in Europe, and providing workers with health and disability insurance. In 1890 he resigned after a dispute with the new emperor, Wilhelm II, over anti-socialist laws.
Wife: Johanna von Puttkamer
Parents: Ferdinand von Bismarck-Schönhausen and Wilhelmine Mencken
Children: Countess Marie von Bismarck-Schönhausen (born in 1847), Herbert, Prince von Bismarck (born in 1849), and Count Wilhelm von Bismarck-Schönhausen (born in 1852)
Enemies: Napoleon III, Wilhelm II
