Chancellor Hohenlohe 1894-1900

Chancellor Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe- Schillingsfirst:

• He was the most NOTABLE member of a princely family successively to the service of Bavaria, Prussia & imperial Germany.
• In 1874, he was an ambassador from Germany in Paris.
• Between 1885 and 1894, he was ambassador for Statthalter of Alsace-Lorraine.
• He succeeded Caprivi as Chancellor of the Reich, in 1894.
• He was little more than a puppet for the Kaiser.
• He increased the military potential & supported the colonial expansion of its country.

Chancellor Hohenlohe concentrated on supporting:

• The middle class, against rhe Socialists.
• The Kaiser described socialists as 'treasonable rabble' & 'fellows without a fatherland.'
• Support against the socialists was never popular in the Reichstag, as they rejected the 1894 Sibversion Bill.
• The SPD were only antagonised when they were just being reconciled to the Reich by timely concessions.
• It was believed that the Socialists only served to widen the gulf between the monarchy & the people.

Wilhelm embarked upon a 'world policy' known as Weltpolitik:

• To divert attention away from the problems at home, and to appeal to his own vanity.
• He wanted to annex colonoes all over the world, to be able to:
  • Create new economic spheres of influence.
  • Achieve world power status.
• This policy was backed by industries, such as Krupps, Woermann & Stumm.
• This policy also helped to spread nationalism throughout Germany.

Hohenlohe's achievements includes:

• The laws that were passed in 1898, 1900 and 1906.
• He transformed the German fleet from coastal fleet to a military machine.
• An expansive colonial policy in German held areas of Africa and the Pacific.
• He helped to maintain this 'Place in the Sun' and protect the colonies from Britain.

The negative points to Weltpolitik includes:

• Weltpolitik was undertaken clumsily.
• It only served to upset Britain and France.
• The army was upset because the Navy suddenly was considered to be more important.

Hohenlohe made an impact on German politics because:

• He helped to make the German navy, one of the best in the world.

However, Hohenlohe did not make an impact on German politics because:

• He lacked the personality to become a strong German chancellor.
• This was because he could not make important decisions.
• This led to a weak govt.
• He was too dependent on the Kaiser, afraid to go against his wishes.