Otto von Bismarck was born in Schönhausen, Germany on April 1, 1815. He was born into a family of Junkers, the nobility of Prussia at the time. At an early age, he was sent off to Berlin where he studied law and served in the government starting in 1836. After a year, he lost interest in his government position, quit, and then took care of his family estate. It was around this time that he married Johanna von Puttkamer. Bismarck entered politics before the revolutions of 1848 started; he gained a substitute seat as an ultraconservative in the upper house of the Prussian parliament. Multiple revolutions broke out in Germany because of disproportionate industrial and agricultural distribution causing the lower classes to suffer. These revolutions …show more content…
This led to the start of the Seven Weeks’ War where Prussia decisively defeated Austria. The Treaty of Prague, which ended the war, gave Venetia to Italy (as promised) and permanently excluded the Austrians from German affairs; this exclusion of Austria led to the termination of the German Confederation. The treaty left Prussia the only major power to influence the Germans. With Prussia the sole influencer of Germany, Prussia annexed all German states north of the river Main and formed the North German Confederation. Each state still kept its autonomy, but they gave military control towards the federal government …show more content…
Germany would be a major player in the upcoming wars in Europe. Bismarck was also aided Italian unification by defeating Austria and giving Venetia to Italy. Bismarck is partly responsible for the start of World War I because he initiated the secret alliance between Austria, Italy, and Germany, he increased nationalist feelings in Europe through the multiple wars which led to countries to be more prone to war, and the Franco-Prussian War caused France to seek revenge on Germany. If Bismarck had not come to power, European history would have been completely