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Bismarck was a diplomat, not a military officier. He only preached war as a way to convince the other German states of Prussia might so that they would agree to unification. After the states unified, Bismarck had no need for war, which could threaten the strength and economy of the new country.
Metternich and Bismarck wanted different things with Europe. Metternich was an advocate of Balance of Power and fought for this at the Congress of Vienna. Bismarck, on the other hand, wanted to create a super powerful Germany through the unification of German states. Bismarck believed in Realpolitik, a machiavellian theory that states that the power of a nation should be placed above any ideological or moral standard.
Otto Von Bismarck started the alliance system because he felt that France was the biggest threat to Germany's power in Europe. His goal was to make an alliance system that left France with as little allies as possible. This system ultimately backfired and plunged Europe into a devastating war that cost billions in dollars and millions in lives.
Otto von Bismarck wanted to unify German states. He was born when the German confederation was just created. His main priority was to help Prussia have the most powerful army in all of Europe which it eventually did. Bismarck was clever and would manipulate his ways into getting more territory. SO basically he wanted to unite all German states making the German Empire with Prussia as the core
Since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Europe had been a scene of quiet conflict. The grudges from the Wars of German Unification, the Ottoman control and loss of control in the Balkans, the conflicts over land in Africa and many other issues kept Europe on the brink of war.