11: Bismarck and Wilhelm II and the German Empire

Which of the following describe the policy of Bismarck towards the German Empire and which describe the policy of Wilhelm II?

Use the table on Page 3 to sort out the differences between the two.

  1. After 1871he had no desire to expand the German Empire.
  1. This suggested that Germany was going to expand in an easterly direction. This was followed up by a scheme for a Berlin Baghdad railway.
  1. In 1896 he began to use the term ‘Weltpolitik’, meaning world policy.
  1. Most of his efforts were aimed at preserving alliances in Europe, but he also wanted to avoid angering Britain, which showed comparatively interest in affairs on the continent.
  1. His policy towards Britain was aimed at avoiding conflict in the areas that British governments were most touchy about, the Empire and the Royal Navy.
  1. This led to a number of new German colonies, Togoland and the Cameroons in East Africa and German South West Africa, which is now Namibia.
  1. The British government had adopted the ‘Two Power Standard’ as far as its navy was concerned. This meant that the Royal Navy had to be at least as powerful as the next two strongest navies combined.
  1. He refused to renew the Reinsurance Treaty and this decision helped to bring about the Dual Entente which was signed in 1894.
  1. In January 1896 he sent a telegram to President Kruger congratulating him on defeating the Jameson Raid. This did not go down well in Britain. The British government felt that the Kaiser was interfering in affairs that had nothing to do with him.
  1. He wanted to expand the German Empire in Africa.
  1. He saw no reason to challenge Britain by building a navy. As far as he was concerned, Germany was a continental power and had no need of a large navy.
  1. His policy was based on a long-term aim to form an alliance with Britain. Negotiations between Britain and Germany took place on a number of occasions, but came to nothing.
  1. By the late nineteenth century the British Empire covered 25 per cent of the world’s surface. He saw no point in trying to challenge that position.
  1. When it suited his purpose he was quite prepared to use colonial disputes for his own ends. In 1884 he tried to keep France friendly to Germany by supporting the French in Africa.
  1. He wanted to play a more important role in foreign affairs and challenge France and Britain.
  1. The four German colonies in Africa all had borders with British colonies. This was a constant source of irritation and suspicion.
  1. In 1885 he called an international conference in Berlin to discuss the situation in the Congo.
  1. For Germany, the most important aspect of the conference was that it encouraged European powers to occupy almost all of Africa.
  1. In the late 1880s Germany took parts of East Africa, in what is now Tanzania, but only a handful of Germans went to live in the colonies.
  1. He wanted to increase Germany's prestige both in Europe and abroad and this ran the risk of making enemies.
  1. His remaining twenty years as chancellor were dedicated to avoiding conflict with the other great powers so that he could ensure Germany’s safety and France’s isolation.
  1. He wanted to expand the German navy.
  1. He wanted to concentrate on the army in order not create tension with Britain.
  1. He wanted to keep as many foreign countries on the side of Germany as possible
  1. He produced a series of slogans, which suggested that Germany was about to play a much more aggressive role in international affairs.
  1. He began to talk of the Drang nach Osten, the drive towards the East.
  1. It was against this background of growing suspicion that the his actions were interpreted in Britain.
  1. He demanded a ‘Place in the Sun’ for Germany, which suggested that he wanted to expand the German Empire in Africa and other parts of the world.
  1. Germany also occupied a number of island groups in the South Pacific.
  1. The British suspected that Germany was up to something and did not know what.

Bismarck / Kaiser Wilhelm II