Elliot Kozlowski, “Otto von Bismarck and German Unification: A Modern Perspective”
Mentor: Colleen Tierney, English
Oral Presentation 9:15am Union E260

Otto von Bismarck has long been recognized as one of the main drivers of German Unification, but my research aimed to analyze the impact he specifically had in unifying Germany. I started with the Holy Roman Empire because I found that its structure and fall in 1806 set the stage for the decade long debate over Grossdeutsch, including Austria in Germany, or Kleindeutsch, excluding Austria from a united Germany. My period of study starts from roughly around the time of the Holy Roman Empire’s fall to 1871 when Germany was unified after the three wars of German Unification. Under the guidance of Professor Colleen Tierney I used a system starting with a rough idea of what I would be researching, finding sources to better understand my topic, creating an outline, further searching, and then completing my research. During this process, I used mostly pieces of academia, but I also used a series of YouTube videos by the channel Extra History because of how they humanize Otto von Bismarck instead of treating him like a monolith. By the end of my project I left with the understanding that although he was a very smart man, more than anything he was an opportunist. He used the politics and circumstances during his tenure to his advantage and guided Prussia multiple times away from Austrian victory in uniting Germany. From a modern perspective, I hope to paint him in shades of gray and give a new perspective from past interpretations of his tenure.