Prince Klemens von Metternich and Prince Otto von
Bismarck
by Barry Wright
Essay: Prince Klemens von Metternich and Prince Otto von Bismarck
Pages: 10
Rating: 3 stars
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Prince Klemens von Metternich and Prince Otto von Bismarck can be compared to the dual sides of a Deutsche
Mark, a Deutsche Mark that has sported different faces when repeatedly tossed over the years. After 1871, the
Prussian-friendly German historians hailed Bismarck as the national hero who had united Germany while
Metternich was deemed a failure. Then after the loss of the two world wars, the coin was again flipped, and
Bismarck was seen as a bloodthirsty power monger while Metternich still carried the stigma of a failure. The events
that lead to the diverse opinion of these two men were their characters, ideological backgrounds, goals, the
means by which they reached their goals, their achievements and lastly, their failures. The question of who was
better for Germany depends largely on matter of perspective and the outcome of their actions over the years.
The strengths and weaknesses of Klemens von Metternich and Otto von Bismarck are first seen in their character.
A person’s character defines who they are and reflects their ideals, these two men’s characters did more than just
define them—they radiated from them. Their character strengths and flaws made it possible for them to make the
decisions that would keep the peace after the Napoleonic Wars and help unite Germany.
Prince Klemens von Metternich, the “coachman of Germany,” had a towering personality that served him well
during his reign as Chancellor of Austria. The article by Nick Pelling, Metternich: Success or Failure, described
Metternich’s personality as “anything but dull” (Pelling). Metternich was known to brag about “his ability to bore
people into submission” and he referred to his conservative philosophy as a “set of ‘boring old principles’” that
was not...
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