I am Tang Di, a history enthusiast. Welcome everyone [Follow] me to talk about the past and the present together, and to discuss the general trend of the world. A gentleman is just learning and making friends for the rest of his life!
1890 After Prime Minister Bismarck resigned, the German government began to pay attention to Bishop Anzhitai's activities in China. An Zhitai was not only praised by the German Emperor as the "First Messenger of Christianity", but was also considered a genius who could deal with the Chinese government.
More importantly, Anzhitai's parish is located in Shandong. As early as the 1870s when Germany was reunified, the German government began to be interested in seeking a naval base, or at least a naval coal-fill station in Shandong.
But at that time, the head of Bismarck had no interest in overseas expansion. He was committed to establishing a diplomatic system in Europe where Germany could dominate, so he put the Shandong issue on hold and did not want to have unnecessary conflicts with other great powers on overseas colonization. Moreover, Germany's economic power in China was too small at that time, and it would be more than worth the effort to engage in colonial activities. But the German government, especially the Admiralty, has never completely given up on this idea.
1. Why should Germany's "global policy" be placed in China?
The famous missionary and geologist Fernande Richthofen (1833-1905).
This person went to China seven times and wrote the masterpiece "Chinese Geology".
Li Xixhofen himself suggested to the German government in 1873 that he would seek a naval coal-adding station in Zhoushan Islands in East China as a springboard for infiltration into China, but this suggestion was not valued by the government.
After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the competition for the great powers in China became increasingly fierce, and the issue of coal-gathering stations was re-mentioned on the agenda. Minister Shenke was interested in Jiaozhou Bay, Shandong at this time. At the same time, the German military's "navy faction" has increased significantly. Under the leadership of Admiral Tirpitz, the "Naval faction" received strong support from German Emperor William to try to build a huge imperial navy.
Tirpitz is a soldier with unique strategic vision. He is convinced that the British Empire has made up his mind to prevent the rise of German forces. To become a global power, Germany currently has a weak naval force far from being able to compete with the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.
After Bismarck's resignation, his European-centered diplomatic system also began to disintegrate, and replaced by the so-called "global policy" with inflatable ambitions. Therefore, the issue of obtaining naval bases in China has inadvertently become the starting point of this "global policy".
The purpose of Germany joining the diplomatic action of "Three Kingdoms Interference and Return to Liao" in 1896 was to lay the groundwork for negotiations with China in the future.
Admiral Tirpitz's ambitions have far exceeded his pursuit of coal-gathering stations, and he is considering creating a "model colony" in China to demonstrate to the German people and the Imperial Parliament the need to build a strong navy.
After several informal talks with the Qing government, the German government found that the Qing government firmly opposed this idea.
So, when the Minister of Beiyang Minister Li Hongzhang visited Germany in June 1896, Foreign Minister Martial formally proposed to him to obtain a naval base in China, and Li Hongzhang had a fierce debate.
Li pointed out that the principle of "equal opportunity" under the treaty system means that other great powers will not tolerate Germany's unilateral benefits and must imitate it. A few days later, Chinese ambassador to Russia, Xu Jingcheng, held talks with German ambassador to Russia, Prince von Radolin.
Xu Jingcheng clearly told Radolin that if the German government uses tough measures, China will have to respond with a military force.
Strangely, Radolin reported this conversation to Berlin , saying that Xu Jingcheng implied that Germany's goals could not be achieved without force.
Xu Jingcheng has long been paying attention to the Jiaozhou Bay issue and wrote a memorial requesting for defense in Jiaozhou Bay several years ago. However, at that time, the Qing court was vigorously building the Summer Palace and had used naval spending. The proposal to fortify and build China's own naval base in Jiaozhou Bay could not be implemented.
After talking to Radolin this time, Xu Jingcheng felt that the German side had revealed the secret of using force, and immediately wrote a letter again, requesting to consider the suggestion of forging defense on Shandong Peninsula.
2. Why did Germany choose Qingdao ?
In Berlin, politicians and military officials from all sides are also actively discussing the establishment of naval bases in China.
Between Zhoushan Islands and Jiaozhou Bay, An Zhitai has always advocated choosing the latter, and his motivation is linked to the missionary cause. The one who really prompted the German government to make up its mind to choose Jiaozhou Bay was De Cuilin, the German-born Tianjin director of China Customs. On November 3, 1895, Decuilin held a very secret meeting with Admiral William Kno, Chief of Staff of the Imperial Navy in Berlin. Decuilin used seven reasons to explain the benefits of obtaining Jiaozhou Bay:
(1) Entering and leaving North China by Ziru;
(2) As a military port, the natural geographical conditions are excellent;
(3) The nearby areas are economically developed and rich in resources;
(4) It is possible to obtain the right to rent the railway to be built to Beijing; (5) The people in this area are healthy and smart;
(6) The climatic conditions are suitable for Europeans to live in;
(7) The dredging conditions are good, which facilitates the establishment of a modern port.
As for what means to use to obtain Jiaozhou Bay, the government and the people thought that it should use force when necessary.
De Cuilin himself tends to achieve this goal with sudden actions and extraordinary means. Decuilin is always impatient in his work. His boss, Sir Hurd, the chief tax department of the Customs, once commented on his personality as follows:
"Decuilin has always been too optimistic and does not want to be flexible and flexible in his work, just like a brick without grass core. Sometimes his purpose is unclear, his motivation is worrying, sometimes his purpose is clear, but his methods are not thought deeply. This person is a genius, very personality, but he will never turn around, just like an hole bird , wearing a gorgeous tail and pretending to be a peacock."
However, Decuilin's personality is quite similar to that of the German Emperor, so he is greatly appreciated by William II . In a separate conversation with the German Emperor, Decuilin told William II that the Chinese actually only know how to express the language by force, which was quite favored by the German Emperor. What's more, Klay, a German counselor appointed by the Chinese Embassy in Russia, also secretly gave advice to German Ambassador Radolin in private.
Kleier told Radolin in November 1896 that if Germany does not take action quickly, China will think that the Germans are weak and it will be more difficult to make concessions in the future.
Klayer also said that only Russians know how to deal with Chinese people, and the Sino-Russian Secret Agreement is a clear proof. After receiving the record of this secret conversation, the German Emperor was ecstatic and commented on the side: "It's right! Decuilin said so to me!"
The old "China Communications" and former Minister to China Barland had different opinions on the seizure of land by force at the beginning. He believed that if Germany did this, "it would sooner or later cause anger from the Chinese national sentiment, and the consequences would be unpredictable."
Despite this, Baland also believes that if the determination is made, "Jiaozhou Bay is of course the best choice", and the action should be fast and military preparations should be sufficient, and they cannot retreat.
3, Tirpitz's mission
Admiral Tirpitz voluntarily retreated from his position as Chief of Staff in 1986 and requested to serve and inspect in Far East . He has been in Huada for a year and served as commander of the German East Asian Fleet in .
This year has gained a lot for him, as he said in his memoir:
"In the year before I took over the imperial minister of the Navy, I had the honor to examine Germany's interests overseas and benefited a lot."
During his tenure in the Far East, Tirpitz had enough time to think about the major war path. He firmly believes that if Germany does not have foreign naval bases, it will be impossible to ensure the normal progress of foreign trade.
He and US Navy strategic thinker Mahan almost at the same time came to the conclusion of "Naval Supreme" - that is, the outcome of future wars depends on sea control.
He believes that only by stimulating the appetite of the German people and parliament for overseas expansion can we obtain a large amount of funds and realize his dream of building a strong navy.
Another important gain of this trip was that he visited many islands and harbors along the coast of China. His conclusion coincided with Berlin, and Jiaozhou Bay was the best choice.
When he returned to Berlin in 1897, Admiral Tirpitz had drafted an agreement to occupy Jiaozhou Bay.
There were major changes in the personnel of the German government at this time, and Tirpitz was very happy to see that supporters of the "global policy" were all in important positions.
Marquis of Blov became a foreign minister, and this person is famous for advocating "independent diplomacy".
General Sliffen was appointed as Chief of Staff of the Imperial Army, and Tirpitz himself took office as Minister of the Navy.
Former Navy Secretary Admiral Holman was fired by the German Emperor for failing to defend his naval expenses and his naval expenses were cut by 12 million marks.
4, the final soundtrack
The newly appointed three people cooperated and became the three pillars of implementing "global policy". Their strategic ideas take Britain and Russia as imaginary enemies, and the British navy and Russian army are the main competitors. Under such a political atmosphere, seizing Jiaozhou Bay has become an urgent task, and the "global policy" will begin in China.
According to a top-secret document from the German cabinet, there are six major purposes for seizing Jiaozhou Bay:
(1) helps the expansion of German trade activities;
(2) maintains the balance of international relations in the Far East;
(3) protects Christian missionary cause in China;
(4) opens the way for the naval military expansion plan;
(5) gets reward for the efforts made by Germany in " Interference in the Three Kingdoms to Return to Liao ":
(6) establishes a model colony in Qingdao.
The plan to occupy Jiaozhou Bay was formulated under top secret circumstances. Germany William II has had a strong preference for navigation since he was a child, and he actively supported the activities of the "Naval faction". After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Japan's various benefits from " Treaty of Shimonoseki " made him envious, and he also wanted to have a foothold in China.
Under the condolence of the German Emperor, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to take action on its own, regardless of Chinese and foreign public opinion. In January 1897, in a private letter to Holstein, Hai Jing (who was the German ambassador to China in 1896) complained:
"My country is very isolated in China and has no Three Kingdoms Alliance that supports our position. The Italian Embassy is only a 24-year-old translator who does nothing in Beijing; the minister of Austria has not arrived yet, and Austria has neither interest nor special interest in China."
Hai Jing then pointed out:
Russians can sit and watch it change... We do not have such conditions, because our warships cannot swim around the Chinese waters like homelessness, waiting for the opportunity to move. The later we do it, the lower our credibility is, because we have made clear requirements and dare not implement them.
However, Germany's ambition for China has long been spread all over the world through the mouth of the German Emperor. In the summer of 1896, a "mysterious hunchback" came to China for investigation. The diplomats of the great powers in China soon learned that he was the German Emperor's private envoy, Franzios, chief engineer of the German Kiel Military Port.
His mission is to conduct another technical survey of several Chinese ports, and he also concluded that Jiaozhou Bay is the best port. The German government was extremely anxious at this time, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tirpitz were increasingly dissatisfied with Haijing's work.
In the summer of 1897, the German Emperor communicated with his cousin, Tsar Nicholas II, and asked the Tsar about his views on Germany's occupation of Jiaozhou Bay. Nicholas II did not raise any objections in principle. So everything is ready, only the east wind is insufficient, and Berlin is ready to spare no effort to find excuses.
(end of the text)
If you have other topics or opinions about the historical field, you can [Follow] me to chat privately, or you can leave a message in the comment section below and reply as soon as possible.
