Chapter 738 - 341: Bismarck Resigns

The first major change brought by this war came.

German Emperor William II, against great opposition, led Germany into this war, but his pre-war disputes with Prime Minister Bismarck became an even more noteworthy topic than the war itself.

This new emperor was not like his grandfather. Due to an innate disability, William II had an extreme sense of pride and naturally couldn’t tolerate having a Prime Minister like Bismarck who would openly contradict and even reprimand him in cabinet meetings.

As for Bismarck, he had given everything for this country. The creation of the German Empire was inseparable from the contributions of the Iron Chancellor Bismarck. Under Bismarck’s leadership, the former Kingdom of Prussia successively defeated Denmark, Austria, and France, thus building a powerful German Empire.

The birds are gone, the bow is hidden; the cunning hare is dead, the hunting dog is cooked. After holding the reins of power in Germany for more than twenty years, Prime Minister Bismarck was shocked to discover that the empire he painstakingly built no longer had a place for him.

Disappointed with the current situation, Prime Minister Bismarck submitted his resignation to German Emperor William II, which was also a final warning to William II.

William II did not respond at all to Prime Minister Bismarck’s resignation, and silence at such a moment often equates to acquiescence.

In endless disappointment and grief, German Prime Minister Bismarck officially submitted his resignation to the cabinet and presented a six-page resignation letter to William II.

Having completed all these steps, Prime Minister Bismarck did not linger any longer. He left Berlin in anger and retired to his estate.

After Bismarck stepped down from the German cabinet, the German cabinet was officially under the control of the new Emperor William II. Leo von Caprivi, a slightly experienced military senior, succeeded Bismarck as German Prime Minister.

From this point, it is clear why William II forced Prime Minister Bismarck out. The main reason was that Prime Minister Bismarck’s immense prestige and status in the German government and military already impacted William II’s authority.

This situation was similar to when Carlo first came to Spain. However, during Carlos’s time, he had little power and could only develop quietly.

Moreover, Prime Minister Prim was not as domineering as Prime Minister Bismarck. In many aspects, Prime Minister Prim was willing to grant the new King Carlo some say, which resulted in a better outcome for Prime Minister Prim compared to Prime Minister Bismarck.

Bismarck’s departure became Germany’s biggest news and even turned into the hottest news in all of Europe for a brief time.

As a towering figure in the late 19th century Europe, Prime Minister Bismarck had always been the focal point of all European countries. His departure immediately attracted the attention of all European countries. Nations like France, which had poor relations with Germany, even rejoiced over it.

Everyone understood that Bismarck’s resignation was a weakening blow to Germany. As one of the greatest contributors to the establishment of the German Empire, Prime Minister Bismarck played a vital role in Germany.

He controlled Germany’s politics, diplomacy, military, and economy and single-handedly facilitated the European situation where France was isolated, enabling the newly established German Empire to become one of the Four Great European Powers with an implicit trend of European hegemony.

Given this, any praise of Bismarck’s accomplishments isn’t excessive. Before Bismarck became Prussian Prime Minister, Prussia was just a mediocre second-rate nation on the European Continent, even unable to compete against Austria in the German Region.

Under his tenure as Prussian Prime Minister, he rapidly transformed Prussia into a European great power through various reforms.

Because of Bismarck, only then could Prussia exclude Austria from German affairs and establish the German Empire itself.

Why are Austrians considered Germans? The fundamental reason is that Austria also belonged to the German Region. Hundreds of years ago, the German Region was ruled by the Holy Roman Empire, and the Habsburg family, ruling Austria, was the imperial family of the Holy Roman Empire centuries ago.

If not for Bismarck, today the imperial family of the Holy Roman Empire Region would still be the Habsburgs, and the German Empire would hardly be related to Prussia.

Compared to Bismarck, his successor, Prime Minister Leo von Caprivi, didn’t have as much prestige and power.

The main reason William II appointed him as the German Prime Minister was that Leo von Caprivi, with a certain level of ability, didn’t belong to any political faction, making him a candidate who was relatively easy to control.

After replacing the Prime Minister, William II immediately issued orders to the new cabinet to prepare thoroughly for war, aiming to defeat Russia in this conflict.

Prime Minister Leo von Caprivi, upon taking office, accelerated Germany’s input into the war effort.

During Prime Minister Bismarck’s reign, Bismarck had always opposed Germany entering this war, which resulted in Germany being unprepared for it.

Although war had already been declared on Russia, at present, Germany could only mobilize about 200,000 troops at the eastern border, which was clearly insufficient to win this war.

In just a few days, Prime Minister Leo von Caprivi drafted a comprehensive plan for military expansion, which quickly received approval from William II.

According to this new military expansion plan, Germany would deploy at least 500,000 active troops in this war, and mobilize at least 500,000 reservists.