'Inept and Unsuccessful'. How Valid is this Comment on Bismarck's handling of Domestic Policy from 1871-90? From her formal unification at Versailles in 1871, Bismarck, the first German Chancellor, took control of his new German State. Yet twenty years later, the 'Bismarckian era' in German history had ended, culminating in Bismarck's departure. With unification complete at least geographically, by 1871, Bismarck's next challenge lay with domestic policy and the running of the new German constitution. In the early 1870s, Bismarck relied on the support of the National Liberals in the Reichstag as they were the largest sing