The way in which Bismarck outwitted his contemporaries certainly deserves immense praise. His statesmanlike strategies are still studied today. Bismarck took Prussia, considered the weakest of the five European powers, and guided it through three successful wars, defeating two other powers along the way. He then unified 39 German states into a single empire. However, his achievements were tarnished decades after his death. World War I was disastrous for Germany, and some historians question whether or not Bismarck deserves some responsibility. For example, he made France a permanent enemy after forcing it to accept a harsh peace treaty in 1871. France spent the next decades seeking revenge and found it in World War I . Yet Germany is a nation that still exists and is still present. still dominant today. This makes Bismarck not only a champion of the German people, but also of nationalism.