Bernhard Heinrich Karl Martin von Bülow, created Prince (Fürst) von Bülow in 1905, was a German statesman who served as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for three years and then as Chancellor of the German Empire from 1900 to 1909.
Background
He was born at Klein-Flottbeck, Holstein (now part of Altona, Hamburg). His father, Bernhard Ernst von Bülow, was a Danish and German statesman. His brother, Major-General Karl Ulrich von Bülow, was a cavalry commander during World War I who took part in the attack on Liège in August 1914. Bülow attributed his grasp of English and French to having learnt it from governesses as a young child. His father spoke French, and his mother spoke English, as was common in Hamburg society.
Career
Bülow spent his formative years in the Prussian court before joining the diplomatic service in 1874. 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. They found Bülow to be a charming and plausible man as would befit a man who had spent years in the diplomatic service. But he could also be aggressive when it came to negotiations, especially if those negotiations revolved around what was best for Germany.
His primary desire was to keep Germany free from alliances. 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. In one sense this was prophetic as when the troubles between Austro-Hungary and Serbia started Germany’s influence was minimal. 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. This is why Bülow wanted to remain free of binding alliances.
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 belief was further boosted when he turned down a projected alliance with Great Britain and lambasted Joseph Chamberlain in the Reichstag.
Bülow was also loyal to Wilhelm II, agreeing with the Kaiser on most issues – though the only time they clashed led to Bülow’s resignation.
Bülow achieved what was seen as his first success in 1898 when Germany annexed Kiaochow in the Far East. He was in office at a time when nationalism was enthusiastically embraced by many in Germany and especially in the Reichstag. Wilhelm II also wanted his country to epitomise greatness and Bülow was expected to push this with regards to foreign policy.
The only time Bülow fell out with the Kaiser came in 1908 when Wilhelm II gave an interview to the ‘Daily Telegraph’. 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. Bülow expressed his opinion accordingly. This soured the relationship to such an extent that Bülow resigned in 1909 – some believe that he resigned before facing the humiliation of dismissal.
Bülow died in retirement in 1929.
Achievements
Personality
Bülow spoke several languages and was a charming conversationalist. He was comfortably at home in high society and could entertain and impress even his opponents. He was thought by some colleagues to be untrustworthy: Kiderlen referred to him as "the Eel", as did Tirpitz. Once he obtained power and position in the German government, he had no overarching ideas of what to do with them, allowing others to guide policy. His character made him a good choice to work with Wilhelm II, who required agreement and flattery from his senior ministers, even if sometimes they then ignored his instructions. He wrote four volumes of autobiography, to be published after his death, [39] which markedly altered public perception of his character, as they included his candid and malicious descriptions of others. He was a fine debater in the Reichstag but was generally lazy in carrying out his duties. He was described by Friedrich von Holstein, who was for 30 years the first councillor in the foreign department and a major influence on policy throughout that time, as having "read more Machiavelli than he could digest". His mother-in-law claimed, "Bernhard makes a secret out of everything".
Connections
On 9 January 1886, still at St. Petersburg, he married Maria Anna Zoe Rosalia Beccadelli di Bologna, Principessa di Camporeale, Marchesa di Altavilla, whose first marriage with Count Karl von Dönhoff had been annulled by the Holy See in 1884. The princess, an accomplished pianist and pupil of Franz Liszt, was a stepdaughter of Marco Minghetti and the daughter of Donna Laura Minghetti (née Acton). She had been married for sixteen years and had three children. Bülow previously had numerous love affairs, but the marriage was intended to further his career.