Otto von Bismarck

Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898) was a Prussian statesman and diplomat who became the leading architect of German unification. Appointed Minister President of Prussia in 1862, he pursued a policy of Realpolitik and strengthened Prussia through military and diplomatic strategy. Bismarck helped guide Prussia through wars against Denmark (1864), Austria (1866), and France (1870–71), culminating in the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871. He served as the empire’s first Chancellor from 1871 to 1890 under Emperor Wilhelm I. Nicknamed the “Iron Chancellor,” he later shaped European diplomacy and introduced pioneering social insurance laws.