The archetype of charismatic leadership, Otto von Bismarck maintained his pre-eminence in the pantheon of German political iconography for much of the twentieth century. Robert Gerwarth provides an insightful analysis of Bismarck's legacy as a political myth that undermined parliamentary democracy in Germany and contributed to the rise of Hitler.

Robert Gerwarth was educated at the Humboldt University, Berlin and University College, Oxford. He is currently a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

• 1: Introduction


• 2: Prologue: The Bismarck Myth in Wilhelmine Germany 1890-1918


• 3: After the Collapse


• 4: Fragmented Society, Divided Memory: Perceptions of Bismarck in Early Weimar Germany


• 5: Fighting the 'Enemies of the Reich': Bismarck and the State Crisis of 1922-23


• 6: Bismarck as an Election Campaigner


• 7: In the Shadow of Stabilization


• 8: Towards the Abyss: Bismarck and the Dissolution of the Weimar Republic


• 9: Epilogue: Bismarck Between the 'Seizure of Power' and Reunification 1933-1990


• 10: Conclusion


• Bibliography


• Index