How successful was Bismarck's foreign policy in the years 1871 to 1890?

How successful was Bismarck's foreign policy in the years 1871 to 1890?

• Successful- Dreikaiserbund in 1873('Three Emperor's League')- coalition with Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia. The three Emperors stressed the desire for peace and agreed to consuly each other before taking an unilatera action which could lead to war. Thus, creating better alliances with other countries- so Germany would have allies in event for any wars.
• DI- However, Britain refused to join the Dreikaiserbund as they could have been a useful ally to use because of their strong empire- Bismarck was even jealous of how colinised Britain became- particularly in Egypt in the mid 1870's, which led to Gladstone giving up the Congo Basin.
• Successful- 'War in sight' crisis- Bismarck banned the export of German horses to France, which is usually a step tacking when going to war. He tried to make France believe that Germany would do unless France abandomed the rearmament programme- they had recovered from their defeat in 1871.
• Unsucc- 'The Eastern Crisis' in 1875-1878-  began with a revolt in 1875 against the Turkish rule  in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The revolt spread to Bulgaria in 1876, with the Turkish power collapsing. This crisis posed threats to Bismarck's foreign policy as Austria-Hungary and Russia would look to Germany for support, as rivalry grew and conflict between these two powers, as they sought to establish dominance in the region.
• Congress of Berlin-successful because he tried to ensure peace remained between Russia and A-H, so he was taking the initiative.
• Unsuccessful- Russia were forced to agree to Bulgaria being reduced in size. Also the British army was increasing as they had gained Cyprus, when they didn't need it.
• Russia had also seen Bismarck as anti-Russian…