The advantage of the Rhineland resources acquired in 1815 also plays a part in her economic strength, the rapid growth of industry after 1850 would be essential to Prussia's campaigns against Austria and France. It would be this block of power in northern Germany that would be the makings of a Unified Germany, though the south German states still looked towards Austria for leadership they would soon be wooed by a man with a grand plan " Otto Von Bismarck. .
In 1862, Wilhelm I appointed Otto Von Bismarck as his chief minister of Prussia, a man who would not remain idle. While Wilhelm may have been the king, it was Bismarck who was in control, manipulating the king with his intellect while using royal decrees to circumvent the power of elected officials. He had to clear two major obstacles facing a unified Germany under Prussia, the first would be the Austrian Empire, their bitter rival, who no longer had the thumb over the smaller German states thanks to the growth of Prussian strength both diplomatically and militarily. And so, in 1864, Bismarck set off a series of wars, crucial to the growth of Prussian power in Europe and the unification of the German nation. It is from these wars that we can see a glimpse of his ambitions and his forward-thinking mind, this was not a stubborn man of the past, and he understood the political situation within the German states and that of Europe as a whole. The strength of the man allowed to bring Wilhelm from the brink of abdication while being pressured by the liberals. Bismarck struggled to appease the liberals but he had the strength to bypass them altogether in order to bring in much needed reform to the Prussian military. He simply ignored them, knowing all too well how necessary reforming the military was for his ambition of Prussian might. The increase of both the army size and the length of service time, would drastically change Bismarck's capabilities in Europe.
