Bismarck: Rise - Can I pick a Top Five?!
The Bismarck series continues to fascinate and draw more listeners in, and with such a large timeframe there’s an awful lot to marvel at. I am always interested to hear from my listeners about what their favourite part of my episodes was, particularly in my larger series and projects. It occurred to me though that just as I am fascinated to learn your highlights, you might also be interested to read about what I found most fascinating about the time period too. With that in mind, I engaged in what I imagined would be a simple exercise – narrow down five moments in the period 1815-1864 which were my favourite to research and pod about.
He ended life front and centre of the German Empire, but where did he begin, and what signs did he show of his later brilliance, dominance and importance to world affairs? Bismarck: Rise is where we find out!
What followed this idea was a ruthless battle royale to the death, as about twenty different favourite events swirled around my head. Oh dear, how could I choose? What about a top twenty instead? No Zack, come on, be disciplined, be ruthless, be cold just like old Otto. Very well, I managed it. In order of how much I enjoyed covering these events, starting with number five, here’s five of my favourite moments from our new Bismarck series! For convenience sake, I’ve listed the episode as well, and as we progress in our Bismarck: Rise release schedule I’ll link the episodes here for added convenience! Don’t forget - we may not have reached all eight episodes yet, but you can skip the queue if you head to Patreon! And now, happy reading…
#5: Bismarck gets his first significant job in Frankfurt.
Seen in: Episode 2 & 3
There may be a statue of Bismarck in Frankfurt now, but in 1851, there was no indication whatsoever that it would ever exist. Bismarck would have to bring it life, by conquering Frankfurt, like he would later conquer everything else.
The significance of the moment alone recommends itself to me. After introducing himself to his Junker peers a few years before, during a speech in the United Diet which shocked and stunned those in attendance, all that Bismarck knew was that politics enchanted him like nothing else. For the first time in his life, he really wanted something, and for the first time in his life, he was in a position to direct all of his energy, all of his intelligence, all of his ambition, towards a given end. Bismarck didn’t know where all this would end up, or where he would go next – there were some whispers in the late 1840s that he might even be considered for a ministerial post! But these rumours proved false.
Bismarck did manage to claim a seat in the new Landtag, which was incepted in Berlin following the passage of Prussia’s new constitution in late 1848. This seat, at least, guaranteed that the political stage would be open to him so long as Prussia’s King chose to keep the Landtag open. But Bismarck didn’t just want a seat in the Landtag, he aimed higher than this. Owing to the troubling circumstances of the revolutions, the Prussian relationship with Austria was on the rocks. Who better to repair this relationship, King Frederick William believed, than Bismarck – a man who had advocated an understanding with Austria from the very beginning? Yes, you read that correctly – Bismarck, the friend to Vienna; who would have thought it?
And that’s what I found so fascinating about all this. It wasn’t just that Bismarck acquired his first posting of real significance – as the Prussian envoy to the German Confederation in Frankfurt. It wasn’t even the fact that we get to watch Bismarck experience his diplomatic education first hand. To me, what makes me really marvel at this event is how differently Bismarck turned out, to the vision his King had of him. This friend to Vienna would soon become Austria’s most implacable, dogmatic, zealous enemy, and would base his career on the idea that Austria and Prussia could not coexist within the same German state: one would have to beat the other. This was Bismarck at his rawest form, before the world opened up to him, and he saw the reality of the German situation, a situation he would transform within fifteen years.
#4: Bismarck gets his St Petersburg posting.
Seen in: Episode 4.
From this map we can see the damage the Austrians did by occupying the Danubian Provinces in 1854 while the Russians were at war - the region was strategically imperative, and was apparently valuable enough for Vienna to permanently ruin its Russian friendship…
If the Frankfurt job was Bismarck’s first step, then St Petersburg was Bismarck’s first gallop.
By 1859, after spending the bulk of the 1850’s learning all he could about how the German world worked, Bismarck had transformed himself into a formidable figure. One of his most notable qualities was the disdain he seemed to have for Austria, a trait which was well known throughout Germany and Europe, and certainly in Vienna. In the aftermath of the Crimean War though, the old diplomatic order had dramatically changed. Austria and Russia were no longer firm allies, and the Tsar’s bitterness at having been betrayed by a nervous Austrian government killed the Holy Alliance which Metternich had nursed since 1815. This represented a great opportunity for Bismarck, who was about to travel to the capital of anti-Austrian sentiment.
What could this Habsburg hater achieve when surrounded by likeminded Russians? The answer I won’t spoil, but the job as Russian ambassador was also significance because Bismarck rarely seems to have been wholly focused on it. Instead, throughout 1859 until he was finally appointed Minister President in September 1862, Bismarck was consumed by rumours and whispers that he was being considered for the position of Foreign Minister, then as Minister President. It wasn’t certain when or how it would happen, but Bismarck learned not to hope too much, as his ambitions were repeatedly dashed. For much of this time, Bismarck seemed in a kind of limbo, and retrospectively, we can say that he was preparing himself for high office. But none of this was certain to the anxious Bismarck in the early 1860s – only the indecisive King could put him out of his misery, but the King wasn’t there yet. Wilhelm knew that this Bismarck had something that recommended him, but he wasn’t yet ready to go all the way with him. That decision would be made only during a period of crisis.
Was it merely a game to Bismarck all along? It was certainly a metaphor he liked to use, referring to chess on several occasions, to the extent that, as we see here from an early 1870s cartoon, it spilled over into the public sphere.
In short, the Russian ambassadorship was a crucial interlude for Bismarck, between his first job and his miraculous rise to the head of Prussia’s government. It was a deeply anxious time for Bismarck, who tied himself in stressful knots as he waited for distant monarchs to make a decision on his future. But, it also taught Bismarck the importance of waiting, and playing hard to get. In the course of this education Bismarck established a pattern which he would later use repeatedly – whenever a crisis loomed, he would go away to the country, away from his superiors and those who needed him, and he would show them by virtue of his absence just how necessary he was to the proper functioning of the Prussian state. It seemed the student had become the teacher; soon enough, he would also become the master.
#3: Bismarck holds onto his job after the ‘Iron and Blood debacle’.
Seen in: Episode 6
After so many years of wanting it, once Bismarck did land the top job, he found that the grass was not always greener. Those deputies who had despised him seemed to exercise an unreal amount of control over the Prussian state, despite not being in power, and the parliament remained locked in a titanic struggle with the King over the question of an expensive, controversial military reform bill. Bismarck had been hired to destroy this deadlock, but secretly, he intended to drag it out, which would ensure that he also stayed on as Minister-President, and ideally, gained control over foreign policy. As if to urge his peers to place as much power in the King’s hands as possible, to cease with their opposition to the King, and to paint a stark picture which would hopefully clue those deputies in to his line of thinking, Bismarck performed what became known as the Iron and Blood (or Blood and Iron) speech, on 30 September 1862. “Germany”, Bismarck declared, was not “looking to Prussia’s liberalism, but to its power”, and he continued:
“Bavaria, Würrtemberg, Baden may indulge liberalism, and yet no one will assign them Prussia's role; Prussia must build up and preserve her strength for the advantageous moment, which has already come and gone many times. Her borders under the treaties of Vienna are not favourable for the healthy existence of the state. The great questions of the day will not be settled by speeches and majority decisions – that was the great mistake of 1848 and 1849 – but by iron and blood.”
Was this a call to arms? A declaration of war? Disagreement over what Bismarck had precisely meant and whether he had expected such a storm of controversy in the first place is the subject of episode 6, so I won’t spoil it here, but suffice to say, the speech caused outcry, and this outcry reached all the way to the Prussian royal family, and to the King who had only just appointed him to lead. Now, the King sighed, I will have to get rid of this extremist reactionary – only then will the outrage and controversy subside. Little did the King realise, that Bismarck did not intend to go down quietly, or to go full stop.
Iron and Blood was nothing new to Bismarck, but it was very new indeed to his audience, many of whom had only heard rumours of Bismarck’s antics, but had not believed them. Now they had no choice but to confront the fact that this new Junker was potentially very dangerous indeed…
The masterclass in manipulation which Bismarck engaged with enabled him to hold onto his job, but it also served as a sign of things to come. The King entered the conversation with Bismarck, fully resigned to what he would have to do. He left Bismarck’s presence reinvigorated, convinced that it was his divine right and mission to stand firm in the face of the Landtag and its liberal deputies, even if it cost him his life. King Wilhelm, it would seem, had been inspired. In the face of this reinterpretation of events, Bismarck didn’t just reinforce his King, he also removed any question of his firing – there would be no talk of that, now that the King was focused on this new course. Little did anyone realise that Bismarck was again establishing a pattern which would sustain him for the rest of his career – so long as he had the King on side, he had all the power he could grasp.
#2: The Congress of Princes campaign.
Seen in: Episode 7
The Iron and Blood incident served as a great testing ground for Bismarck’s methods, and just in time, because within a few months, the King seemed set to blunder into yet another crisis. This time the focus was on foreign affairs, more specifically Austria, and the summons from the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef to the effect that all German rulers should gather at Frankfurt, whereupon Vienna would conceive of a new German Confederation. It was an enticing prospect for many German rulers and their subjects, who had been swept up in the nationalist fever which was sweeping across other parts of the continent. Bismarck was not among these people, and he was one of the few officials who believed that this Austrian initiative, the Congress of Princes as it was called, would be catastrophic for the Prussian interest in Germany. The trouble wasn’t just that Bismarck was in the minority – it was also that his King had been sufficiently charmed and flattered, and intended to attend himself.
If Bismarck wished to prevent the creation of a new German Confederation with Austrian power at its core, what could he do? The most important thing would be to work on the King, and persuade him that to attend Frankfurt would represent a great humiliation for Prussia. Here was Austria, Bismarck insisted, summoning Prussia’s King like she would summon any petty German prince. If Your Majesty attended, then it would prove to Austria and the world that Prussia was no more independently minded than any other German state. She would make herself a vassal of Austria, and this was intolerable. The pressure campaign against his King began in earnest, and Bismarck was by no means constrained by concerns for fighting clean – he would do whatever it took to make his King see things his way.
This image of those participants of the 1863 Congress of Princes contains the who’s who of German rulers, with one notable absence - the Prussian King! Just as Bismarck wanted it…
It began with the usual points, but Bismarck found he could make little impression upon the King. It was only when he got the King totally alone in the evening of 19 August 1863 that Bismarck found his campaign started to work. He would resign, Bismarck proclaimed, if the King insisted on disgracing Prussia in this manner. Your Majesty, think of the Prussian army, your beloved army would be under the command of Vienna, an ultimate insult to the memory of Frederick the Great, and a betrayal of your legacy as King of Prussia! These were fighting words, but Bismarck was in a fighting mood – the delicate questions of rank, of royal favour, and simply respecting your elders went out the window.
The end result was a painful triumph, with the King in tears after being worn down for three hours of relentless Bismarck at full tilt. Having invoked national honour, Prussian interest, the army and so much more, Wilhelm capitulated, bitterly resenting the fact that he’d miss the chance to sit with his German peers and plot Germany’s future, but unable to dispense with the man who made him so dreadfully upset. So it was done, and Bismarck, with a mixture of nervous energy and relief, pulled the handle off the door to the King’s bedroom as he left him. Nobody had ever treated Wilhelm this way, but Bismarck got away with it, because he combined a bullying attacking style with guilt-trips, fearsome visions for Prussia’s future, and more nightmares besides.
But the triumph wasn’t assured – Bismarck next went to see the Saxon statesman, von Beust, who had travelled with King John of Saxony to Baden to try and persuade Wilhelm to join them in Frankfort. King John of Saxony had travelled under Vienna’s instructions, and Bismarck wished to get rid of him now that Wilhelm had made his choice. But it would not be so easy – von Beust effectively said that his King would stay behind, and perhaps tomorrow, he would persuade Wilhelm the other way. Bismarck would not and could not allow this – he turned all his fury towards this unfortunate Saxon minister, threatening he and his sovereign with war if he did not return home pronto. The stunned Saxon did as he was told, and just like that, Bismarck once again triumphed through the sheer force of his will and personality. Along the way he shocked and overwhelmed those he met with, but by the end of the crisis, Bismarck had in fact saved Prussia. The Congress of Princes gathered without Prussia, but with such a glaring absence, it could achieve little, and collapsed within a few weeks. Austria would never again propose a solution to the German question. The next solution would come from Berlin, and through arms.
#1: Making the Danish War.
Seen in: Episode 8
Here’s the promised map - note position of Schleswig along the Danish border, and Holstein closer to the German orbit. Note also the fortification lines at Dybbol, which I (probably erroneously) pronounced as ‘Dupel’.
And here it is, number one on my list!
It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to note that Bismarck’s first war, that with Denmark, clinches the top spot of most memorable moments, and for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, Bismarck’s ability to switch gears, and cooperate with Austria in an alliance, because it would guarantee that no foreign power would intervene against Prussia and Austria combined, was a remarkable piece of opportunism, and speaks openly to his realpolitik ethos. Second, Bismarck’s talent for manipulation, as he managed to arrange for the Danes to resist just long enough and stubbornly enough, for international opinion to be divided, and the Danes to be crushed. Third, Bismarck’s manipulation of his de facto ally, Duke Augustenburg, the heir to the German duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, was completely outmanoeuvred, and played right into Bismarck’s hands when he refused to rule the duchies according to Bismarck’s terms. Thanks to this exercise, Prussia would be able to annex Schleswig into its realm, as Austria took Holstein.
The story of the Danish War contains so many instances of foreshadowing that it’s hard to keep track of them all. At its core was Bismarck, perceptively noting the perfect moment to strike. Foreign success might quiet the Liberals in the Landtag, and give Bismarck a freer hand. It would certainly undermine his critics, who proclaimed he was good for nothing and little more than a rabble-rouser. Expanding Prussia’s borders into Schleswig paved the way for the construction of the Kiel Canal, which would bypass the Sound and give Prussia a direct route to the Atlantic. Austria had been tugged along, and now held Holstein, a duchy she had little interest in, and which was far from her sphere of interest. Thus established in two neighbouring duchies, there was great potential to manipulate another conflict out of this one.
Sure enough, true to form, Bismarck returned his attentions to Vienna as soon as peace was signed with the Danes. In fewer than two years, Prussia would be at war again, this time against Austria and several German states. Evidently, Bismarck was following some sort of plan, but exactly what type of plan this was, and where it would end, were answers known only to Bismarck himself. In the meantime, Bismarck continued to demonstrate his importance to the Prussian King, who was now smitten with the glory of this triumphant war, and could surely be persuaded to risk it all in battle once again. As he set down the building blocks of his legend, it seemed that nobody, not the King, not Vienna, not all of Germany, would be safe from the schemes of this dynamic, brilliant, but utterly ruthless political genius. And yet, impressive though he now was, Bismarck was only just getting started…
Face to face, day to day, that was how Bismarck would lord his power over his actual sovereign, and consequently the whole country.
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