Otto von Bismarck

Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg, Prince of Bismarck, (1815–1898), was a Prussian German statesman and aristocrat of the 19th century. As Minister-President of Prussia from 1862–1890, he oversaw the unification of Germany. In 1867 he became Chancellor of the North German Confederation. When the second German Empire was formed in 1871, he served as its first Chancellor until 1890, earning the nickname "The Iron Chancellor". As Chancellor, Bismarck held an important role in the German government and greatly influenced German and international politics both during and after his time of service.

Otto von Bismarck in In the Presence of Mine Enemies
Otto von Bismarck was designated as an honorary Führer of the Greater German Reich after World War II, taking his place in history beside Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, and Kurt Haldweim as one of the great leaders of Germany.

Otto von Bismarck in Southern Victory
Upon the unification of Germany in 1871, Otto von Bismarck pursued a foreign policy goal of isolating his country's primary enemy, France. As part of this policy, he empowered his ambassador to Philadelphia, Kurd von Schlozer, to negotiate an alliance against France, Britain, and the Confederate States (later joined by Russia and a number of others) with the United States that eventually became the Central Powers alliance system.