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What was blood and iron policy of ottovon Bismarck |
| Answer» Bismarck’s policy wasn’t simply ‘Blood and Iron’—although it did play an immense part—it was of diplomacy…at the barrel end of a Krupp gun.Over the course of a 470 year span, the German states were invaded 27 times. Not just by the entire continent of Europe mind you, but by France\xa0alone. The German states were continually kept fractured since around the year 1500 as France saw it best to keep them divided and try and play her hand in politics.Germany has been dominated by its neighbors for most of its history, with different princedoms often being occupied or conquered. Note also, that Germany was occupied for most of the 20th century as well. It’s kind of the German condition.Think of Germany as the Middle East of pre-modern Europe. The Dutch referred to us as the Africa of Europe. Whenever anyone important needed to make a name for themselves, they could go to war and kill some Germans.The policy of ‘Blood and Iron’ was developed from the very psyche of the German people themselves, subjugated for centuries by far larger, domineering powers within the continent who used her as a proverbial playground. It was only natural that a nation that had been subjected to such continued torments would seek to become aggressive and militaristic in her formation, her identity. It’s simply a reaction.The Iron Chancellor was a product of his environment and his time, war and politics were intrinsically linked, inseparable. Bismarck did nothing new except implement the two to such perfection that it left Europe aghast that they could allow such a disruption in power to come into fruition. Five hundred years of oppression came back to bite her straight in the ass and consequently gave her two World Wars and decades of headaches.Bismarck was simply the inception to the Teutonic fury that had been fermenting for so long, ‘blood and iron’ the tools of his trade, formed out of the very psyche of his environment. The only surprise here is just how measured he was in his efforts, never pushing\xa0too\xa0far and always calculating, playing one power against another.It took a statesman of this caliber to undo centuries of damage and navigate the German states through the perilous nature of European politics to their ultimate conclusion: a country. | |