How did Otto von Bismarck help to bring about German unification? He created the

Otto Von Bismarck played his cards very carefully, hoping for a Russian alliance and French neutrality. Once France realized that a United Germany was a power that could threaten the them, they went after the smaller southern German states that were not yet united with the north. Bismarck made it look like the French were the aggressors and convinced the states to unify with the north. After Prussia defeated them, they declared the birth of the German empire at the French palace of Versailles, making Wilhelm ll the new Kaiser.

The major causes of “The Great War” or WWI (1914-1918) consist of four long-term causes and one short-term cause. I use the acronym M.A.N.I.A to help my pupils remember the 5 major causes of WWI; they are Militarism, Alliances, Nationalism, Imperialism, and Assassination.