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Otto von Bismarck (April 1, 1818–July 30, 1898), a son of the Prussian aristocracy, unified Germany in the 1870s. And he actually dominated European affairs for decades through his brilliant and ruthless implementation of realpolitik, a system of politics based on practical, and not necessarily moral, considerations. Fast Facts: Otto von Bismarck

Otto von Bismarck, prime minister of Prussia (1862-73, 1873-90) and founder and first chancellor (1871-90) of the German Empire whose time in office took Prussia from the weakest of the five European powers to, as the unified German Empire, the foremost military and industrial power on the Continent.

Otto, prince von Bismarck, (born April 1, 1815, Schönhausen, Altmark, Prussia—died July 30, 1898, Friedrichsruh, near Hamburg), Prussian statesman who founded the German Empire in 1871 and served as its chancellor for 19 years. Born into the Prussian landowning elite, Bismarck studied law and was elected to the Prussian Diet in 1849.

In 1859 Bismarck was sent to Russia as Prussian ambassador, and not long thereafter (May 1862) he moved to Paris as ambassador to the court of Napoleon III. Thus, he had 11 years of experience in foreign affairs before he became prime minister and foreign minster of Prussia in September 1862. He had come to know personally the architects of French, Russian, and Austrian foreign policy ...

Otto von Bismarck. Morning, Clever, War. 215 Copy quote. Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Otto von Bismarck. Wise, Wisdom, Mistake. 274 Copy quote. The division of the United States into federations of equal force was decided long before the Civil War by the high financial powers of Europe.