HIST2128

Germany, 1871-1933: From Empire to Republic

‘Weltpolitik’

and the spectre of encirclement

Lecture 11

28 February 2012

Foreign Politics, ca. 1900-1914

• Weltpolitik (world policy) :

To secure new colonial territories + spheres of influence worldwide → Attempt to create formal & informal empires

• Flottenpolitik (naval policy) :

To extensively enlarge German navy → Attempt to create 2nd largest battle fleet to rival GB

Mass support organisations

Pan-German League (Alldeutscher Verband)→ Promotes aggressive nationalism to include

‘membra disiecta’ + Germans abroad + colonies

• German Naval League (Deutscher Flottenverein)

→ Promotes aggressive naval armament to rival GB’s sea-power + force GB to ally with G

Kiaochow, 1898-1914 (1)• Leasehold from China (Apr 1898)

• Naval port to supply German fleet

• ‘Model colony’ to demonstrate G’s industrial achievement

• Governed by Tirpitz’ Naval Office to demonstrate navy’s abilities & skills

• Set up as ‘German Hong Kong’ to rival GB

• Strong impact on hinterland (Shandong province): Coalmines, railway

Kiaochow, 1898-1914 (2)

• Huge financial burden for German government

• Developed into important trade hub & major port in NE China for Chinese products

• Strong presence of firms from G, CH, J

• Attempts to emphasise cultural tasks, e.g. German-Chinese College (Deutsch-Chinesische Hochschule)

The German Colonies, 1913-14

Area in 1,000 square kilometres

Population in 1,000:

Natives

Population in 1,000:

Whites

In Africa:

Togo

88 1,031 0,4

Cameroon 504 3,326 1,8

German South-West Africa

830 80 15

German East Africa 1,020 7,645 5

In Asia and Pacific:

Palau, Caroline / Marianne / Marshall Islands, Samoa

13,2 15 0,5

German New Guinea and Bismarck Archipelago

230 719 0,9

Kiautschow (Qingdao)

0,56 192 4,4

Franco-Russian Dual Alliance, 1894

Consequence of: Non-renewal of Re-Insurance Treaty (1887)

between G + R

► Development of R’s industry & rail system with help of French capital

► Start of R’s Far Eastern politics

= ‘Encirclement’ (Einkreisung) or ‘Self-Exclusion’ (Auskreisung) of Germanywith only A + Ottoman Empire left as major allies

‘Policy of Free Hand’

Attempt to maintain ‘free hand’ as between R + GB:

• Reflected division between pro-GB & pro-R groups• Miscalculated & exaggerated degree of alienation

between GB + R and between GB + F• Swung backwards & forwards between R + GB• Alternated between endearments and threats• Antagonised both R + GB

Daily Telegraph Affaire (1)

• Private conversations of Kaiser & Colonel Wortley summed up in one single text

• Sent by Daily Telegraph to Chancellor Bülow who later claimed not to have read it

• Text signed by minor official + sent to London for publication

• Published in Daily Telegraph (28 Oct 1908)

Daily Telegraph Affaire (2)

Irritating statements of Kaiser: He …

• Claimed to belong to small group of GB friends in G → fresh GB fears about G’s rearmament

• Presented himself as independent actor in G’s foreign politics

→ slap in face of German diplomacy

• Called himself inventor of GB’s battle plan for Boer Wars → strong overestimation

• Claimed that Tirpitz Plan was not directed vs. GB but vs. Far East → provocation of Japan

Daily Telegraph Affaire (3)

• Showed Kaiser’s arrogance & tactlessness

• Provoked storm of anger in G. and abroad

• Made Chancellor Bülow to distance himself from Kaiser & to remain silent on own responsibility

• Led to irreparable break between Kaiser and Bülow → Important factor for his dismissal (Jun 1909)

• Demonstrated deficiencies of imperial constitution

Collapse of Bismarck’s alliance system

• Franco-Russian Dual Alliance, 1894

• Britain abandons ‘splendid isolation’, 1898

→ British-Japanese Alliance, 1902

→‘ Entente Cordiale’ France-Britain, 1904

= Germany ‘encircled by enemies’: Threat by Two-Front-War extremely strong

Tirpitz Plan (1)

• Naval construction program inspired by Admiral Tirpitz, state secretary of Naval Ministry (1897)

• Favoured by Kaiser Wilhelm II, heavy industrialists, nationalists, middle class

• Potential instrument for rallying popular support behind monarchy: Navy as ‘palliative’ vs. SPD

• ‘German Naval League’ (Deutscher Flottenverein) as mass organisation & popular pressure group

Tirpitz Plan (2)• Naval enthusiasm as general contemporary

obsession with sea-power (US admiral Mahan: ‘Mahanism’)

• Conviction that G needs own fleet to rival GB, R, USA

• Strategic thrust of battle fleet directed vs. GB

• Strived to force GB to accept G as equal world power + to come to some kind of agreement or alliance with G

• Regarded as tool of ‘policy of free hand’

Tirpitz Plan (3)

= Built on miscalculations on GB’s attitudes & naval strengths

= Caused growing suspicion in GB

= Inspired unwinnable naval race with GB

= Totally damaged relations with GB and made any agreement/alliance impossible

► Return to Continental strategy shortly before 1914 as retreat from failed Tirpitz Plan

Conclusion (1)

• Weltpolitik: Failure → political drawbacks and diplomatic

isolation

• Flottenpolitik: Failure → unwinnable naval race + permanent

estrangement with Britain

= Feeling of ‘encirclement’ but self-exclusion

Conclusion (2)• Overestimation of G’s power position following

Bismarck’s dismissal → Isolation + rising tensions in Europe

• Impulsive diplomatic actions of Wilhelm II ruined German diplomacy

• Severe deficiencies of semi-authoritarian political system + series of weak chancellors

= Comprehension of total stalemate in G’s foreign AND domestic policies on side of German civilian + military leadership (1912-14)