BISMARCK-SCHONHAUSEN, KA RL OTTO EDUARD LEOPOLD VON, Prince (1815-98). First. Chancellor of the German Empire. He was born April 1, 1815, at the family manor of Schott hat*en, in the District of Magdeburg, Prussia. He was one of the six children of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Bismarck, a captain in the Royal Body Guard of Prussia. His mother was the daughter of Herr Menken. a high official in the Prussian civil service. The family traced its. lineage back directly for five centuries, and many of its members had held high positions in the military service of Brandenburg and Prussia. and at court. In 1332-33 Bismarck studied ju risprudence and political science at Giittingen, where he made the acquaintance of John Lothrop INIotley,the American historian, an acquaintance ship which ripened into the strong friendship of later years. He studied for three semesters in Berlin, was admitted to the bar in 1835. and was. referendary in Aix-la-Chapelle and Potsdam in 1836-37. In the latter city and in Greifswald he served his term in the army as lieutenant in the Life Guards. In Greifswald, too, he famil iarized himself with the science of agriculture. On July 28, 1847, he married Johanna von Put kamer, and in the same year entered the first General Diet of Prussia, where he became known as an able and aggressive champion of ultra conservative measures. In 1849 he was elected to the Second Chamber of the Prussian Diet, called into existence by the revolutionary out break of 1848, and as a member of that body and of the Erfurt Parliament (1850) he advocated an increase in the powers of the monarchy and the consolidation of the German people through the joint action of Prussia and Austria. At the same time he combated the Erfurt and Frank fort plans of union. In this early part of his career Bismarck gave little indication, except in his strenuous advocacy of Prussia's leader ship. of the aims toward which his later activity was to be directed.
After holding the position of Prussian sec tary of legation at Frankfort-on-the-Main, Bis marck was appointed, in 1551, Prussian Ambas sador to the Germanic Diet at Frankfort. He had now apparently become convinved of the need of constitutional concessions in order to unite the German people. and of the inherent an tagonism between the interestk of Austria and the cause of German unity: for he adopted a, more liberal programme and assumed that atti tude of hostility to Austrian pretensions which lie maintained so consistently and sin «ssfully. IIc was so outspoken in his opposition to Austria that it was deemed prudent, in 1859. on the eve of the Franco-Italian War against Austria, to transfer him to Saint Petersburg. There he labored effectively to strengthen the friendly re between Russia and Prussia, and gained the highest esteem of Alexander II. When, on the death of Frederick William IV.. January 2, 1s61. succeeffi.d to the Pru•siAn throne, Bismarck was transferred from Saint Petersburg to Paris. and in September, 1862, was called to the post of head of the Prussian Cabinet and Minister of Foreign Affairs. The King was then faced by a Diet which was in stubborn opposition to an army bill, but he found in Bismarck a minister daring enough to govern a budget and without Parlia mentary majority. In this manner began the lifelong alliance between King 'William and his great minister. Bismarck now entered upon his life-work, the unification of Germany under Prussian leadership. and the placing of the new Germany in the forefront of European nations. In pursuance of this object he developed a thor oughly consistent and often ruthless policy, and carried it out without hesitation. Speaking to the Budget Commission of the Prussian Diet. September 30, 1862, he said: blood is too hot: we are fond of bearing an armor too large for our small body. Germany does not look to Prussia. for liberalism. but for power. Let Ifavaria, Wiirttemberg, Baden, in dulge in liberal ideas: no one will assign them the ride destined for Prussia. Prussia must con
solidate its might and nurse it fur the favorable moment. Prussia's boundaries as determined by the Congress of Vienna are not conducive to its welfare as a sovereign State. Nut by speeches and resolutions of majorities are the mighty problems of the age to be solved—that was the mistake of 1848 and 1849—but by blood and iron." This much misunderstood statement. so char acteristic of Bismarck, concisely summarizes the subsequent development of German history. Its full significance is elucidated by Bismarck in his Autobiography. Bismarck disliked war, but he saw no way of bringing the jealous German States together except through war. He re garded it as indispensable to drive Austria, as an essentially non-German and anti-national State, out of the Confederation. and he utilized the Sehleswig-Holstein affair (see SCITLESWIG HOLSTEIN) to antagonize Austria and finally to force an issue between that power and Prussia. At the same time he made Prussia the champion of the demand for a national German Parliament based on popular suffrage. This seemed so at variance with his earlier political eourse that Germany found it ditfieult to believe in his sin eerity. Nevertheless, it was entirely consistent with the development of his character and opin ions. Ile gained Austria over to his views in the Schleswig-Holstein matter, and with her eo operation entered upon the war against. Den mark (1864). Ile won the Confidence of Italy, formed an alliance between that State and Prus sia, and when the Schleswig-Holstein eont•o versy came to a crisis in the ile•manie Diet, Prussia was ready for action. On June 1. 1866, Austria referred the settlement of the question to the Diet, and on _Tune 10 Bismarck addressed to the German courts a letter setting forth Prussia's national policy. The following day Austria moved in the Diet for federal execution against Prus sia, and the tie vote was decided in the affirma tive, Whereupon the representative of Prussia presented his Gove•nment's plan for a new na tional organization, declared the Confederation dissolved by its own action, and NVithdreW. sin at once invaded the German States that ad hered to Austria. while the main Prussian artily was pushed into Austrian territory. The brief and brilliant campaign (see nEHMANY and SprvEN \VEVKS' WAR) secured the first object in Bismarck's programme. The Peace of Prague excluded Austria from the German Confedera tion, which was reorganized under a permanent Prussian presideney as the North German Con federation. It was still necessary to bring the Smith German States into the Union, to prick the bubble of Napoleon III's self-assfuned leader ship in European affairs. and to establish a more satisfactory western boundary for Germany by making the Rhine a truly German river. Bis marck forced an issue with Frantic the same relentlessness and the same certainty of result that had characterized the contest with Austria, The mistakes of the French diplomacy (see BENEDETTI) Were utilized to the full. and France was goaded into a war to which she was wholly unequal. ( Sec FRANC04;ERMAN WAIL) Through out the war Bismarck was at the side of his sovereign, evincing in the eourse of the peace negotiations extraordinary dete•minalion and executive capacity. When on the 1Sth of Janu ary. 1871, King. William of Prussia at Versailles acc.epted the title of Emperor of the new German Empire. Bismarck's policy had been vindicated. Before this his triumph had been won by con stant contention against the centrifugal tenden cies of the old Germany and in spite of the stead fast hostility of a large section of the German people. Nowt' he became a popular idol. On April 16 the text of the Imperial Constitution was promulgated. and Bismarck, now created it prince. became the first chancellor of the new Empire. His next task was that of organizing the internal affairs of (:e many upon the new basis, and of developing an Imperial policy worthy of a power of the first rank.