HIST 2509 A History of Germany

Lecture 12-2

Weltpolitik

Today’s Main Themes

 Post-Bismarckian Germany.

 His mixed legacy.

 From

Realpolitik

(which worked) to

Weltpolitik

(much more unstable).

I. The End of the Bismarck Era

Death of Wilhelm I March 9, 1888

The Three Kaisers from left to right Frederick Wilhelm (crowned Frederick III) Wilhelm I (seated) Wilhelm II (in red)

I. The End of the Bismarck Era

a.

Succession

-the year of the three emperors 1888

b.

Dismissal of Bismarck 1890 “the dropping of the pilot” From Punch March 1890 Artist: John Tenniel

Daniel Bishop.

Dropping the Pilot 1945

Another Pilot?

c.

Wilhelm II the young whipper-snapper

“the bride at every wedding, the stag at every hunt, the corpse at every funeral” “the most brilliant failure in history”

The Kaiser’s Family in Sanssouci Park

Friedrich Georg Pape1891

Nice hat!

Photo from 1900 in full dress uniform.

I. The End of the Bismarck Era

d.

a mixed legacy

-from the “German dictator whose power is at its height (1882) -to embittered memoirist in 1890s -”made Germany great but Germans small”

Bismarck’s Domestic Policies

 Constitution of the Second Reich  The

Kulturkampf

and the May Laws 1872-79  Anti-Socialist Laws 1878-1890  Social Welfare Reforms 1883 onward

Bismarck’s Foreign Policy

 Goal: balance of power: isolate France at all costs!

 1873 Three Emperor’s League  1875 the War in Sight Crisis  1878 Congress of Berlin  1879 Dual Alliance (later Triple Alliance w/ Italy)  1881 Renewal of Three Emperor’s League  1887 Reinsurance Treaty

The Balance Sheet

 Your thoughts? Domestic? Foreign?

The Apotheosis of Bismarck

(1890) by Ludwig Rudow -the anti-Kaiser cult of Bismarck

II. Post Bismarckian Germany

a.

political and social division

-Erfurt Program 1891, evolutionary socialism -Tivoli Program 1892, anti-semitism

b.

a “ new course ” ?

-Chancellor Caprivi 1890-94: liberal reforms -Chancellor Hohenlohe 1894-1900: rye and iron again -

Sammlungspolitik:

coalitions

II. Post Bismarckian Germany

d.

lobby groups, interest groups, associations

-the Agrarian League -the Naval League, Admiral Tirpitz -the Pan German League: Heinrich Class “ Wenn ich der Kaiser W ä r ” - “ If I were Kaiser ” 1912

III. From Realpolitik to Weltpolitik

a.

“Balance of power” to chauvenism

-the Reinsurrance Treaty debacle -from defensive to offensive treaties -war increasingly accepted

b.

Imperialism and Social Darwinism

The Influence of Sea Power on History

1890 by Alfred Thayer Mahan

III. Realpolitik to Weltpolitik

c.

The search for colonies

-”a place in the sun”

III. Realpolitik to Weltpolitik

c.

The search for colonies

1879 Friedrich Fabri, German might -1884-5 The Berlin Conference -1895 Max Weber lecture: fears of decline

German Colonies

-some of Marshall Islands -Kiachow off China coast -the Cameroons -Togoland -German SW Africa (now Namibia) -German East Africa (now Tanzania)

III. Realpolitik to Weltpolitik

d.

navalism and Weltpolitik

-Bernhard von Bülow; anti-foreigner sentiment -Admiral Tirpitz