HIST2128

Germany, 1871-1933: From Empire to Republic

Myth and Power of Bismarck, 1890-98

Lecture 921 February 2012

Kaiser Wilhelm I and Bismarck, 1862-88

• Often stormy, emotional, noisy joint meetings

• Strong mutual comprehension of other

• Kaiser’s willingness to let Bismarck his own way

= Bismarck’s hold on power never in question

Kaiser Friedrich III and Bismarck,1888

• Kaiser strongly influenced by his mother Augusta von Sachsen & his wife Viktoria with liberal ideas (≠ his father + Bismarck)

• Dismissal of Prussia’s conservative interior minister von Puttkamer + Bismarck’s position no longer secure

• Bismarck’s concerned about liberal and pro-British tendencies of imperial couple

= Kaiser’s rule too short (99 days) to help his liberal friends into long-lasting influential positions

Kaiser Wilhelm II

• Convinced German nationalist

• Committed to belief to rule by Divine Right

• Educated in Prussia’s military spirit

• Strongly interested in modern technologies & sciences

• Complex character + full of contradictions:☺Intelligent, talented, cultured, energetic☻ Overbearing, arrogant, erratic

Kaiser Wilhelm II and Bismarck, 1888-90

• (+) Yearlong friendship between them

• (+) K.’s admiration for B. in public

• (-) Age difference: K. 29 y. ≠ B. 73 y.

• (-) B. underestimated K.’s determination to rule + to reign

• (-) K.’s wish to dispense with B. ASAP

= Continuing conflicts …

Conflicts• Foreign policy: K.’s questioning Germany’s links with

Russia ≠ B.’s insistence on R.I.T. of 1887

• Social policy: K’s confidence of winning over working class by modest extension of welfare system (no child labour + Sunday working) ≠ B.’s favour of further repression

→ B.’s attempt to make Anti-Socialist law permanent defeated in Reichstag (Jan 1890)

→ K.’s sole announcement of new social laws

= B.’s trapped between self-confident K. + hostile Reichstag: His power crumbled

Bismarck’s resignation

• Quarrel about ministers’ right to advise monarch (Mar 1890):

→ B.’s insistence of order of 1852: ‘Minister-President as channel’

→ K.’s order to withdraw order

→ Stormy meeting + K.’s ultimatum to B. to resign

= B.’s resignation for ‘health reasons’

= Long-term estrangement between them

Bismarck’s glorification• 378 times ‘honorary citizen’ (1895)• 550 monuments• 240 towers• Bismarckhütte in Upper Silesia• Bismarck Archipelago (Papua-New Guinea)• Bismarck herrings

= Gratitude: The ‘unifier’ of 1871 = Pride & arrogance: Germany an economic + world

power = Reaction: Irrationalism & imperialism of Wilhelm II,

his weak chancellors, danger of war

Bismarck’s written heritage

• Gedanken und Erinnerungen (Reflectionsand Reminiscences) (vols. 1 & 2 in

1898, vol. 3 in 1921) (Chinese): Si kao yu hui yi / Bisimai zhu ; Shanxi da xue

wai yu xi "Si kao yu hui yi" fan yi zu yi. 思考與回憶 / 俾 斯麥著 ; 山西大學外語系《思考與回憶》翻譯組譯

• Die gesammelten Werke (Collected Works), 19 vols., 1924-35

• Werke in Auswahl (Selected Works), 8 vols., 1962-80

Bismarck biographies (1)

Lothar Gall: Bismarck: The White Revolutionary

(1980/1986)• B.: Great activist but also prisoner of changes

caused by himself• B.: Arch royalist wishing to preserve Prussia’s

conservative structures but also strong promoter of economic & social modernization

= B. finally unable to control the forces he called upon and wakened up

Bismarck biographies (2)

Ernst Engelberg: Bismarck, 2 vols. (1985/90)• Sensible approach to B’s career & politics by

a Marxist historian

Otto Pflanze: Bismarck and the Development of Germany, 3 vols. (90)

• Focused on B’s complex personality in psychoanalytical way

• Points to connection between B’s nervousness and political behavior

Bismarck Slogans

• Apotheosis (= godlike idol)

• “Iron Chancellor”

• Monument & national myth

• Germany’s greatest national hero

• Apocalypse (= disaster)

• Demon of the Germans

• “White revolutionary”

• Responsible for ‘Special Path’ of German history leading to Hitler and ending in catastrophe

Questions

= Was Bismarck all-responsible ?

= How unique were Bismarck’s methods ? → Napoleon III - Itō Hirobumi – Li Hongzhang ?

= Did Bismarck’s political heritage lead directly to war (1914) + to Hitler (1933)? → ‘Special path’ of German history

≠ ‘Normal path’ of Western European history ?

Accusations against Bismarck (1)

• His appointment to Prussian minister-president in 1862 ‘a disastrous step’ for German history

• ‘Blood and iron’: Strengthening of militaristic character of Germany

• ‘Revolution from above’: Strengthening of authoritarian character of Germany

Accusations against Bismarck (2)

• Cutting-off democratic-liberal traditions

• Conserving old-fashioned power distribution with superior status of old elites: Officers, diplomats, nobles

• Promoting authoritarian government + charismatic leadership

• Keeping political parties away from power

• Preparing path into World War I with annexing Alsace-Lorraine = permanent hostility with France

Bismarck in German public memory

• Overshadowed by disastrous Hitler & Nazi past• Memory of him as ‘Germany’s unifier’ most

widespread (as in street names & statutes)• Foreign policy achievement (= ‘the genius

strategist’) in foreground, domestic policy almost forgotten

= Still important figure for public history perception

= More in public memory than Prussia’s King Friedrich II (‘the Great’) but not as much as Hitler

Historiography: Trends

• Before 1945: Bismarck as hero or as demon

• After 1945: Bismarck responsible for all ill developments in German history in 20th century

• Present: Much more balanced views on Bismarck - generally more positive

than negative