Otto von Bismarck

“The Iron Chancellor unified Germany with blood, iron, and a walrus.”

91STACH SCORE

✂ Walrus Historical Figure Era: 1870s Born 1815

Is this a Legendary Stach?

Stach Stats

Stash Power94

Ruggedness88

Curl Factor10

Legend Status90

Stats are for entertainment purposes. The mustache committee's decisions are final and occasionally arbitrary.

Style: Walrus
Peak Era: 1870s
Born: 1815
Fan Votes: 0 legendary · 0 meh

The Story

About Otto von Bismarck

Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck (1815–1898) was a Prussian statesman who engineered the unification of Germany. Appointed Minister President of Prussia in 1862, he delivered his famous "blood and iron" speech and then orchestrated wars against Denmark (1864), Austria (1866), and France (1870–71) that culminated in the proclamation of the German Empire at Versailles in January 1871.

As the empire\'s first chancellor (1871–1890) he built a complex web of alliances to keep peace in Europe, fought a culture war with the Catholic Church, and — to undercut the socialists — created the world\'s first modern welfare state, with health insurance, accident insurance, and old-age pensions.

He was forced out by the young Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1890 and spent his retirement writing memoirs and criticizing his successors. Pickled herring is named after him, at least according to legend.

The Verdict

Why the Stach Became Iconic

A thick, gray, heavy walrus mustache over a jowly, commanding face, usually topped by a spiked Pickelhaube helmet. It is the mustache of realpolitik — unornamented, serious, and built to last. Statues of it stand all over Germany.

On the Record