Bismarck: Germany From Blood and Iron

Otto von Bismarck (1815 – 1898) was a Prussian/German statesman of the late 19th century, and a dominant figure in world affairs. As Prime Minister of Prussia from 1862–1890, he oversaw the unification of Germany. In 1867 he became Chancellor of the North German Confederation. He designed the German Empire in 1871, becoming its first Chancellor and dominating its affairs until he was fired by Wilhelm II in 1890. His diplomacy of Realpolitik and powerful rule gained him the nickname "The Iron Chancellor".

He used balance-of-power diplomacy to keep Europe peaceful in the 1870s and 1880s. He created a new nation with a progressive social policy, a result that went beyond his initial goals as a practitioner of power politics in Prussia. Bismarck, a devout Lutheran and loyal to his king, promoted government through a strong, bureaucracy with a hereditary monarchy at the top.

Now,
1- Why does Bismarck say it is only outside Prussia that they can strengthen their position inside Germany?
2- What's the Realpolitik?

Napoleon Bonaparte in 5 minutes.

Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a military and political leader of France and Emperor of the French as Napoleon I, whose actions shaped European politics in the early 19th century.

Napoleon was born in Corsica to parents of minor noble Italian ancestry and trained as an artillery officer in mainland France. Bonaparte rose to prominence under the French First Republic and led successful campaigns against the First and Second Coalitions arrayed against France. In 1799, he staged a coup d'état and installed himself as First Consul; five years later the French Senate proclaimed him emperor. In the first decade of the 19th century, the French Empire under Napoleon engaged in a series of conflicts—the Napoleonic Wars—involving every major European power. After a streak of victories, France secured a dominant position in continental Europe, and Napoleon maintained the French sphere of influence through the formation of extensive alliances and the appointment of friends and family members to rule other European countries as French client states.

The French invasion of Russia in 1812 marked a turning point in Napoleon's fortunes. His Grande Armée was badly damaged in the campaign and never fully recovered. In 1813, the Sixth Coalition defeated his forces at Leipzig; the following year the Coalition invaded France, forced Napoleon to abdicate and exiled him to the island of Elba. Less than a year later, he escaped and returned to power, but was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. Napoleon spent his last six years in confinement by the British on the island of Saint Helena.

And now... Was Napoleon a great statesman or a crazy dictator? What do you think ...?

The Reign of Terror in the French Revolution.

Focusing on both humanity's idealism and its capacity for violence, this program dramatizes the ways in which the noble motives and legitimate causes of the French Revolution managed to spiral into a reign of terror, as the revolutionaries' original goals become overshadowed by the radical tactics of Robespierre and other leaders.

The Declaration of Independence of the USA and the oath of office of George Washington

Congress approves the Declaration of Independence, brilliant scene from John Adams mini-series.