Worldview formation and Otto von Bismarck development as a politician

Abstract

The main aim of the article is to consider impartially the formation of O. Bismarck’s worldview and the stages of his development as a political figure. A lot of biographers are often biased and sometimes reach panegyric or censure in their attitude to this person. The article examines objectively the factors that influenced the formation of O. Bismarck’s personality, limiting itself only to the main features of his personal character and family environment, without dwelling in detail on his political activities. Bismarck’s mother was excellently educated, combined the sentimental-religious mood of her century and the liberal beliefs inherited from her father, she aimed to awaken ambition and the desire to achieve her goals in her children from childhood. His father, unlike emotionless and refined mother, was a former military man who preferred rural life to urban life and he spoiled children in every possible way and was the soul of the family. She was shrewd and ambitious, personified intelligence and she loved to have conversations with intelligent people and to play chess, he was full of humor and fun and he preferred living on the estate and hunting. Perhaps due to this inconsistency, Bismarck was not brought up in class prejudices in his native home, but later his basic beliefs were formed under the influence of the environment.