Bismarck's War: The Franco-Prussian War and the Making of Modern Europe

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The term is often contrasted with the elites of the western and southern states in Germany, such as the city-republic of Hamburg, which had no nobility.

Bismarck’s War by Rachel Chrastil review: the path that leads Bismarck’s War by Rachel Chrastil review: the path that leads

Not content with this, Paris demanded that Wilhelm, as head of the House of Hohenzollern, assure that no Hohenzollern would ever seek the Spanish crown again. Still reeling from the loss of Hood, in the early hours of 25 May the British lost track of Bismarck. The succession to the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein was disputed; they were claimed by Christian IX, Frederick VII's heir as king, and also by Frederick von Augustenburg, a Danish duke. Her armoured citadel enclosed her engine room spaces and ammunition magazines, but not other vital areas of the battleship, and hence she stayed afloat even after being utterly destroyed as a fighting vessel.During the battle, Bismarck was hit in a fuel tank, causing a leak and forcing a reduction in speed ( Map). Bismarck viewed the growing international socialist movement and the non-violent German Social Democratic Party (SDP), in particular, with alarm.

German battleship Bismarck - Wikipedia

Much criticism can be made of both of them over long careers, but neither was a militarist or would-be autocrat, bent on destroying accountable government. The King's ministers could not convince legislators to pass the budget, and the king was unwilling to make concessions. With World War II underway, the German Kriegsmarine envisioned using Bismarck as a raider to attack British convoys in the North Atlantic.

While Bismarck’s War does not shy away from engaging in military analysis, the human dimension is centre stage. And so it proved, though for the Germans it was a major test of nerve that ultimately ended with the sinking of the Bismarck.

The role of Bismarck - Why unification was achieved in - BBC The role of Bismarck - Why unification was achieved in - BBC

He never had a Pole among his peasants" working the Bismarckian estates; it was the educated Polish bourgeoisie and revolutionaries he denounced from personal experience, and "because of them he disliked intellectuals in politics. In 1878, he instituted the first of a series of repressive Anti-Socialist Laws forbidding socialist organizations and meetings, outlawing trade unions, closing newspapers, and banning the circulation of socialist literature.Fearing the opposition of the other German princes and the military intervention of Austria and Russia, the king renounced this popular mandate, citing his concerns over the legitimacy of the parliament to offer him the crown without the consent of the various German rulers. Furthermore, he has been criticized by opponents of German nationalism, as nationalism became engrained in German culture, galvanizing the country to aggressively pursue nationalistic policies in both World Wars. This was allied with intelligence gleaned from elsewhere, allowing the Admiralty’s Operational Intelligence Centre (OIC) in London to ultimately confirm Bismarck was heading for a French Atlantic coast port. We are told, for instance, that the war made Dietrich von Lassberg, a young Bavarian officer, both a hero and a villain, an outsider and a building block of the German nation. The war was a great success for Prussia as the German army, controlled by Chief of Staff Moltke, won victory after victory.