Metternich and Bismarck Compared

Metternich and Bismarck were the two leading diplomats of the nineteenth century, both spending decades in power although both depended on dynastic support. Both used force to overthrow the existing European order after which they made the preservation of peace and the isolation of France their main priorities. Both were highly conservative monarchists although neither was truly reactionary. Their two systems were linked by their common view of Central Europe. On balance Metternich was probably the better statesman.

Speaker:

Alan Sked is Emeritus Professor of International History at the LSE, where he spent his entire academic career after taking his D. Phil at Oxford under the supervision of A. J. P. Taylor. He has published on European, British and American history and is a world authority on the Habsburg Monarchy. His books include ‘The Decline and Fall of the Habsburg Empire, 1815-1918’, ‘Metternich and Austria. An Assessment’ and ‘Radetzky. Imperial Victor and Military Genius’.

Image credit: Otto Von Bismarck in 1894 wearing the uniform of the regiment of Cuirassier named after him (left) and Clemens Lothar Wenzel, Prince Metternich (right), Wikimedia