To what extent was Bismarck responsible for the unification of Germany?

... Example essay on Bismarck To what extent was Bismarck responsible for the unification of Germany? Before 1871 Germany did not exist as a country. It was a collection of small independent states the two largest of course being Austria and Prussia, the states came together to form the German Confederation, a loose political association with no real power. When Bismarck became chancellor in 1862, calls for unification went largely unheeded. This was simply because of internal and external pressures. The rulers of individual states suppressed the demands of the nationalists. France was another major obstacle, it was in her interests to see Germany divided. Yet ten years after his appointment Bismarck was at the helm of a united Germany, all of the obstacles to unification had been overcome. Historians, however, are still divided as to how much of a role Bismarck actually played and more recently point to other significant factors that

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