Inderjit S
03-04-2003, 06:29 PM
Well ,what do you think? Was he a political genius or a short-sighted politician. At first glance, I can see that he was a man of immense political tactical genius, possibly one of the greatest politicians in Germany’s history. He kept peace in Europe all the way through his 20 year reign, a tremendous achievement in a continent that was more war-hungry then well…anything and he managed to keep the political rivalry between Russia and Austria-Hungary down, and he managed to disable a war in those dreaded Balkans, whilst the Ottoman empire was collapsing and he also dictated much of Germany’s internal and foreign affairs, with skill and charisma.
But as with all things History, his success was by no means complete. His impetuous nature and short-sightedness were his biggest downfalls. As his reign was drawing to it’s end, he showed a considerate ’anti-Russian’ attitude and Russo-Germanic relations were put under further strain when he signed the ’Dual Alliance’ with Austria-Hungary, but then he goes against Austria-Hungary’s back by signing a deal with Russia, but then he proceeds to block and loans to Russia from German banks, thus making Russia sign a treaty with Germany’s arch-rivals France! It seems that Bismarck was feeling the strain of the short-sightedness of his foreign policies and so instead of preventing war, wasn’t his foreign policy just a catalyst in the launch of WW1?
His national policies were also sometimes flawed, especially the ‘anti-Socialist laws’, which merely increased support for Socialist parties such as the Social Democrats and his anti-Catholic stance, personified by the ‘May laws’ were also a failure, and they further stirred up anti-Germanic hatred in the ‘annexed’ states, Alsace and Lorraine, where Catholicism was big. But in his time, Germany was made into one of the greatest industrial nations in the world, and their educational system was second to none, especially in the Sciences. (Though Germany had always been a forward thinking nation, especially in Theological and Scientific matters)
So, to conclude, what do you think? Was Bismarck a brilliantly successful politician or a short-sighted fool?
But as with all things History, his success was by no means complete. His impetuous nature and short-sightedness were his biggest downfalls. As his reign was drawing to it’s end, he showed a considerate ’anti-Russian’ attitude and Russo-Germanic relations were put under further strain when he signed the ’Dual Alliance’ with Austria-Hungary, but then he goes against Austria-Hungary’s back by signing a deal with Russia, but then he proceeds to block and loans to Russia from German banks, thus making Russia sign a treaty with Germany’s arch-rivals France! It seems that Bismarck was feeling the strain of the short-sightedness of his foreign policies and so instead of preventing war, wasn’t his foreign policy just a catalyst in the launch of WW1?
His national policies were also sometimes flawed, especially the ‘anti-Socialist laws’, which merely increased support for Socialist parties such as the Social Democrats and his anti-Catholic stance, personified by the ‘May laws’ were also a failure, and they further stirred up anti-Germanic hatred in the ‘annexed’ states, Alsace and Lorraine, where Catholicism was big. But in his time, Germany was made into one of the greatest industrial nations in the world, and their educational system was second to none, especially in the Sciences. (Though Germany had always been a forward thinking nation, especially in Theological and Scientific matters)
So, to conclude, what do you think? Was Bismarck a brilliantly successful politician or a short-sighted fool?