Compare and contrast the two main figures of the European history of the 19th century: Napoleon III and Bismarck

"Napoleon's tragedy was that his ambitions surpassed his capacities; Bismarck's tragedy was that his capacities exceeded his society's ability to absorb them. The legacy Napoleon left for France was strategic paralysis; the legacy the Bismarck left for Germany was unassimilable greatness"(statement made by Henry Kissinger) is in my opinion a correct statement. This statement can actually be separated into two parts. The first parts relates with the capacities, ambitions and successes of Bismarck and …

…is right and accurate. Sources: Article/Books: Kissinger, Henry. "Diplomacy". New York: Touchstone, 1994. McKay, John P. Bennet D.Hill and John Buckler. "A history of western society". 6th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999 Internet: http://www.germanembassy-india.org/news/98july/gn07.htm http://www.ssa.gov/history/ottob.html http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Otto-von-Bismarck http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Second-French-Empire http://lego70.tripod.com/fran/louisnapoleon.htm http://www.ohiou.edu/~Chastain/ip/louisnap.htm