Bismarck Becomes Prussian Prime Minister — 'Blood and Iron'
By 1862, Prussia was paralysed by a constitutional crisis. King Wilhelm I wanted to expand and modernise the Prussian army; the liberal-dominated Chamber of Deputies refused to vote the funds. In desperation, Wilhelm I turned to Otto von Bismarck — a conservative Junker known for his ruthlessness and contempt for liberals — appointing him Minister-President (Prime Minister) of Prussia on 23 September 1862. Six days later, Bismarck addressed the budget committee of the Chamber with what became the most famous speech in German political history: "The great questions of the time will not be resolved by speeches and majority decisions — that was the great mistake of 1848 and 1849 — but by blood and iron." He proceeded to collect taxes and fund the army without parliamentary approval, governing in flagrant violation of the Prussian constitution. Within eight years, Bismarck had used the modernised army to defeat Denmark (1864), Austria (1866), and France (1870–71), unifying Germany under Prussian leadership. His mastery of Realpolitik — pursuing power through pragmatic means rather than ideological principle — made him the defining statesman of the late 19th century.
- Year: 1862 CE
- Category: Political
