1815-1898
First Chancellor Of Germany

Early Years. Otto von Bismarck, or Otto Edward Leopold, Prince von Bismarck, Count von Bismarck- Schonhausen, Duke von Lauenburg, was a powerful Prussian statesman who helped found the German Empire in 1871 and served as its first chancellor for nineteen years. Bismarck was born on 1 April 1815 at Schonhausen, northwest of Berlin. He studied law and entered government service in 1836. Unhappy in his post, he resigned a year later and took over the management of his family's estate. Driven by a strong sense of personal ambition, Bismarck entered politics in 1847. He emerged as a rigid conservative and delegate to Prussia's first diet. At the outbreak of the Revolution of 1848 he rushed to Berlin and urged King Frederick William IV to suppress the uprising. His loyalty earned him the appointment as Prussia's representative to the German Confederation in 1851.

Domestic Policy...