Otto von Bismarck is one of the iconic figures in world history. The “Iron Chancellor” of Prussia, he created the German Empire (II Reich) and managed to strengthen its position in the world. Bismarck was well versed in foreign policy, well aware of the state of European states and Russia (he lived in St. Petersburg for a long time, being the Prussian ambassador to our country). In his book, he talks about how the German Empire was created, how the political map of Europe changed after that, and what role Russia played in this. Wilhelm II was Emperor of Germany from 1888 to 1918. He begins his memoirs with a story about Bismarck: the author writes why Germany did not heed Bismarck’s behest not to fight the Russians, what circumstances led it to the First World War. According to Wilhelm II, the collapse of three empires (German, Russian and Austro-Hungarian) only complicated the situation on the world stage, both politically and socially.