Unification of German

Introduction

Prussian chancellor Otto von Bismarck's policy toward the United States was one of friendly cooperation, and he demonstrated a willingness to avoid diplomatic and military confrontation with the United States. After the outbreak of the American Civil War, Bismarck, rejecting all rebellion on principle, issued an immediate declaration against the Confederacy and assured the U.S. minister in May 1861 that his government would be one of the last to recognize the Confederacy. He even instructed Baron Friedrich von Gerolt, the minister in Washington, D.C., not to follow the example of his French colleague in approaching the government in ...