Quote Originally Posted by Franconicus
Alright, let's talk about Bismarck.

He was not a German patriot, but a supporter of the Prussian monarch. He did not care a thing about Germany, he wanted to increase the power of the absolte Prussian sovereign.
Well, good for him. I don't recall ever saying he was a German patriot. He acted in the interests of the Empire, and he did a good job of it. Acting for the Empire, and not always the country, certainly doesn't make him a bad politician.

He was more than willing to opress the rights of the individuals (religious rights, political rights, social rights, ethnic rights). He was more than willing to spoil blood. He could have achieved a German nation without spilling blood. He did it,because his goal was absolute power for the Prussian Kaiser.
He didn't like socialists - and with the restrictions they were trying to impose upon him, I wouldn't have liked them either if I were in his shoes. I could make a long argument for the rest, especially in this case, but it'll have to wait, unfortunately.

He created German militarism as an idol for whole Germany. He mixed the ideals of nationalism and imperialism. He requested the unity and independency of all Germans (excepts those from Austria!) but he denied the rights of Danisgh, Polish or French, which lived in the countries he could get.
I fail to see how this was an uncommon, or even a bad idea for the time. It might be considered extremely unequal and outdated today, but that ideal of nationalism helped win the Franco-Prussian War.


He established hostile relationship with France and England.
The hostile relationship with France was already there. England was a side effect that he should have foreseen, agreed, but the consequences of that didn't appear until the First World War.

Summary: He prepared the road to WW1.
AntiochusIII has already posted my view of this.