2. Who was Bismarck?
Otto von Bismarck was a
Prussian, born into a Junker
family in 1815.
After the death of Frederick
William IV, his brother
Wilhelm I appointed Bismarck
Minister President of Prussia.

3. Minister President
Bismarck’s first job was to stop
a major crisis in Prussia,
where King Wilhelm was
considering abdicating.
Bismarck also aimed to
strengthen Prussia’s role in
Europe and in the Bund.

4. A new Prussian army
Bismarck succeeded in
getting the support and
funds to build a stronger
Prussian army.
In doing this he stopped the
king from abdicating, and
showed his abilities.

5. Wars and crises
During his time as Minister
President, Bismarck was
involved in various wars
and other crises.
These included Prussian
Wars against Denmark,
Austria and France.

6. Bismarck was important
Many historians believe that
Bismarck was the main reason
unification occurred.
They believe that he engineered
a series of situations which
improved Prussia’s position and
made unification inevitable.

7. Bismarck wasn’t important
Other historians believe
Bismarck’s role has been
exaggerated.
They say he was an
opportunist who simply
responded to situations, rather
than creating them.

8. In this unit you will decide how important Bismarck was.
Each possible reason for unification will be examined, as
well as considering Bismarck’s role in them all.