Even though Wilhelm had checked out what to say and more especially what not to say during the interview, Bülow felt it was an unwise move as the emperor would have had no final say on how the newspaper presented what he said. The only time Bülow fell out with the Kaiser came in 1908 when Wilhelm II gave an interview to the ‘Daily Telegraph’. Wilhelm II also wanted his country to epitomise greatness and Bülow was expected to push this with regards to foreign policy. He was in office at a time when nationalism was enthusiastically embraced by many in Germany and especially in the Reichstag. This belief was further boosted when he turned down a projected alliance with Great Britain and lambasted Joseph Chamberlain in the Reichstag.īülow was also loyal to Wilhelm II, agreeing with the Kaiser on most issues – though the only time they clashed led to Bülow’s resignation.īülow achieved what was seen as his first success in 1898 when Germany annexed Kiaochow in the Far East. However, other nations viewed this distinct lack of faith in alliances (at a time when many of the other European powers were signing into them) as a sign that Bülow could not be trusted. ![]() This is why Bülow wanted to remain free of binding alliances. Austria declared war on Serbia Russia came to the assistance of Serbia fearing that France would fulfil her part in the Triple Entente Germany had to execute the Schlieffen Plan over an event she had no control over and one which actually did not directly threaten Germany. In one sense this was prophetic as when the troubles between Austro-Hungary and Serbia started Germany’s influence was minimal. He did not want the nation’s hands tied to alliances as he believed that he would have little or no control or influence over other members of that alliance. His primary desire was to keep Germany free from alliances. But he could also be aggressive when it came to negotiations, especially if those negotiations revolved around what was best for Germany. They found Bülow to be a charming and plausible man as would befit a man who had spent years in the diplomatic service. In June 1897 he was appointed state secretary at the German Foreign Ministry and it was in this position that he became well known among other European foreign ministers. ![]() (age 79) Klein-Flottbeck, Hamburg, Germanyīülow spent his formative years in the Prussian court before joining the diplomatic service in 1874.
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