8.2.1. Iron Chancellor of Germany Otto von Bismarck Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck (1815–1898) came from Pomeranian Junkers, from a noble family, the founder of which was a foreman of a patrician merchant guild. The Bismarcks were monarchists, but independent and even

3.2. Transcendentals. Philip Chancellor Scholastics of the 13th century. seeks to refute dualism, which, having originated in the Persian religion of the Manichaeans and in various Gnostic movements of the first centuries of Christianity, penetrated in various ways to the Cathars and spread among them

Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen(German) Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen ; -) - prince, German statesman, first chancellor of the German Empire (second Reich), nicknamed the “Iron Chancellor”. He had the honorary rank (peacetime) of Prussian Colonel General with the rank of Field Marshal (March 20, 1890).

Biography

Origin

Meanwhile, a powerful opposition coalition was being formed in the Reichstag, the core of which was the newly created centrist Catholic party, united with parties representing national minorities. To counter the clericalism of the Catholic Center, Bismarck moved towards rapprochement with the National Liberals, who had the largest share in the Reichstag. Started Kulturkampf- Bismarck's struggle with the political claims of the papacy and Catholic parties. This struggle had a negative impact on German unity, but it became a matter of principle for Bismarck.

Sunset

The elections of 1881 were actually a defeat for Bismarck: Bismarck's conservative parties and liberals lost to the Center Party, progressive liberals and socialists. The situation became even more serious when opposition parties united to cut the cost of maintaining the army. Once again there was a danger that Bismarck would not remain in the chancellor's chair. Constant work and worry undermined Bismarck's health - he became too fat and suffered from insomnia. Doctor Schwenniger helped him regain his health, who put the chancellor on a diet and forbade him to drink strong wine. The result was not long in coming - very soon the chancellor regained his former efficiency, and he took up his affairs with renewed vigor.

This time colonial policy came into his field of vision. For the previous twelve years, Bismarck had argued that colonies were an unaffordable luxury for Germany. But during 1884 Germany acquired vast territories in Africa. German colonialism brought Germany closer to its eternal rival France, but created tension in relations with England. Otto von Bismarck managed to involve his son Herbert in colonial affairs, who was involved in resolving issues with England. But there were also enough problems with his son - he inherited only bad traits from his father and was a drunkard.

In March 1887, Bismarck managed to form a stable conservative majority in the Reichstag, which received the nickname "Cartel". In the wake of chauvinistic hysteria and the threat of war with France, voters decided to rally around the chancellor. This gave him the opportunity to pass a seven-year service law through the Reichstag. In the field of foreign policy, Bismarck then makes one of his biggest mistakes. Supporting the anti-Russian policy of Austria-Hungary in the Balkans, he confidently believed in the impossibility of a Franco-Russian alliance (“The Tsar and the Marseillaise are incompatible”). Nevertheless, he decided to conclude a secret so-called agreement with Russia. “reinsurance agreement”, however only up to .

Otto von Bismarck spent the rest of his life on his estate Friedrichsruh near Hamburg, rarely leaving it. His wife Johanna died.

In the last years of his life, Bismarck was pessimistic about the prospects for European politics due to the Franco-Russian alliance and the sharp deterioration of German relations with England. Emperor Wilhelm II visited him several times.

Phrases attributed to Bismarck

• The Russians take a long time to harness, but they travel quickly.
• Agreements with Russia are not even worthy of the paper on which they are written.
• Never fight with Russians. They will respond to your every military stratagem with unpredictable stupidity.
• Congratulate me - the comedy is over... (while leaving the post of chancellor).
• As always, he has a prima donna smile on his lips and an ice compress on his heart (about the Chancellor of the Russian Empire Gorchakov).
• You don't know this audience! Finally, the Jew Rothschild... this, I tell you, is an incomparable brute. For the sake of speculation on the stock exchange, he is ready to bury the whole of Europe, and it’s... me who is to blame?
• Before his death, having briefly regained consciousness, he said: “I am dying, but from the point of view of the interests of the state, this is impossible!”
• O Muhammad! I am saddened that I was not your contemporary. Humanity has only seen your great power once, and will never be able to see it again. I admire you!

• presumably: If you want to build socialism, choose a country that you don’t mind

• supposedly: It’s easy to come to power with bayonets, but it’s very uncomfortable to sit on them

• The power of Russia can only be undermined by the separation of Ukraine from it... it is necessary not only to tear off, but also to contrast Ukraine with Russia. To do this, you just need to find and cultivate traitors among the elite and, with their help, change the self-awareness of one part of the great people to such an extent that they will hate everything Russian, hate their family, without realizing it. Everything else is a matter of time."

Addresses in St. Petersburg

• 1859 - Hotel "Demut" - Moika River embankment, 40;
• 1859-1862 - Galernaya Street, 51.

Criticism of Otto von Bismarck

Main article: Criticism of Otto von Bismarck

Literature

edited by Prof. Yerusalimsky A. S. Bismarck. Thoughts and memories M., 1940.

Yerusalimsky A. S. Bismarck. Diplomacy and militarism. M., 1968.

Galkin I. S. Creation of the German Empire. M., 1986.

Pikul V. S. Battle of the Iron Chancellors. M., 1977.

see also

• Bismarck Towers are memorial towers built in honor of the "Iron Chancellor". About 250 of these towers were built in four parts of the world.

External links

Otto Bismarck is one of the most famous politicians of the 19th century. He had a significant influence on political life in Europe and developed a security system. Played a key role in uniting the German peoples into a single national state. He was awarded many awards and titles. Subsequently, historians and politicians will have different assessments of who created

The biography of the chancellor is still between representatives of various political movements. In this article we will take a closer look at it.

Otto von Bismarck: short biography. Childhood

Otto was born on April 1, 1815 in Pomerania. Representatives of his family were cadets. These are the descendants of medieval knights who received lands for serving the king. The Bismarcks had a small estate and held various military and civilian posts in the Prussian nomenklatura. By the standards of 19th-century German nobility, the family had rather modest resources.

Young Otto was sent to the Plaman school, where students were hardened by hard physical exercises. The mother was an ardent Catholic and wanted her son to be raised in strict conservatism. By the time he was a teenager, Otto transferred to a gymnasium. There he did not establish himself as a diligent student. I couldn’t boast of any success in my studies either. But at the same time I read a lot and was interested in politics and history. He studied the features of the political structure of Russia and France. I even learned French. At the age of 15, Bismarck decides to associate himself with politics. But the mother, who was the head of the family, insists on studying in Göttingen. Law and jurisprudence were chosen as the direction. Young Otto was to become a Prussian diplomat.

Bismarck's behavior in Hanover, where he trained, is legendary. He did not want to study law, so he preferred a wild life to studying. Like all elite youth, he often visited entertainment venues and made many friends among the nobles. It was at this time that the hot temper of the future chancellor manifested itself. He often gets into skirmishes and disputes, which he prefers to resolve with a duel. According to the recollections of university friends, in just a few years of his stay in Göttingen, Otto participated in 27 duels. As a lifelong memory of his stormy youth, he had a scar on his cheek after one of these competitions.

Leaving the university

A luxurious life alongside the children of aristocrats and politicians was beyond the means of Bismarck's relatively modest family. And constant participation in troubles caused problems with the law and the management of the university. So, without receiving a diploma, Otto went to Berlin, where he entered another university. Which he graduated a year later. After this, he decided to follow his mother’s advice and become a diplomat. Each figure at that time was personally approved by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. After studying Bismarck's case and learning about his problems with the law in Hanover, he refused to give the young graduate a job.

After the collapse of his hopes of becoming a diplomat, Otto works in Anhen, where he deals with minor organizational issues. According to the recollections of Bismarck himself, the work did not require significant effort from him, and he could devote himself to self-development and relaxation. But even in his new place, the future chancellor has problems with the law, so after a few years he enlists in the army. His military career did not last long. A year later, Bismarck's mother dies, and he is forced to return to Pomerania, where their family estate is located.

In Pomerania, Otto faces a number of difficulties. This is a real test for him. Managing a large estate requires a lot of effort. So Bismarck has to give up his student habits. Thanks to his successful work, he significantly raises the status of the estate and increases his income. From a serene youth he turns into a respected cadet. Nevertheless, the hot temper continues to remind itself. The neighbors called Otto "mad."

A few years later, Bismarck's sister Malvina arrives from Berlin. He becomes very close to her due to their common interests and outlook on life. Around the same time, he became an ardent Lutheran and read the Bible every day. The future chancellor's engagement to Johanna Puttkamer takes place.

The beginning of the political path

In the 40s of the 19th century, a fierce struggle for power began in Prussia between liberals and conservatives. To relieve tension, Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm convenes the Landtag. Elections are being held in local administrations. Otto decides to go into politics and without much effort becomes a deputy. From his first days in the Landtag, Bismarck gained fame. Newspapers write about him as a “mad cadet from Pomerania.” He speaks quite harshly about liberals. Compiles entire articles of devastating criticism of Georg Finke.

His speeches are quite expressive and inspiring, so Bismarck quickly becomes a significant figure in the camp of conservatives.

Confrontation with liberals

At this time, a serious crisis is brewing in the country. A series of revolutions are taking place in neighboring states. Inspired by it, liberals are conducting active propaganda among the working and poor German population. Strikes and walkouts occur repeatedly. Against this background, food prices are constantly rising and unemployment is growing. As a result, the social crisis leads to revolution. It was organized by patriots together with liberals, demanding that the king adopt a new Constitution and unite all German lands into one national state. Bismarck was very frightened of this revolution; he sent the king a letter asking him to entrust him with the army’s march on Berlin. But Frederick makes concessions and partially agrees with the demands of the rebels. As a result, bloodshed was avoided, and the reforms were not as radical as in France or Austria.

In response to the victory of the liberals, a camarilla is created - an organization of conservative reactionaries. Bismarck immediately joins it and conducts active propaganda through. By agreement with the king, a military coup takes place in 1848, and the right regains its lost positions. But Frederick is in no hurry to empower his new allies, and Bismarck is actually removed from power.

Conflict with Austria

At this time, the German lands were greatly fragmented into large and small principalities, which in one way or another depended on Austria and Prussia. These two states waged a constant struggle for the right to be considered the unifying center of the German nation. By the end of the 40s, there was a serious conflict over the Principality of Erfurt. Relations deteriorated sharply, and rumors began to spread about possible mobilization. Bismarck takes an active part in resolving the conflict, and he manages to insist on signing agreements with Austria in Olmütz, since, in his opinion, Prussia was not able to resolve the conflict militarily.

Bismarck believes that it is necessary to begin long-term preparations for the destruction of Austrian dominance in the so-called German space.

To do this, according to Otto, it is necessary to conclude an alliance with France and Russia. Therefore, with the beginning of the Crimean War, he actively campaigned not to enter into the conflict on the side of Austria. His efforts bear fruit: there is no mobilization, and the German states remain neutral. The king sees promise in the plans of the “mad cadet” and sends him as ambassador to France. After negotiations with Napoleon III, Bismarck was suddenly recalled from Paris and sent to Russia.

Otto in Russia

Contemporaries say that the formation of the Iron Chancellor’s personality was greatly influenced by his stay in Russia; Otto Bismarck himself wrote about this. The biography of any diplomat includes a period of learning the skill. This is what Otto devoted himself to in St. Petersburg. In the capital, he spends a lot of time with Gorchakov, who was considered one of the most outstanding diplomats of his time. Bismarck was impressed by the Russian state and traditions. He liked the policies pursued by the emperor, so he carefully studied Russian history. I even started learning Russian. After a few years I could already speak it fluently. “Language gives me the opportunity to understand the very way of thinking and logic of the Russians,” wrote Otto von Bismarck. The biography of the “mad” student and cadet brought disrepute to the diplomat and interfered with successful activities in many countries, but not in Russia. This is another reason why Otto liked our country.

In it he saw an example for the development of the German state, since the Russians managed to unite lands with an ethnically identical population, which was a long-standing dream of the Germans. In addition to diplomatic contacts, Bismarck makes many personal connections.

But Bismarck’s quotes about Russia cannot be called flattering: “Never trust the Russians, for the Russians do not even trust themselves”; “Russia is dangerous because of the meagerness of its needs.”

Prime Minister

Gorchakov taught Otto the basics of an aggressive foreign policy, which was very necessary for Prussia. After the king's death, the "mad cadet" is sent to Paris as a diplomat. He faces the serious task of preventing the restoration of the long-standing alliance between France and England. The new government in Paris, created after the next revolution, had a negative attitude towards the ardent conservative from Prussia.

But Bismarck managed to convince the French of the need for mutual cooperation with the Russian Empire and the German lands. The ambassador selected only trusted people for his team. Assistants selected candidates, then Otto Bismarck himself examined them. A short biography of the applicants was compiled by the king's secret police.

Successful work in establishing international relations allowed Bismarck to become Prime Minister of Prussia. In this position, he won the true love of the people. Otto von Bismarck graced the front pages of German newspapers every week. The politician's quotes became popular far abroad. Such fame in the press is due to the Prime Minister’s love of populist statements. For example, the words: “The great questions of the time are decided not by speeches and resolutions of the majority, but by iron and blood!” are still used on a par with similar statements by the rulers of Ancient Rome. One of the most famous sayings of Otto von Bismarck: “Stupidity is a gift of God, but it should not be abused.”

Prussian territorial expansion

Prussia has long set itself the goal of uniting all German lands into one state. For this purpose, preparations were made not only in the foreign policy aspect, but also in the field of propaganda. The main rival for leadership and patronage of the German world was Austria. In 1866, relations with Denmark sharply worsened. Part of the kingdom was occupied by ethnic Germans. Under pressure from the nationalist-minded part of the public, they began to demand the right to self-determination. At this time, Chancellor Otto Bismarck secured the full support of the king and received expanded rights. The war with Denmark began. Prussian troops occupied the territory of Holstein without any problems and divided it with Austria.

Because of these lands, a new conflict arose with the neighbor. The Habsburgs, who were seated in Austria, were losing their position in Europe after a series of revolutions and coups that overthrew representatives of the dynasty in other countries. In the 2 years after the Danish War, hostility between Austria and Prussia grew in the first trade blockades and political pressure. But very soon it became clear that it would not be possible to avoid a direct military conflict. Both countries began to mobilize their populations. Otto von Bismarck played a key role in the conflict. Having briefly outlined his goals to the king, he immediately went to Italy to enlist her support. The Italians themselves also had claims to Austria, seeking to take possession of Venice. In 1866 the war began. Prussian troops managed to quickly capture part of the territories and force the Habsburgs to sign a peace treaty on terms favorable to themselves.

Land unification

Now all the ways for the unification of the German lands were open. Prussia set a course for creating a constitution for which Otto von Bismarck himself wrote. The Chancellor's quotes about the unity of the German people gained popularity in northern France. The growing influence of Prussia greatly worried the French. The Russian Empire also began to wait warily to see what Otto von Bismarck, whose short biography is described in the article, would do. The history of Russian-Prussian relations during the reign of the Iron Chancellor is very revealing. The politician managed to assure Alexander II of his intentions to cooperate with the Empire in the future.

But the French could not be convinced of this. As a result, another war began. A few years earlier, an army reform was carried out in Prussia, as a result of which a regular army was created.

Military spending also increased. Thanks to this and the successful actions of German generals, France suffered a number of major defeats. Napoleon III was captured. Paris was forced to agree, losing a number of territories.

On a wave of triumph, the Second Reich is proclaimed, Wilhelm becomes emperor, and Otto Bismarck becomes his confidant. Quotes from Roman generals at the coronation gave the chancellor another nickname - “triumphant”; since then he was often depicted on a Roman chariot and with a wreath on his head.

Heritage

Constant wars and internal political squabbles seriously undermined the politician’s health. He went on vacation several times, but was forced to return due to a new crisis. Even after 65 years, he continued to take an active part in all political processes in the country. Not a single meeting of the Landtag took place unless Otto von Bismarck was present. Interesting facts about the life of the chancellor are described below.

For 40 years in politics, he achieved enormous success. Prussia expanded its territories and was able to gain superiority in German space. Contacts were established with the Russian Empire and France. All these achievements would not have been possible without a figure like Otto Bismarck. The photo of the chancellor in profile and wearing a combat helmet became a kind of symbol of his unyieldingly tough foreign and domestic policy.

Disputes surrounding this personality are still ongoing. But in Germany, every person knows who Otto von Bismarck was - the iron chancellor. There is no consensus on why he was called that. Either because of his hot temper, or because of his ruthlessness towards his enemies. One way or another, he had a huge influence on world politics.

• Bismarck began his mornings with physical exercise and prayer.
• While in Russia, Otto learned to speak Russian.
• In St. Petersburg, Bismarck was invited to participate in the royal fun. This is bear hunting in the forests. The German even managed to kill several animals. But during the next sortie, the detachment got lost, and the diplomat received serious frostbite on his legs. Doctors predicted amputation, but everything worked out.
• In his youth, Bismarck was an avid duelist. He took part in 27 duels and received a scar on his face in one of them.
• Otto von Bismarck was once asked how he chose his profession. He replied: “I was destined by nature to become a diplomat: I was born on the first of April.”

His very name brings to mind the image of a tough, strong, gray-haired chancellor with a military bearing and a steely glint in his eyes. However, Bismarck was sometimes completely different from this image. He was often overcome by passions and experiences typical of ordinary people. We offer several episodes from his life in which Bismarck’s character is revealed in the best possible way.

High school student

Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen was born on April 1, 1815 in the family of a Prussian landowner. When little Otto was 6 years old, his mother sent him to Berlin to the Plaman school, where children of aristocratic families were raised.

At the age of 17, Bismarck entered the University of Göttingham. Tall, red-haired Otto does not mince words and, in the heat of arguments with his opponents, fiercely defends monarchical views, although at that time liberal views were in fashion among young people. As a result, a month after admission, his first duel occurs, in which Bismarck earned his scar on his cheek. 30 years later, Bismarck will not forget this incident and will say that the enemy then acted dishonestly, striking on the sly.

Over the next 9 months, Otto has 24 more duels, from which he invariably emerges victorious, winning the respect of his fellow students and receiving 18 days in the guardhouse for malicious violation of the rules of decency (including public drunkenness).

Official

Surprisingly, Bismarck did not even consider a military career, although his older brother followed this path. Having chosen the position of an official in the Berlin Court of Appeal, he quickly began to hate writing endless protocols and asked to be transferred to an administrative position. And for this he passed the strict examination brilliantly.

However, having fallen in love with the daughter of an English parish priest, Isabella Lorraine-Smith, he becomes engaged to her and simply stops coming to services. Then he declares: “My pride requires me to command, and not to carry out other people’s orders!” As a result, he decides to return to the family estate.

Mad landowner

In his early years, Bismarck did not think about politics and indulged in all sorts of vices on his estate. He drank excessively, caroused, lost significant sums at cards, changed ladies and did not leave peasant daughters unattended. A bully and a rake, Bismarck drove his neighbors to white heat with his wild antics. He woke up his friends by shooting at the ceiling so that plaster fell on them. He rushed around other people's lands on his huge horse. Shot at targets. In the area where he lived, there was a saying; “No, it’s not enough yet, says Bismarck!”, and the future Reich Chancellor himself was called nothing less than “wild Bismarck.” The bubbling energy required a broader scale than the life of a landowner. The stormy revolutionary sentiments of Germany in 1848–1849 played into his hands. Bismarck joined the Conservative Party that was emerging in Prussia, marking the beginning of his dizzying political career.

The beginning of the way

Already in his first public speech in May 1847 in the United Diet, where he was present as a reserve deputy, Bismarck, without ceremony, crushed the opposition with his speech. And when her indignant roar of voices filled the hall, she calmly said: “I don’t see any arguments in inarticulate sounds.”

Later, this manner of behavior, far from the laws of diplomacy, will manifest itself more than once. For example, Count Gyula Andrássy, Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary, recalling the progress of negotiations on concluding an alliance with Germany, said that when he resisted Bismarck’s demands, he was ready to strangle him in the literal sense of the word. And in June 1862, while in London, Bismarck met with Disraeli and during the conversation told him his plans for a future war with Austria. Disraeli would later tell one of his friends about Bismarck: “Beware of him. He says what he thinks!

But this was only partly true. Bismarck could throw thunder and lightning if it was necessary to intimidate someone, but he could also be emphatically polite if this promised a favorable outcome for him in the meeting.

War

Bismarck was a supporter of forceful methods of resolving political issues. He saw no other path for the unification of Germany other than one paved with “iron and blood.” However, here too everything was ambiguous.

When Prussia won a crushing victory over Austria, Emperor Wilhelm wished to solemnly enter Vienna with the Prussian army, which would certainly have entailed the plunder of the city and the humiliation of the Duke of Austria. A horse had already been given for Wilhelm. But Bismarck, who was the inspirer and strategist of this war, suddenly began to dissuade him and threw a real hysteria. Having fallen at the feet of the emperor, he grabbed his boots with his hands and did not let him out of the tent until he agreed to abandon his plans.

Bismarck provoked the war between Prussia and France by falsifying the “Ems dispatch” (a telegram sent through him by William I to Napoleon III). He corrected it so that the content became offensive to the French emperor. And a little later, Bismarck published this “secret document” in central German newspapers. France responded appropriately and declared war. The war took place, and Prussia was victorious, annexing Alsace and Lorraine and receiving an indemnity of 5 billion francs.

Bismarck and Russia

From 1857 to 1861, Bismarck served as Prussian ambassador to Russia. And, judging by the stories and sayings that have come down to our time, he managed not only to learn the language, but also to understand (as far as possible) the mysterious Russian soul.

For example, before the start of the Berlin Congress of 1878, he said: “Never trust the Russians, for the Russians do not even trust themselves.”

The famous “Russians take a long time to harness, but travel quickly” also belongs to Bismarck. An incident that happened to the future Reich Chancellor on the way to St. Petersburg is connected with the fast driving of the Russians. Having hired a cab driver, von Bismarck doubted whether the skinny and half-dead nags could drive fast enough, which is what he asked the cab driver about.

“Nothing...,” he drawled, accelerating the horses along the bumpy road so quickly that Bismarck could not resist the next question.
- You won’t throw me out?
“It’s okay...” the coachman assured, and soon the sleigh overturned.

Bismarck fell into the snow, bleeding his face. He had already swung a steel cane at the cabbie who had run up to him, but did not hit him, hearing him say soothingly, wiping the blood from the face of the Prussian ambassador with snow:
- Nothing-oh..., nothing...

In St. Petersburg, Bismarck ordered a ring from this cane and ordered one word to be engraved on it - “Nothing.” Later, he said, hearing a reproach for an overly soft attitude towards Russia: “In Germany, I’m the only one who says “Nothing!”, but in Russia the whole people.”

Russian words periodically appear in his letters. And even as the head of the Prussian government, he sometimes continues to leave resolutions in official documents in Russian: “Forbidden,” “Caution,” “Impossible.”

Bismarck was connected with Russia not only by work and politics, but also by a sudden outbreak of love. In 1862, at the resort of Biarritz, he met the 22-year-old Russian princess Katerina Orlova-Trubetskaya. A whirlwind romance ensued. The princess's husband, Prince Nikolai Orlov, who had recently returned from the Crimean War with a serious wound, rarely accompanied his wife on her swims and forest walks, which the 47-year-old Prussian diplomat took advantage of. He considered it his duty to even tell his wife about this meeting in letters. And he did it in enthusiastic tones: “This is a woman for whom you could feel passion.”

The novel could have ended sadly. Bismarck and his lover almost drowned in the sea. They were rescued by the lighthouse keeper. But Bismarck took what happened as an unkind sign and soon left Biarritz. But until the end of his life, the “Iron Chancellor” carefully kept Katerina’s farewell gift - an olive branch - in a cigar box.

Place in history

Sent into retirement by the young emperor, Bismarck continued to take whatever part he could in the political life of the united Germany. He wrote a three-volume book, “Thoughts and Memories.” The death of his wife in 1894 crippled him. The health of the former Reich Chancellor began to deteriorate sharply, and on July 30, 1898, he died at the age of 84.

Almost every major city in Germany has a monument to Bismarck, but the attitude of his descendants varies from admiration to hatred. Even in German history textbooks, the assessment (wording, interpretation) of the role of Bismarck and his political activities changed at least six times. On one side of the scale is the unification of Germany and the creation of the Second Reich, and on the other there are three wars, hundreds of thousands of dead and hundreds of thousands of cripples returning from the battlefields. What makes the situation worse is that Bismarck’s example turned out to be contagious, and sometimes the path to the seizure of new territories, paved with “iron and blood,” is seen by politicians as the most effective and more glorious than all these boring negotiations, signing documents and diplomatic meetings.

For example, Adolf Hitler might have remained an artist if he had not been inspired by the heroic past of Germany and directly by Reich Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, whose political genius he admired. Unfortunately, some of Bismarck’s words are forgotten by his followers: