CAMBRIDGE AS HISTORY: KAISER WILHELM'S FOREIGN POLICY.

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

2. 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.

3. POLITICS
Kaiser’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.

4. CHANCELLORS
For 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.

5. TELEGRAM TO KRUGER
British 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.

6. INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
When 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.

7. 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).

8. 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.

9. REVISION FOREIGN POLICY
Under 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.

10. REVISION FOREIGN POLICY 2
William 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.

11. REVISION FOREIGN POLICY 3
William 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.

12. REVISION FOREIGN POLICY 4
According 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.