Editing Otto von Bismarck (section)

===Final years and forced resignation===
In 1888, Kaiser Wilhelm I died. He left the throne to his son, [[Frederick III, German Emperor|Frederick III]]. The new monarch was already suffering from cancer of the larynx and died after reigning for only 99 days. He was succeeded by his son, [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II]], who opposed Bismarck's careful foreign policy, preferring vigorous and rapid expansion to enlarge Germany's "place in the sun".<ref>Craig, (1978) pp. 225–229.</ref>

Bismarck was sixteen years older than Frederick; before the latter became terminally ill, Bismarck did not expect he would live to see Wilhelm ascend to the throne and thus had no strategy to deal with him. Conflicts between Wilhelm and his chancellor soon poisoned their relationship. Their final split occurred after Bismarck tried to implement far-reaching anti-socialist laws in early 1890. The ''Kartell'' majority in the Reichstag, including the amalgamated Conservative Party and the National Liberal Party, was willing to make most of the laws permanent. However, it was split about the law granting the police the power to expel socialist agitators from their homes, a power that had been used excessively at times against political opponents. The National Liberals refused to make this law permanent, while the Conservatives supported only the entirety of the bill, threatening to and eventually vetoing the entire bill in session because Bismarck would not agree to a modified bill.<ref>Steinberg, 2011, pp. 429–464.</ref>

As the debate continued, Wilhelm became increasingly interested in social problems, especially the treatment of mine workers during their strike in 1889. Keeping with his active policy in government, he routinely interrupted Bismarck in [[State Council of Prussia (1817–1918)|Council]] to make clear his social views. Bismarck sharply disagreed with Wilhelm's policies and worked to circumvent them. Even though Wilhelm supported the altered anti-socialist bill, Bismarck pushed for his support to veto the bill in its entirety. When his arguments could not convince Wilhelm, Bismarck became excited and agitated until uncharacteristically blurting out his motive to see the bill fail: to have the socialists agitate until a violent clash occurred that could be used as a pretext to crush them. Wilhelm countered that he was not willing to open his reign with a bloody campaign against his own subjects. The next day, after realising his blunder, Bismarck attempted to reach a compromise with Wilhelm by agreeing to his social policy towards industrial workers and even suggested a European council to discuss working conditions, presided over by the Emperor.<ref>Steinberg, pp. 440–443.</ref>

[[File:Imperial Germany 1890 Medal Bismarck Chancellor of the German Empire by H. Schwabe, obverse.jpg|thumb|left|1890 Bismarck in his last year as Chancellor, [[Medal]] by [[:de:Heinrich Schwabe (Bildhauer)|H. Schwabe]], obverse]]

Still, a turn of events eventually led to his breaking up with Wilhelm. Bismarck, feeling pressured and unappreciated by the emperor and undermined by ambitious advisers, refused to sign a proclamation regarding the protection of workers along with Wilhelm, as was required by the [[Constitution of the German Empire|German constitution]]. His refusal to sign was apparently to protest Wilhelm's ever-increasing interference with Bismarck's previously unquestioned authority. Bismarck also worked behind the scenes to break the Continental labour council on which Wilhelm had set his heart.<ref>Craig, (1978) pp. 171–179.</ref>

The final break came as Bismarck searched for a new parliamentary majority, as his ''Kartell'' was voted from power as a consequence of the anti-socialist bill fiasco. The remaining forces in the Reichstag were the [[Centre Party (Germany)|Catholic Centre Party]] and the Conservative Party. Bismarck wished to form a new block with the Centre Party and invited [[Ludwig Windthorst]], the parliamentary leader, to discuss an alliance. That would be Bismarck's last political maneuver. Upon hearing about Windthorst's visit, Wilhelm was furious.<ref>Steinberg, pp. 445–447.</ref>

In a parliamentary state, the head of government depends on the confidence of the parliamentary majority and has the right to form coalitions to ensure their policies have majority support. However, in Germany, the Chancellor depended on the confidence of the emperor alone, and Wilhelm believed that the emperor had the right to be informed before his minister's meeting. After a heated argument in Bismarck's office, Wilhelm—to whom Bismarck had shown a letter from Tsar [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]] describing Wilhelm as a "badly brought-up boy"—stormed out, after first ordering the rescinding of the Cabinet Order enacted in 1851 by [[Frederick William IV of Prussia]], which had forbidden Prussian Cabinet Ministers from reporting directly to the King of Prussia and required them instead to report via the Prussian Prime Minister. Bismarck, forced for the first time into a situation that he could not use to his advantage, wrote a blistering letter of resignation, decrying Wilhelm's interference in foreign and domestic policy. The letter, however, was published only after Bismarck's death.<ref>Steinberg, 447–50.</ref><ref>Eyck (1958), p. 321.</ref>

[[File:Franz von Lenbach Bismarck.jpg|thumb|left|[[Franz von Lenbach|Lenbach]] painting of Bismarck in retirement (1895)]]

Bismarck resigned at Wilhelm II's insistence on 18 March 1890, at the age of 75.<ref>Steinberg, 2011, p. 449.</ref> He was succeeded as Imperial Chancellor and Minister President of Prussia by [[Leo von Caprivi]].<ref name="rich">{{Cite book |last=Rich |first=Norman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=37o4AAAAIAAJ |title=Friedrich von Holstein: politics and diplomacy in the era of Bismarck and Wilhelm II |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=1965 |volume=1 |location=London |pages=279–283 |access-date=3 October 2020 |archive-date=12 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712182200/https://books.google.com/books?id=37o4AAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }} shows that Friedrich von Holstein was a key player</ref> After his dismissal he was promoted to the rank of "Colonel-General with the Dignity of Field Marshal", so-called because the German Army did not appoint full Field Marshals in peacetime. He was also given a new title, [[Duke of Lauenburg]], which he joked would be useful when travelling incognito. He was soon elected to the ''Reichstag'' as a National Liberal in Bennigsen's old and supposedly safe Hamburg seat, but he was so humiliated by being taken to a second ballot by a Social Democrat opponent that he never actually took up his seat. Bismarck entered into resentful retirement, lived in [[Friedrichsruh]] near Hamburg and sometimes on his estates at [[Varzin]], and waited in vain to be called upon for advice and counsel. After his wife's death on 27 November 1894, his health worsened and one year later he finally became a full-time wheelchair user.<ref>Steinberg, pp. 446, 459, 463.</ref><ref>Bismarck, Otto von (1921) [https://archive.org/details/cu31924026385090/page/n159 <!-- pg=122 quote=Otto Bismarck Colonel-General. --> "The Kaiser Vs. Bismarck: Suppressed Letters by the Kaiser and New Chapters from the Autobiography of the Iron Chancellor"] Harper. p. 122</ref><ref>Mqarcus, Benjamin et al. (eds.) (1910) [https://books.google.com/books?id=WSpMAAAAMAAJ&dq=Otto+Bismarck+%22Duke+of+Lauenburg%22&pg=PA281 "Bismarck=Schǎusen, Otto Eduard Leopold"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317035001/https://books.google.com/books?id=WSpMAAAAMAAJ&dq=Otto%20Bismarck%20%22Duke%20of%20Lauenburg%22&pg=PA281#v=onepage&q=Otto%20Bismarck%20%22Duke%20of%20Lauenburg%22&f=false |date=17 March 2017 }} ''Appleton's new practical cyclopedia'' p. 281</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lerman |first=Katharine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1AStAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA257 |title=Bismarck |publisher=Routledge |date=2014 |isbn=978-1-317-90062-7 |page=257 |access-date=16 May 2016 |archive-date=17 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317154503/https://books.google.com/books?id=1AStAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA257 |url-status=live }}</ref>