The secret of politics? Make a good treaty with Russia.

Attributed to Bismarck, the line encapsulates the strategic logic often associated with his post-1871 diplomacy: Germany’s security depended heavily on preventing a hostile coalition, especially a two-front alignment of France in the west and Russia in the east. A “good treaty with Russia” implies keeping relations stable through binding agreements so that Germany is not isolated and can manage European balances of power. The quote’s punchy formulation reduces complex alliance management to a single imperative—maintain Russian goodwill—highlighting how decisive Russia’s position was in continental politics and how treaties, not rhetoric, were seen as the real instruments of statecraft.