Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bethmann Hollweg in 1914 | |
| Chancellor of the German Empire | |
| In office 14 July 1909 – 13 July 1917 | |
| Monarch | Wilhelm II |
| Deputy | Clemens von Delbrück Karl Helfferich |
| Preceded by | Bernhard von Bülow |
| Succeeded by | Georg Michaelis |
| Vice-Chancellor of Germany | |
| In office 24 June 1907 – 10 July 1909 | |
| Chancellor | Bernhard von Bülow |
| Preceded by | Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner |
| Succeeded by | Clemens von Delbrück |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Theobald Theodor Friedrich Alfred von Bethmann Hollweg 29 November 1856 Hohenfinow, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Died | 1 January 1921 (aged 64) Hohenfinow, Free State of Prussia, Weimar Republic |
| Political party | Independent |
| Signature |  |
Theobald Theodor Friedrich Alfred von Bethmann Hollweg (29 November 1856 – 1 January 1921) was a German politician who was chancellor of the German Empire from 1909 to 1917. He oversaw the German entry into World War I and played a key role during its first three years. He was replaced as chancellor in July 1917 due in large part to opposition to his policies by leaders in the military.
Between 1884 and 1899 Bethmann Hollweg rose rapidly through positions in the Prussian government and served briefly as a member of the Reichstag in 1890. The experience left him unsympathetic to the party system and an independent for the remainder of his political life. Emperor Wilhelm II appointed him chancellor in 1909, in part because he approved of his conciliatory political style. His eight years as chancellor showed him to be cautiously supportive of some liberalization but also a firm believer that a parliamentary monarchy was the best form of government for Germany.
During World War I, Bethmann Hollweg thought that Germany was so threatened that it needed to take all necessary measures to survive. He assured Austria-Hungary of Germany's full backing and supported its aggressive demands against Serbia. He held back on German mobilization until after Russia's so that Germany would not appear to be the aggressor. Although he supported the invasion of Belgium as necessary given Germany's threatened position, he saw it from the first as an injustice that would need to be righted. He fought against the implementation of unrestricted submarine warfare but in the end bowed to pressure from the military and the conservatives in the Reichstag and approved its use. As the war progressed, many who had supported him in parliament felt that he had been in his position too long to be able to negotiate an acceptable peace. When both Quartermaster General Erich Ludendorff and Chief of the General Staff Paul von Hindenburg threatened to resign if he was not replaced as chancellor, Bethmann Hollweg submitted his resignation to the Emperor.
In his Reflections on the World War that remained unfinished when he died in 1921, Bethmann Hollweg stressed Germany's difficult geographical position, admitted that the government and the Emperor had made mistakes leading up to the war and that Germany bore some of the guilt for it but that only a "common guilt" could have led to such a great catastrophe.