In blogs and on many sites you can find the statement that the German Chancellor loved this word so much that he even applied him to the ring that he constantly wore. We checked the authenticity of this story.
On the Internet, a story is popular about how the future German chancellor (and then the ambassador) Otto von Bismarck found himself in the Russian wilderness and was amazed at the unshakable calm of his cabman, who met any problems and doubts with the words “nothing, Barin, nothing”. This philosophical view of life supposedly impressed Bismarck so much that he later ordered himself a ring with the inscription “nothing” and wore it without removing, and also constantly repeated this word. This story is popular on VKontakte (examples here, here And here) And Facebook, it can be found on entertainment sites, V Blogs, on sites educational institutions And even on the website of the magazine "Glavbukh".
Otto von Bismarck, famous as The first chancellor of the United German Empire, in 1859-1862 was the ambassador of Prussia to the Russian Empire. The earliest presentation of the viral story about the ring that managed to find “verified” is dated 1885. In the tenth issue of Russian Thought magazine, a short essay was published for this year "Ring of Prince Bismarck".
“Recently, the history of the Iron Ring with the Russian inscription“ Nothing ”was told in the“ St. Petersburg Vedomosti ”, which Bismarck constantly wears on his finger.
History dates back to 1862, when Bismarck lived in St. Petersburg as a Prussian envoy. Since in the winter he received an invitation to imperial hunting for a hundred from the capital. Being a passionate hunter, he left the day earlier, to first hunt in those rich in game; He was carried away, got lost, and when it was time to arrive at the point appointed for royal hunting, he found himself in some unknown village, completely drowning in the snow.
Knowing a little Russian, the count began to ask the peasants. It turned out that there was twenty miles to the appointed place. How to be? The peasant was found, who took up the “spirit” to bring the count. Simple skewers were filed, laid down a ferry of tiny horses. Bismarck doubted.
- But will you be taken? I need it soon!
- Nothing! - calmly answered a man that took off to the irradiation.
-You have some rats, not horses.
- Nothing!
The count sat down. The horses touched and, passing the outskirts, carried with that frantic speed that breathtaking.
On the bumps, Prince Bismarck said, even terribly done, and look at the tongue.
“After all, you,” I say, “you will drive your nag!”
- Nothing!
- How nothing when they die on the road?
- Nothing!
We drove into the forest. The clearing is narrow, the stumps and rhizomes at every step, the sled now and then will hit one side by one side, then the other, then jump with us both. A man drives a whole spirit.
- After all, you will dump me! - I say.
And he will only turn around a little, so that one tip of the nose will show, and grins:
- Nothing!
And just dumped. I knocked on some kind of stump, scratched my face. He got angry terribly, stood up, grabbed a thick iron rod that had fallen from somewhere and rushed with him at the man, sincerely wanting to look for him. And he captured with clumsy peasants a complete handful of snow and warms up on me warningly to wipe my face.
“Nothing,” he says.
This is an amazing Russian "Nothing!" I finally disarmed me. I submitted, sat down again in a sled, and with the same frantic career a quarter of an hour later a man delivered me where necessary. I thanked him, and I hid the iron rod as a keepsake and, upon returning to St. Petersburg, ordered to make this ring out of it with the inscription "Nothing!"
The diplomat, who heard this story personally from Bismarck, adds from his own words that the Russian "nothing" became the motto of all his politics.
“When I had to fight doubtfully,” Bismarck told our diplomat, “when thought and will were ready to retreat before risk and danger, I said to myself in Russian:“ Nothing! ” - And boldly went to the goal.
“Me,” Bismarck added to this story, “my good Germans reproached more than once, as if I were sometimes learning to Russia too much and in my Russian politics I do not find the self -confidence that they are used to seeing in all other cases.” But I usually answer these reproaches: "Gentlemen, take into account that in Germany only I have the habit of speaking in difficult moments of life:" Nothing! " And in Russia there are one hundred million people who say everyone: “Nothing!” ”.
In November of the same year, a brief retelling of this article was published in The New York Times. Unfortunately, it is not possible to find the original story, allegedly printed in St. Petersburg Vedomosti, according to the bibliographic reference book of the Russian National Library "Newspapers on the network and outside of it”, The numbers of this newspaper for 1885 in open libraries or archives were not preserved.
The German public organization is engaged in studying the heritage of Bismarck - Foundation Otto von Bismarck. It is in charge of the archive, two museums and the site bismarck-biografie.de, on which many documents related to the life and activity of Bismarck are posted. Among other things, you can find photos of personal things in a politician - for example, a bronze figurine of his beloved dog, glasses, a smoking tube and a handle, which he signed a peace treaty with France. However, photographs of the ring with the inscription “nothing” were “checked” on this site, as well as any other jewelry. In the section "Cloth"It is said that Bismarck was dressed extremely ascetic - for public appearance he preferred a military uniform, and in everyday life he wore a regular practical outfit of the landowner: a cap or hat, a jacket or cloak, trousers and boots.
In addition, many photos of Bismarck of different years have been published on Bismarck-biografie.de. The article “Russian thought” stated that the politician wears his ring with the inscription “Nothing”. However, in none of the photographs on which the hands of Bismarck are clearly visible, there are no rings on his fingers.
A characteristic accessory, with which a person does not part, would probably be noticed by caricaturists, but Bismarck was also portrayed on the political caricatures Without rings.
In some publications about the Bismarck ring, it is stated that he, in principle, fell in love with the Russian word “nothing” and often Used it In his letters. Part of the correspondence of Bismarck is also published on Bismarck-biografie.de. However, the search by Nitschewo And "Nothing»I did not give any results. Stories told in "Russian thought", there is no three -volume memoirs Bismarck (mentioning the word "nothing" in the context we need there is also absent there). They do not bring it in the most famous German -speaking and English -language biographies of the chancellor.
Thus, all publications about the ring of Bismarck and his love for the word “nothing” go back to one, apparently, completely fictional article of 1885 and are not confirmed by other sources. Bismarck wears rings in no well -known photo.
Photo on the cover: screenshot BISMARCK-BIOGRAFIE.DE
Read on the topic:
- Whether Bismarck said: “It is impossible to win Russians. But they can instill false values, and then they will defeat themselves ”?
- Did Bismarck say: “There is nothing more vile and disgusting than the so -called Ukrainians”?
- Did Bismarck say: “I know hundreds of ways to get a Russian bear out of the den, but not one to drive him back”?
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