Friedrich von Holstein

Karl Friedrich August Ferdinand Julius von Holstein ( born April 24, 1837 in Schwedt, † May 8, 1909 in Berlin, called Fritz von Holstein ) was a German diplomat. Since he never came into existence, but 1890-1906 had an important impact on German foreign policy, the journalist Maximilian Harden referred to him as the gray eminence.

Biography

Friedrich von Holstein came from the Mecklenburg Uradelsgeschlecht of Holstein. His father, August von Holstein (* 1800, † 1863), was a Prussian officer. His mother, a born of Brünnow was at his birth already 45 years old. Holstein initially grew on the estate Trebenow on in Pomerania. Later the family moved to Berlin, where he attended the Köllnische high school, where he in 1853 the Abitur. From 1853 to 1856 he studied law at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. Thanks to numerous trips to Europe he spoke excellent French and Italian.

After he had collected at the former Municipal Court Berlin as Auskultator and court clerk work experience, he turned to in December 1860, the diplomatic career and was attaché at the German Embassy in St. Petersburg under Otto von Bismarck and Kurd of Schlozer. On entering the diplomatic service Bismarck had helped him that his father has long been known. From 1863 to 1867 Holstein worked successively as secretary of legation to the Prussian offices in Rio de Janeiro, London, Washington, Stuttgart, Florence, and from 1867 in Copenhagen.

In 1870 he was engaged in the political department of the Foreign Office and in 1871 appointed to Versailles. Here Holstein was responsible for the translation of the surrender documents. In November 1871 he was in Paris, Second Secretary, promoted in May 1872 Legationsrat.

Caused a stir Holstein in the affair of the ambassador in Paris, Count Harry von Arnim. The ambitious diplomat von Arnim Bismarck was a thorn in the eye. On the one hand Arnim Bismarck wanted to inherit the chancellorship. On the other hand, supported the ambassador in Paris, the French monarchists. To overthrow Arnim, Holstein supplied the Registrar with incriminating evidence. The machinations of Holstein, however, were publicized and the Berlin aristocratic circles who were behind Arnim, it resented the diplomat.

In April 1876 he returned to the overthrow of Count Arnim in the Political Department of the Foreign Office, 1878 Real Legationsrat, 1880 Privy Councillor of Legation, 1883 Deputy Under Secretary, and on March 31, 1891 finally Privy Legation Councillor with the title " Excellency ". At the Foreign Ministry Holstein became a key position by the close relationship to Bismarck and his son Herbert. Especially about Herbert tried to convey his ideas of the diplomat. His position built Holstein also by influencing the personnel issues. For example, he put his friend Count Hatzfeld by as Secretary of State in the Foreign Office.

In the 1880s Holstein increasingly distanced from Bismarck and Herbert von Bismarck. The diplomat criticized the pro-Russian foreign policy of the chancellor and advocated the expansion of the Triple Alliance to form a solid military alliance, which should be followed by the UK. Even the reinsurance contract was the diplomat hostile to, as the contract of the Mediterranean Entente disagreed. Holstein saw in Russia the greatest threat to the German Reich and advocated a preemptive strike against the Tsarist Empire.

With the departure of Bismarck and also Herberts from the diplomatic service ( March 1890 ) Holstein was an influential foreign policy of the German Empire. His administrative ability and his experience spoke for the diplomats. Thanks to his good relations with Eulenburg, the friend of Caesar, and with Bülow, the diplomat was ( indirectly ) influence the decisions of Wilhelm II.

In the next few years Holstein Bismarck dismantled alliance policy. Wanted In the spring of 1890 he opposed the continuation of the reinsurance treaty with Russia, the Caprivi and Wilhelm II originally extended. Holstein saw in the UK the ideal ally for the German Reich. For years he worked towards an alliance with the island kingdom. But without success. Britain balked against the German approaches. The German overseas expansion did not greet Holstein, but also put a veto against the imperialistic course of Wilhelm II.

With the completion of the entente cordiale between France and England in 1904 Holstein stood in front of the ruins of his foreign policy. Since England had approached the German hereditary enemy, it would be even more difficult to draw London to the German side. In addition, the naval question impacted the Anglo-German relations.

Holstein was planning to interfere in subsequent years, the agreement between France and Great Britain. A chance for it offered the First Moroccan Crisis and the Congress of Algeciras 1906 Holstein assessment - and also of Chancellor von Bülow. Britain would not support French colonial plans in Morocco. But the two high-ranking politicians miscalculated itself. London was the French at Algeciras. The Anglo - French Entente held. Holstein drew the consequences: On April 14, he submitted his resignation in the vain hope that the Chancellor and Kaiser did not comply.

Friedrich von Holstein died in 1909, three years after retiring from the Foreign Office. His body was buried at the cemetery in Berlin disability. His leveled by the GDR grave site has now been restituted and provided with a grave stone.

Contemporary review

His superior knowledge of the file, his phenomenal memory and his experience in personnel matters made ​​him for four Chancellor - Bismarck, Caprivi, Hohenlohe and Bülow - indispensable, but he was not liked much. Bismarck called him "the man with the hyenas eyes." In his memoirs, Wilhelm II, later reported that personality Holsteins had him was " scary ". In addition, Wilhelm II complained that Bismarck had built up in the Foreign Office, with the exception of his son Herbert no diplomatic offspring. Bismarck had weighed upon the Foreign Office as a stone in the garden: you roll it to the side, then would only " creeping things " to light. Holstein element was the intrigue, a tendency on the part also based his power base. The lack of sympathy on the part of his official interlocutors could hardly miss him. He apparently took revenge on his way, by carefully conducted in a register on official misconduct and private misconduct of his colleagues and superiors book, including an account of Wilhelm II

Personal

The reason for turning away from Holstein and opposition to Bismarck in the 1880s is believed that Bismarck incriminating evidence about an affair Holsteins during his time at the Prussian Legation in Washington, DC (1866/1867) have owned, however, that he could not maintain permanently the so pressure exerted by the gradual weakening of its position. The matter at issue here, referring to Alice Mason Hooper, who had married in 1866 the U.S. Senator and renowned foreign policy expert Charles Sumner, but separated after a year of her husband because she suspected this, from the dismissal Holstein Washington to be responsible.

The attacks Maximilian Harden against the Liebenberger circle around the Prince Philipp zu Eulenburg based on information may Holstein (→ Harden - Eulenburg affair). Later Harden publicly denounced Fritz von Holstein as the most responsible for the failures of German foreign policy after Bismarck's dismissal.

Holstein address was for decades Berlin SW 47, Großbeerenstraße 40 From the sparsely furnished apartment, a few meters from the foot of Kreuzberg waterfall located in Victoria Park, he influenced by the deposition of Bismarck as a gray eminence, the foreign policy of the Empire.

After a well- incorrect legend Schnitzel Holstein said to be named after him.

Discount

Holstein remained until the end of his bachelor. As Leo von Caprivi, he was a close friend of salonière Helene Lebbin that a political salon entertained in Berlin's Wilhelmstrasse frequented by mainly politicians and diplomats of the Foreign Office. To her he inherited his written main estate which she held under lock and passed shortly before her death to his friend banker Paul von Schwabach. Because of the explosive contents Schwabach used initially, the protection claim that he had burned the papers before the Revolution.

This discount was published half a century later under the book title The secret papers of Frederick Holstein (Göttingen 1956-1963 ).

Writings

• Friedrich von Holstein: life confession in letters to a woman. Berlin 1932.
• The secret papers Friedrich von Holstein (Norman Rich and MH Fisher, eds, German edition undertaken by Werner woman service), four volumes, Göttingen from 1856 to 1963; Volume 1: Memories and political memorabilia; Volume 2: diary pages; Volume 3: correspondence Part 1 (January 30, 1861 - December 28, 1896 ); Volume 4: Exchange of letters part 2 ( January 10, 1897 - May 8, 1909).