Compare and contrast the foreign policies of Bismarck vs. Kaiser Wilhelm. How were their decisions significant to WWI? (At least three paragraphs). (9 PTS)
Otto Von Bismarck was the prime minister of Prussia from 1862 to 1873, and the chancellor of the German empire from 1871 to 1890. Overtime, Germany began to trust his judgement and followed every order that was appointed by him. After 3 victories during previous wars, Bismarck was given more freedoms toward his contributions to foreign policy. His main goal was to promote peace and recover from the war. For this reason, he thought that by preventing France from forming alliances, and insulating them in a sense, he would be able to avoid possible conflicts. These conflicts, he feared, would grow and disturb the peace he was trying to enforce. He was trying to keep France from gaining more power and being hostile with other nations. Consequently, his main goal was to form a treaty with powerful countries at
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Bismarck continued being Chancellor until Wilhelm his views become restricted and eventually took that over too. He had a bad reputation with other countries like Europe because of his rude commentary and bitter criticism. Wilhelm was known for his forceful and rash tactics. These characteristics were vividly shown during his foreign policy. When writing this document Wilhelm’s bad public perception played a big role. His main objective was to form an alliance with France despite the fact that Bismarck was trying to isolate them because of their known hostility. He thought that new colonies could be found in Africa and the pacific that would be a good place to take over. However, his reputation and imperialistic approach made his foreign policy seem as if it was of a personal rule. Wilhelm’s foreign policy was rash and not thought out well, he carried policies that solely benefited himself rather than the nation he was