King Wilhelm I had appointed Otto von…

King Wilhelm I had appointed Otto von Bismarck as Minister-President and Foreign Minister in September 1862, when the Prussian Landtag was refusing to approve an increase in military spending desired by the king.

A few days later, Bismarck had appeared before the Landtag's Budget Committee and stressed the need for military preparedness.

He had concluded his speech with the following statement: "The position of Prussia in Germany will not be determined by its liberalism but by its power ... Prussia must concentrate its strength and hold it for the favorable moment, which has already come and gone several times.

Since the treaties of Vienna, our frontiers have been ill-designed for a healthy body politic.

Not through speeches and majority decisions will the great questions of the day be decided - that was the great mistake of 1848 and 1849 - but by iron and blood.”