Otto von Bismarck
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Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg, was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as its first chancellor
Bismarck in 1885
Bismarck in 1833, at age 18
Bismarck in 1847, at age 32
Bismarck in 1863 with Roon (centre) and Moltke (right), the three leaders of Prussia in the 1860s
Wilhelm II
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Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor from 1888 until his abdication in 1918. His fall from power marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty's 400-year rule over Prussia.
Otto von Bismarck
…Bismarck ruled autocratically through a strong bureaucracy with power concentrated in the hands of the Junker elite. After being dismissed from office by Wilhelm II, he retired to write his memoirs. Bismarck is most famous for his role in German unification. During the German Imperial period, he became a hero to…
Wilhelm in 1902
Wilhelm in 1867, aged 8
Wedding of Prince Henry of Prussia with Princess Irene of Hesse on 24 May 1888. The future emperor Wilhelm II is on the right. The emperor Frederick III is seated on the left and would have died just three weeks after.
Otto von Bismarck, the Chancellor who effectively dictated German policy until Wilhelm II assumed the throne in 1888