Taylor’s view of history is one of accidents. As he points out, Bismarck says this is in his own words ‘Man cannot create the current of events, he can only float with it and steer’. It is shocking to read of how such a political legend and diplomatic force was catapulted to his station by chance.
It is even more shocking to dive into Bismarck’s world of cognitive dissonance, where he both cares deeply for his country and his people, but is also spiteful, opportunistic, with scruples and policies being decided by the events and culture of the day, and much of his time spent away in solitude even as the most powerful man in Germany. This portrait would be an anathema to today’s society, where politics and war is said to be governed by moral values, rather than calculated decisions.
My only complaint is that Taylor expects a better reader. He has no time for the lacklustre student of history, like this reviewer, that does not know the context behind characters, or who they are before dropping in their name. I would have greatly appreciated a little more patience, and more explanation on his part.