I have a burden on my soul. During my long life, I did not make anyone happy, neither my friends, nor my family, nor even myself. I have done many evil things...I was the cause of the beginning of three big wars. About 800,000 people were killed because of me on the battlefields., and their mothers, brothers, and widows cried for them. And now this stands between me and God.

In the midst of this disarray the European balance of power was restructured with the creation of the German Empire as the dominant power in Europe. Other European nations led by Britain and France were acquiring colonies in a rapid fashion (see New Imperialism). "

Bismarck also repeated his emphatic warning against any German military involvement in Balkan disputes.

He disliked colonialism but reluctantly built an overseas empire when it was demanded by both elite and mass opinion. As Henry Kissinger has noted "The man of 'blood and iron' wrote prose of extraordinary directness and lucidity comparable in distinctiveness to Churchill's use of the English language. Bismarck (a devout Lutheran) was loyal to his king who in turn gave Bismarck his full support.