Bismarck and the German Empire by Dr. Erich Eych

I've read shockingly little about Germany and knew virtually nothing about Bismarck before reading this book.  And although I struggled with the book's early sections, in the end it provided me with a solid understanding of the man, his accomplishments, his shortcomings and the unification of Germany in the 19th century.

Bismarck rose to power as an ultra conservative diplomat and statesmen who negotiated, administered and communicated with an iron will.  After diplomatic posts representing Prussia in both Paris and St. Petersburg, he gained the trust and respect of William I, King of Prussia, and ascended to the role of Prime Minister for that country.  He used his iron will, heavy handed and secretive manipulation of the King and other extra-constitutional means, resulting in a Franco-Prussian war that rallied German pride into the long sought-after but never-realized unification.

As chancellor of the new German Empire, Bismarck used more conventional (although still cunning and ruthless) political means to consolidate his power and continue Germany's rise to a militaristic domination of Europe.

Bismarck's political strategy (if it can be called strategy) was to always seek what would benefit Germany in the near term, even when that meant blatant reversals to policies and alliances he had only recently established.  Bismarck did not believe in principles, ethics or universal truths.  He believed in gains and losses.  The result was a constant realignment of policies, laws, administrators, allies and partners.  Germany's path in the late 19th century was quixotic and unpredictable in its rise to prominence.

In the early part of Bismarck's stor,y as he sought the unification of Germany, I thought of him in the context of Hitler.  Not as malignant, but certainly a stepping stone to complete authoritarianism.

Once unification was achieved and Bismarck followed a line closer to constitutionalism (at least on the outside for the sake of appearances) I compared him more to Augustus.  He did seek what he believed was best for his country (at least for the Prussian, northern sections of Germany), even if his means were detestable from the perspective of the 21st century.