Bismarck: The Man and Statesman
A.J.P. Taylor
Language: English
Pages: 288
ISBN: 0394703871
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
A reevaluation of Bismarck's motives and methods, focusing on the chancellor's rise to power in the 1860's and his removal from office in 1890.
turned out of his house at a day’s notice and even alleged, untruly, that he had heard the axe already being laid to his favourite trees. In fact he was given nine days’ grace; and the chancellery was after all an official residence. It was not the fault of the Reich that Bismarck had no house in Berlin of his own. Bismarck gave a dinner to the Prussian ministers, all of whom (save one) were remaining in office. It was an uneasy occasion. Bismarck would not offer his hand to Boetticher, and
worlds. Austrian trade went down the Danube and into the Balkans. Germany turned to the world market across the North Sea. Political division was bound to follow even if Bismarck’s diplomacy had failed. The check over the Zollverein ruined the Austro-Prussian alliance. Rechberg resigned. Mensdorff, his successor, was in the hands of his professional advisers; and they were determined to resist Prussian claims. Biegeleben, the most outstanding of them, wrote contemptuously: ‘Austria would have to
visit to the United States, Bismarck forbade the Reichstag to accept a message of condolence from Congress. Lasker had given invaluable aid in 1870 in winning south Germany for unification; but, according to Bismarck, he had prevented Bennigsen from becoming a minister in 1878. The charge was quite untrue—Bennigsen was capable of making up his own mind; and Lasker’s real offence was to have kept his independence of judgement. Bismarck’s hostility was not confined to politicians. Though he could
alone if it would leave them alone. In the summer of 1887 the Bulgarians elected a new prince in defiance of Russia; and she did nothing. It was the sign that there would be no war in the Balkans. But men took some time to read it. The Russians were angry at their humiliation in Bulgaria, even though they would do nothing to remedy it; and on the other side the Austrians wanted to launch a preventive war against Russia in Galicia. Bismarck repeated his diplomacy of the spring in more elaborate
manœuvred into carrying alone the burden of Austria-Hungary. Bismarck’s proposal was politely declined with the safe excuse of parliamentary difficulties. Salisbury and Bismarck remained on good terms, each admiring the other’s skill; but England was not caught for the Bismarckian system. The ‘natural alliance’ with England was popular in Germany except among colonial enthusiasts. Bismarck talked of it openly and did not resent Salisbury’s doing the same. But he never intended to commit himself