German Nationalism Was Responsible for German Unification

It is traditionally seen that Otto Von Bismarck was largely responsible for the unification of Germany and that he used a plan of war & diplomacy to fool the other European powers. But this achievement is too quickly attributed too the success of Bismarck. While Bismarck's superb diplomatic skills were a crucial factor in the unification of Germany, he would not have achieved unification without the feeling of nationalism that had already spread throughout Germany. In fact, rather than a master diplomat, Bismarck was probably an expert opportunist, who took advantage of situations as they arose & occasionally being lucky. He reacted to others' actions as much as he initiated events himself. Some historians are of the opinion that Bismarck's motive was not the desire to unite Germany at all. L.C.D. Seaman wrote about on interpretation that Bismarck unified Germany, "He did not. He did not even want to." As well as that the empire he created was not even a German empire, as Bismarck had never intended for it to be a German empire.…