Why Did Bulow Resign in 1909?

1482 Words6 Pages
Why did Bulow resign in 1909 Bernhard von Bülow was born in Germany in 1849 and was appointed Secretary of State in 1897 after holding several diplomatic posts. Three years later, on16th October 1900, he was promoted to the position of Chancellor by Kaiser Wilhelm II, replacing Caprivi who had held the post since 1890 and who in turn had replaced Bismarck. To answer why Bulow resigned, it is first necessary to look at events leading up to “The Daily Telegraph Affair” in 1908 and the rejection of his budget proposals within the Reichstag in 1909 but also, crucially to consider the personalities of the two men. Bülow had survived as Chancellor since 1900 by flattering the Kaiser and by generating popular support through the nationalistic policy of Weltpolitik. During his reign Bismarck had practiced a very restrained continental policy and not heeded calls to acquire colonies for the German Empire. In 1896 however the Kaiser proclaimed that “nothing must henceforth be settled in the world without the intervention of Germany and the German Emperor” which signalled the beginning of the German Weltpolitik, or ‘world politics’ and which was formed to acquire colonies and achieve greater dominance for Germany. The unification between the old and emerging elites was to be achieved through a policy of protectionism and through the rallying of Germans through the following of a nationalist foreign policy. In reality however opportunities for colonial expansion under Bulow were actually very limited. Most territory had been seized by other European powers. Approval for German-Built Constantinople-to-Konia railways through to Baghdad kept imperialist dreams alive to an extent. Internationally, this caused Germany to be seen as meddling in the interests of other colonial powers such as Britain and France, creating tension, added to which was the Kaiser’s appointment
Open Document