At the same time, Bismarck was thinking slightly how history would run into him: "Bismarck began to construct his own myth, one that patriotic Germans (historians included) were by and by only too glad to believe" (Pflanze 323-324).
He confront numerous enemies within Prussia and without, but in each persona he managed to keep those enemies weak, confused and divided both politically and militarily. In the war with France, Bismarck showed his political agility in stirring war fever. The army was prepared by the forward wars. Napoleon's troops were unprepared in comparison. However, Bismarck's victory was the beginning of a disaster which would culminate in two world wars in this century. Victory meant thousands of lives lost on both sides, in fact, 30,000 German and French soldiers died in the battle of Vionville alone (Crankshaw 275) The third war was far more devastating than the first two combined.
Crankshaw nones that Frederick, the big top prince of Germany, was one leader who recognized the dangers of the drive t
o crush France: "The longer the struggle lasts the meliorate for the enemy and the worse for us. . . . We are no longer looked upon as the innocent victims of wrong, but rather as arrogant victors," not satisfied to defeat the enemy, "but determined to bring about his utter ruin" (Crankshaw 299).
Alice Jagger presents a dry and straightforward outline of Bismarck, his military exploits, and his domestic policies. Jagger presents Bismarck's military exploits without much analysis, but does imbibe insightful comments about his "stormy" relationship with the king and praises Bismarck for his domestic accomplishments, his "many great reforms," although she notes that he "thwarted German democracy" (Jagger 5).
Bismarck's three wars and the merger of Germany led to disaster. He changed Germany and europium and helped create a continent which would gradually collapse into topsy-turvydom in his absence. Crankshaw scoffs at the notion that he was a man of peace, as he was seen by many after the utmost of the three wars:
Soward, Kelly, ed. Makers of Western Tradition: Portraits from History. Vol. 2, 5th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991.
Morrow presents a work of praise for Bismarck and his role in the wars of unification and the emergence of Germany as a nation worthy of the world's respect. Morrow honors Bismarck for believing in Prussia and Germany and having the vision and the will to put that spirit into action, including war when necessary. The author argues that Bismarck in the three wars and early(a) ruthless or pragmatic actions at home was scarcely fulfilling the requirements of a leader of a land which would have move into chaos without such determined leadership. Morrow goes so far as to compare Bismarck to Abraham Lincoln in that both men saved their nations through wars which others might consider unnecessary or immoral.
Jagger, Alice. http://www.germanembassy- india.org/news/98july/gn07.htm
Soward presents a fair picture of Bismarck, the pricey and
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