As governments experienced many revolutions and uprisings in the name of nationalism, some countries’ respective leaders realized that their traditional conservatism would eventually destabilize their authoritative legitimacy. Thus, leaders such as Otto von Bismarck adopted a new kind of conservatism, mixing both liberal, semi-socialistic and conservative policies in order to keep a balance that would ensure some stability in his state. For Otto von Bismarck, his international policies were more conservative; he promoted nationalism, unification, and state sovereignty.
His domestic policies, however, were more liberal; he allowed for progressive social reforms and implemented separation of church and state. When it came to a German identity, Bismarck embraced his conservative background. Unlike the liberals, Bismarck did not believe in a fragmented Prussia. He believed the conservative idea that German speaking people should be unified under a German speaking government. Therefore, Bismarck slowly moved to take back those separated German-speaking provinces that were located in the countries surrounding him.
First, he attacked Denmark to gain Schleswig-Holstein and then provoked Austria into entering the Austro-Prussian War. When Bismarck swiftly defeated Austria, he then moved on to France. Bismarck sent an edited telegram from William I to insult both countries. The French then declared the start of the FrancoPrussian war, and Bismarck defeated them as well. He took the German-speaking Alsace and Lorraine from France and ended the war in France’s own Hall of Mirrors. Thus, Bismarck had just created a unified Germany.
However, his nation was surrounded on both sides by countries who could fight them at any time. Thus, Bismarck created an elaborate alliance system that would allow him to balance the two powers, Austria and Russia, and prevent them from attacking him. By unifying Germany, Bismarck made his new state an emerging world power. He engaged in the conservative policies of international involvement and nationalism, thereby steering his international policies away from the liberal spectrum.
However, Bismarck knew that if he did not balance his conservative side, his authority would only last so long. He quickly learned how to play the uber Catholic, conservative, and liberal sides when needed, and he eventually learned how to balance his policies so that each side remained fairly contained (Doc 4). During the 1800s, talk of liberal reforms, socialism, and communism was rising. Many people in the German government realized this insurgent of new thoughts and encouraged Bismarck to modify his policies.
Politicians such as Wagener in document three wrote to audiences in the Reichstag and even Bismarck himself because the politicians knew that they could not risk losing the worker’s votes to the Socialist Party who promised laborers their own rights and insurance (Doc 3). Bismarck realized his politicians spoke the truth. From Bismarck’s point of view, he knew that if he didn’t adapt at least some version of these rising demands, he would remain Chancellor for a very short time. Thus, when it came to social reforms, Bismarck adopted his own version of the socialist party’s platform.
He stated he would compromise by taking on some socialistic reforms because those reforms were a way to help those who cannot help themselves (Doc 6). Even the Kaiser himself realized his government must make their own approach to social reform. Bismarck promoted accident coverage for laborers and welfare for people who do not have the ability to work– all ideas sprung from moderate socialist ideas. Yet, like Bismarck and the Reichstag, the Kaiser realized the times had changed and his government had to give up some of its old ways in order to keep at least some of the old order in power (Doc 5).
In addition to his social reforms, Bismarck’s policies towards religion were more liberal as he aimed to separate his government from the church. In Germany, many conservatives were devout Roman Catholics. Bismarck, however, aimed to decrease the Roman Catholic church’s hold on politics in Germany. He issued many legislative acts that took public and private education from the church’s control, outlawed discrimination based on religion, and ordered many the Jesuits and Franciscans to leave the country (Doc 1).
The purpose of these decrees was to regulate the Roman Catholics through a policy called Kulturkampf. Kulturkampf was a set of policies enacted to make the government more secular and to decrease the role of the Roman Catholic church in Germany. The Roman catholic church had conflicting authority with the Kaiser and Prime Minister because the church claimed the Pope had papal infallibility, a doctrine that claimed the pope had full authority and was unable of being wrong. This would obviously prove difficult when the Kaiser or Prime Minister wanted to enact a policy and the Pope claimed it wrong or immoral.
Thus, by slowly secularizing the government, Bismarck was able to do the policies he wanted to enact without worrying about the church’s opinion. Bismarck created his own kind of conservatism as he added on liberal and socialistic policies in order to keep the peace. This balancing act, however, angered true liberals because Bismarck had mixed their ideas with his conservatism, thus contaminated their previously apparent, separate ideologies. They also criticized his nationalism because his domestic policies would be problematic in the long run– and these liberals would later be proven correct (Doc 7).
Though Bismarck as a genius at balancing the forces against him, the balancing act could only last so long. Soon, Bismarck was fired and the old Kaiser died, leaving Kaiser Wilhelm Il to disband most of Bismarck’s policies and inevitably cause World War One. During Bismarck’s time as Prime Minister, he had to balance his foreign affairs as well. In order to do that, he created an alliance system with the two powers surrounding him, Austria and Russia. However, after Bismarck was fired, Wilhelm Il disbanded the alliance with Russia, and France quickly allied in Germany’s place.
After this shift in alliance, Serbian radicals decided to assassinate the Austrian heir. In a vengeful rage, Austria went after Serbia and was thus backed up by Germany. Serbia was backed up by Russia and was thus backed up by France. Then, England joined France’s side and World War One began because the men after Bismarck couldn’t handle what Bismarck had previously instituted. While conservatives were against social programs, Bismarck introduced progressive domestic reforms such as a welfare and a more secular government in order to retain state power.
However, while liberals international policies referenced no war and were against nationalism, Bismarck stayed true to his conservative side when it came to his international relations. He conquered some of the Austrian and French lands in order to create a united German state, advocating German nationalism and pride. Thus, Bismarck as arch-conservative who balanced his policies between a fickle and ever-changing population, and he took this varied stance in order to maintain control of the new nation state he had just created.
