At the beginning of the Bismarck era, there exists in the heart of Europe only a loose confederation of states under Prussian dominance. By the departure of the 'Iron Chancellor' in 1890, the dominant great power on the continent is the German Empire, founded in 1871 in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. Three so-called unification wars were the prerequisite for this development (1864, 1866, 1870/71). In parallel, the states of Greece and Italy emerge from military conflicts. The Bismarck era is the period of nation-state formation. These European wars, the rivalries and resentments of the powers, the complex alliance systems, and the secret diplomacy that characterized this era are presented in a comprehensive European overview. The struggle for a new European order, which increasingly must take public political opinion into account, is depicted by Andreas Rose.