That Rotten Bismarck

I've been frustrated with the conservative impulse toward ostentatious displays of patriotism in the face of the left's push toward even more unconstitutionality for awhile, because it seems it's that very patriotism which ultimately allows the tyranny to grow. Thanks to Don Boudreaux, I now know it was made that way on purpose:

The founder of the modern welfare state, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, wanted, as he said, “to bribe the working classes” into devotion to the German state. What better way to ensure that families are willing to send ample supplies of their young men off to die for the Fatherland?