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Bismarck: Master Planner or Opportunist?

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Bismarck: Master Planner or Opportunist?
Unification of Germany Example Essays.
Bismarck Master Planner or Opportunist?

| | |
| |Bismarck later declared that he had carefully planned unification of Germany in 5 clear |
| |steps from 1862. He said that he had planned: 1.To Obtain Russian Neutrality; 2.To trick |
| |Austria into declaring War; 3.To ensure French Neutrality; 4.To Treat Austria Leniently |
| |after Defeat; 5.To Trick France into Declaring War. |
|INTRODUCTION: |Other Historians have recently claimed that rather than plan unification, Bismarck was a |
| |skilful diplomat who used events as opportunities to promote Prussian interests. |
| |Regardless of whether Bismarck planned unification or used events as opportunities he |
| |definitely had a favourable ‘hand of cards’ which he inherited when he became |
| |Minister-President in 1862 which allowed him to unify Germany by 1871. |
| | |
| |1. To obtain Russian Neutrality. |
| | |
| |Evidence for Plan: |
| |He obtained Russian neutr\ality for the later War with

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