Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg

Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg , born the November 29th 1856 and dead the January 2nd 1921, was a German politician . He was imperial Chancelier of 1909 with 1917, succeeding Bernhard von Bülow.

After studies of right, it entered to the service of the State and at thirty years was already police chief of district of his native land, the circle of Oberbarnim. July 1st, 1899 he became prefect with Bromberg (today Bydgoszcz), and as of October 1899 chair higher Province of Brandebourg. From 1905 to 1907, it occupied the post of minister of the Interior of the kingdom of Prussia, and of 1909 to 1917 he was imperial chancellor like minister-president Foreign Minister of Prussia. He directed the government during the first years of the First World War, but under the pressure of the army, in particular of the generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff, he was dislocated by the emperor Guillaume II on July 13rd, 1917.

During its stay with the chancellery and before the First World War, Bethmann Hollweg got busy in foreign policy to seek an agreement with the the United Kingdom. Until 1912, he endeavoured to manage an agreement of neutrality by a maritime convention. While continuing the way of Baghdad and the colonial empire, it sought to gain the confidence of the United Kingdom to dissolve the system of block in Europe. Until the declaration of war, it obtained certainly some successes but anything final.

its fear in front of the increasing power of the Russia. He believed that it would dominate Europe as from 1917 and that it would not be more possible in Germany to carry out a world politics . This is why, it tried in the crisis of July to obtain a diplomatic success for the Austria-Hungary so that the central powers could continue opposite Russia whose hegemony grew.

Quarrelsome fatalism

During walk with the First World War, it showed a certain “quarrelsome fatalism”, according to Thomas Lindemann. The theories of the social Darwinisme made him think that the confrontations between the people were inevitable and wars necessary: The old law according to which the weak one will be a prey of strongest is always valid . He saw in the Russia, who grows unceasingly , a frightening adversary in the future and thought that it was to face quickly best rather than to await its rise to power.

The interpretation of the ideas of Bethmann-Hollweg, its entourage and the German public opinion during the month of July 1914 is in the middle of the thesis of Fritz Fischer on the causes of the First World War.

July 30th, 1914, it noted: Control is lost and the stone started to roll.

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