Competing for the Kaiser's ear. The struggle for control over Germany's British policy, 1898 – 1909

Hemmersdorfer, Michael F. (2022) Competing for the Kaiser's ear. The struggle for control over Germany's British policy, 1898 – 1909. MPhil thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

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Abstract

The dissertation attempts to provide a structured account of the factional competition among German diplomats between 1898 and 1909. It will analyse how these rivalries impacted on Anglo-German relations during the period. The hypothesis of this work proposes that the centre of gravity in German foreign policy making shifted between 1898 and 1909 from the civilian opponents of the Emperor’s interference in foreign affairs to the supporters of ‘personal rule’, and that this shift then allowed the navy to become the most influential agency in foreign policy making. While the faction which resisted the Kaiser’s meddling was strong when Bernhard von Bülow entered government in October 1897, its influence declined as the Foreign Secretary, who became Chancellor in 1900, consolidated his power and acted as the foremost champion of the Emperor’s ‘personal rule’ in foreign affairs. By tying his political career to being the executive tool of the Kaiser’s will, Bülow eventually paved the way for the navy to become the dominant factor of influence in Anglo-German relations. The civilian policy makers had thus lost their ability to determine the course of Germany’s foreign affairs without constant consideration for the military branch most favoured by the emperor. Effectiveness of Germany’s British policy was also conditioned by the strategic reassessment that British foreign policy underwent during the period under consideration

Item Type:	Thesis (MPhil)
Additional Information:	© 2022 Michael F. Hemmersdorfer
Library of Congress subject classification:	D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D204 Modern History D History General and Old World > DD Germany J Political Science > JZ International relations
Sets:	Departments > International History
Supervisor:	Stevenson, David
URI:	http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/4527

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