Bismarck and how he dealt with opposition

Bismarck founded the German Empire in 1871 and led the empire as first chancellor for the next nineteen years. Bismarck skillfully sought policies in overseas affairs and, along with the help of representatives of other nations, managed to maintain the peace and harmony in Europe for the next twenty years. However, it was Bismarck’s domestic policies which made him appear to be less gentle. He failed to overcome the authoritarian tendencies to the class of …

…introduced his new laws and the Kulturkampf many people have argued that he was scared of his opposition and that he didn’t know how to deal with them. This view is best summed up by Bismarck himself when he wrote in his memoirs : “I was like a man wandering in a forest. I knew roughly where I was going but I didn’t know exactly where I would come out of the wood” WORDS – 1,713