The most likely reason Bismarck was named chancellor when King Wilhelm I became kaiser of Germany was because the King was dealing with a political crisis he could not handle and felt that Bismarck would be the only one who would be able to handle it. The politicians were becoming increasingly liberal for the King and he felt that if he appointed Bismarck who was a strong character, Bismarck would use his conservative motives to benefit the country, which is exactly what happened.
