HISTORY CAMBRIDGE AS - PAPER 2MODULE 1871-1918PRESENTATION 15

KAISER WILHELM’S FOREIGN POLICY

REMOVAL OF BISMARCK

In March 1890 Kaiser Wilhelm drove Otto von Bismarck into resigning as chancellor. Bismarck had found brilliant answers to the problems facing him when he first took office but in doing so had given the Prussian upper classes a veto on political change and had made France Germany’s implacable enemy. At 75 years of age, he was unable to solve the social and political problems confronting Germany at the end of the century.

POLITICSKaiser’s action would have been justifiable if he himself had been in possession of a solution. As it was, however, he dropped vague plans for helping the working classes as soon as he ran into court opposition, and he allowed Bismarck’s successors to decide against renewing his 1887 Reinsurance Treaty with Russia. Superficially, this decision again could be justified, but it opened the way for Russia in 1891 to make an alliance with France.

CHANCELLORSFor four years after Bismarck’s departure, Leo, Graf (count) von Caprivi, as chancellor, tried unsuccessfully to find a policy that would be acceptable both to the Reichstag (lower house of the parliament) and to the ruling classes. He was followed as chancellor by the aged Prince Chlodwig von Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, who fared no better. In 1897 Kaiser appointed Bernhard von Bülow as foreign secretary and in 1900 made him chancellor, intending that Bülow would persuade the Reichstag to accept the policies that the kaiser and the upper classes chose to adopt. This did little or nothing to bring about the political changes that Germany’s very rapid industrialization called for. Instead, Bülow was allowed to divert attention by an exciting foreign policy.

TELEGRAM TO KRUGERBritish anger had already been aroused by a telegram that, on the advice of his foreign secretary, Kaiser had sent in 1896 to President Paul Kruger of the South African Republic, congratulating him on defeating the British-led Jameson raid; and alarm followed anger as the implications of the German Naval Bills of 1897 and 1900 sank in. The Kaiser often indignantly denied that Germany was challenging Britain’s domination of the seas, but there is clear evidence that this was in fact the aim of Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, whom he made secretary of the navy in 1897.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICSWhen in 1904 Britain settled its outstanding disputes with France, the Kaiser, at Bülow’s suggestion, went to Tangier the following year to challenge France’s position in Morocco by announcing German support for Moroccan independence. His hopes of thereby showing that Britain was of no value as an ally to France were disappointed at the 1906 Algeciras Conference, at which the Germans were forced to accept French predominance in Morocco.

WELTPOLITIK"Weltpolitik" ("world policy") was the name of Kaiser’s policy in 1891, which marked a decisive break with former "Realpolitik", and referred to Germany's foreign policy.The aim of Weltpolitik was to transform Germany into a global power through aggressive diplomacy, the acquisition of overseas colonies, and the development of a large navy. The origins of the policy can be traced to a Reichstag debate on 6 December 1897 during which German Foreign Secretary Bernhard von Bülow stated, in one word:

We wish to throw no one into the shade, but we demand our own place in the sun." ("Mit einem Worte: wir wollen niemand in den Schatten stellen, aber wir verlangen auch unseren Platz an der Sonne).

KAISER’S AMBITIONS Up until Wilhelm's dismissal of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, Germany had concentrated its efforts on stopping the possibility of a two-front war in Europe. Prior to Weltpolitik, there was a greater focus on using its army and subtle diplomacy to maintain its status. In particular, Bismarck had been wary of acquiring overseas colonies and wished to reserve the role of Germany as honest broker in continental affairs. Under Weltpolitik, despite a two front war still being at the forefront of Germany's concerns as proven through the Schlieffen Plan, Kaiser Wilhelm II was far more ambitious.

REVISION FOREIGN POLICYUnder William II, Germany attempted to maintain itself from destruction at the hands of many of the other European nations who desired it to be destroyed. William II maintained Bismarck’s goal stating, "Germany just wants its place in the sun". William II did not follow Bismarck’s ideas on how to do this, and subsequently failed. Germany was terrified of everyone joining together to defeat them; as a result, they often tried to break friendships and alliances using incidents like the Morocco Crisis. This did not work though. Instead, Germany made more foes who became more and more allied. This caused William II to look for a new solution as to how Germany could remain one powerful country.

REVISION FOREIGN POLICY 2William II decided to make Germany into the world’s greatest power. After reading the popular novel, Influence of Sea Power in History by Alfred Thayer Mahan, William II decided Germany needed to build a navy as large as the one controlled by his family in England. Germany declared their reasons for this new navy as being needed for: protection of their colonies, securing foreign trade, and the "general purpose of their greatness". In actuality the colonies were to be used to allow this huge navy to be refuelled around the world. This navy was viewed as a threat to the other countries of the world, especially England. With a powerful Germany on both land and sea, who would be strong enough to oppose them? This fear added to the hatred for the aggressive threat of Germany.

REVISION FOREIGN POLICY 3William II before World War I kept the same goals regarding foreign policy as those of Otto Van Bismarck, but used incorrect procedures to achieve them. William II tried to break up the Nightmare Coalition, but instead made himself look like an aggressive and unpredictable leader, this in turn strengthened the bond between England and France, while adding Russia to this friendship in the Triple Entente.To make the situation even worse Germany decided to intrude on the French colony of Morocco not once, but twice! This further showed the German’s brash and threatening behaviour. William II made the issue even worse when he decided to make Germany an even stronger power than it was.

REVISION FOREIGN POLICY 4According to Mahan’s book, Influence of Sea Power in History, the way to do this is through a large navy. William II agreed with this idea and with his power decided to make it happen. This building of a massive navy made all the countries in Europe fearful and unset about the thought of a powerful Germany with the best army and a navy strong enough to instill fear in England. Thus, the foreign policy under William II was aggressive and centered around making Germany become the supreme superpower at the time.