American reacts to Otto Von Bismarck (German History)

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[E_takt]

Before Bismarck died in 1898, he predicted that the German Empire would collapse within 20 Years without him. In november 1918 the German Empire collapsed because of the war, exhaustion and a workers revolution. Bismarcks prediction was only 3 months off.

[herrhartmann]

Perhaps someone should tell the American conservatives that free universal health care was originally introduced to counteract the spread of socialism.

[M.St.-lmpp]

One of the most remarkable things to remmeber about Bismarck was his refuse to take part in the colonialisation. He said: this will only end in tears. He was damn right.

[CobraChicken]

For Ryans info 😂 : Junker is German for “country squire”, member of the landowning aristocracy of Prussia and eastern Germany, which, under the German Empire (1871–1918) and the Weimar Republic (1919–33), exercised substantial political power

[FloTaishou]

I would say Otto Von Bismarck is like an 80s-Movie-Cop. I don't like how he did it but damn those were results.

[RustyDust]

Realpolitik : when an ultra-monarchist decides to implement social welfare regulations, regulated minimum school requirements, reduces work-hours per day and week, and introduces the oldest continuously existing universal health care system as well as pension funds. Only because he (rightfully) feared his country would flare into outright revolution if he didn't. Because all of those policies were strictly socialists. He effectively neutered the socialist demands by giving them all the benefits but denied them the ownership of the means of production. Which would have been the ultimate goal of classic socialism as described by Marx.
Which Bismarck feared like the devil did the holy water.
So swallowed his pride, ignored his beliefs in the rightful leadership of the aristocrats, and did what was necessary to defeat his enemies without resorting to violence. In a nutshell: Realpolitik.

[pehpunkthahpunkt]

Answer to (6:51) question: how do we remember him?
Bismarck is percieved in germany neither as a hero nor as a villain. He is an important figure in german history who peole have to know about.
thats kinda how history is tought in germany today. we dont glorify our leaders/importaint persons from the past any more. we just look at what they did and why and with what consequences. with the goal to learn from that for our present and future.

[negonaki]

7:10 In German school, historical persons are often looked at in a neutral way or, as the main goal of history as a school subject, as an object for students to exercise scientifical judgement, leaving mostly two contrasting factual judgements to the students to analyse, for example: "Napoleon - Destroyer or Keeper of the French Revolution?".

[julianun]

I would say Otto von Bismarck is best known as a strategic genius.
He always had all the strings in his hands and even his closest confidants and the emperor danced to his tune without even knowing it.

[hannessteffenhagen]

Bismarck is usually seen relatively positively. Not someone beyond reproach, 'ruthless' is certainly right, and of course there are also plenty of people who have a mostly negative outlook on him (he's mostly unpopular in far-left circles because he was fiercely anti-socialist, although of course due to his strategy to combat socialism being to improve worker conditions to take away ground from socialists this too isn't universal) (also more nationalistic south germans because of course while it was a unified germany it was ruled by prussians, which were culturally quite distinct from south germany so to some it'd have felt like foreign occupation). But regardless of whether you like him or not, he's certainly a key figure in the process that made germany what it is today.

[TheDoctorIWho]

No, it was not when social insurances started in Germany, it was when social insurances were invented on this planet.

[otto]

He was the smartest asshole we germans had and the personification of pragmatism. Also, I have a friend who is just like him and my name indirectly comes from him. I spent quite some time devouring biographies about him and the more I learned, the more complex and fascinating he became.

Bismarck's political genius was evident in his orchestration of the German unification. Through a series of strategic wars—the Danish War in 1864, the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, and the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-71—he masterfully manipulated alliances and public sentiment to bring the fragmented German states under Prussian leadership. His Realpolitik approach was ruthless but effective, prioritizing practical and achievable goals over ideological purity.

After unifying Germany, Bismarck's foreign policy focused on maintaining peace in Europe to consolidate the newly formed empire. He established a complex system of alliances, including the Three Emperors' League with Austria-Hungary and Russia, and later the Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy, aiming to isolate France and prevent a two-front war.

Domestically, Bismarck's pragmatic approach was also evident in his social policies. To counter the growing influence of the socialist movement, he introduced pioneering social welfare programs, including health insurance, accident insurance, and old age pensions—measures that laid the foundation for the modern welfare state. Ironically, these policies were meant to suppress socialist agitation by co-opting some of their demands, showing Bismarck's willingness to adopt measures from his opponents if it served his purposes.

However, Bismarck's methods were not without controversy. His Kulturkampf, a campaign against the Catholic Church's influence, led to significant religious and political tension. His anti-socialist laws were harsh, attempting to silence political opposition through repression.

Despite his authoritarian tendencies, Bismarck's legacy is undeniably significant. He was a master of political chess, often several steps ahead of his contemporaries. His ability to balance power, manage crises, and manipulate events to his advantage showcases a level of political acumen that remains unparalleled. Reading about his life, it's clear why he remains a towering figure in German history—an embodiment of both the brilliance and brutality that shaped an era. However, as a Frankfurter, I can't help but despise him, for he harbored a deep disdain for Frankfurt as well. Bismarck's harsh treatment of the city during the Austro-Prussian War, particularly after Prussia's victory over Austria, is something we haven't forgotten.
So damn this unscrupulous genius!

[fritzmeier]

There is a famous painting "Die Proklamierung des Deutschen Kaiserreiches" from A.v.Werner. It shows Bismarck in the middle wearing a shiny white Uniform, and the Kaiser much darker in ordinary blue. The painter really knew, who was in the driving seat of the Kaiserreich... 😉

[Skyltn]

6:32 No that's when the world's first system of social insurance started

[mrrajsingh]

"We are going to skip the first one..." LOL

[charlesgrant-skiba]

The Junkers (YUUNG-kər) were members of the landed nobility in Prussia.

[jimmyincredible]

Nice quote from him to sum up his way of doing politics:
"Not through speeches and majority decisions will the great questions of the day be decided [...] but by iron and blood"

[PropperNaughtyGeezer]

An assassination attempt was made there, where he was shot five times with a revolver. He overpowered the assassin, took the gun away from him and then went home, where he was treated by a doctor that evening.

[germaniatv]

The German-American Treue der Union Monument (Loyalty to the Union), is located in the Kendall County community of Comfort in the U.S. state of Texas. It was dedicated on August 10, 1866 to commemorate the German-Texans who died at the 1862 Nueces massacre.

Bismarck donated 3 Trees for the Memorial, which are seen on the pictures of the memorial.
That means you have 3 by Bismarck selected trees in Texas. Take good care of them 🙂

[moreno]

Extra History's series on Otto Von Bismarck is a great watch, I recommend it