Leo von Caprivi
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| Count Leo von Caprivi | |
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| In office 1890 – 1894 |
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| Monarch | William II |
| Preceded by | Prince Bismarck |
| Succeeded by | Prince Hohenlohe |
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| Born | February 24, 1831 |
| Died | February 6, 1899 (aged 67) |
| Political party | None |
Georg Leo Graf von Caprivi de Caprara de Montecuccoli (English: Count George Leo of Caprivi, Caprara, and Montecuccoli, born Georg Leo von Caprivi; February 24, 1831 – February 6, 1899) was a German major general and statesman, who succeeded Otto von Bismarck as Chancellor of Germany. Caprivi served as German Chancellor from March 1890 to October 1894.
[edit] Biography
Born in Charlottenburg at Berlin to a family of Italian and Slovenian origin, Caprivi entered the army in 1849 and served in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the latter as a corps Chief of Staff. From 1883 to 1888 he served as Chief of the Imperial Admiralty, a position in which he showed significant administrative talent. He was briefly appointed to the command of the Tenth Army Corps (stationed in Hanover), before being summoned to Berlin by Wilhelm II in February 1890. Caprivi was informed that he was the Kaiser's intended choice should Bismarck prove resistant to Wilhelm's proposed changes to the government, and upon Bismarck's dismissal on March 18, Caprivi became chancellor. Ironically he had said beforehand, "What jackass would dare to succeed Bismarck?"
Caprivi's administration was marked by what is known to historians as the "New Course" in both foreign and domestic policy, with moves towards conciliation of the Social Democrats on the domestic front, and towards a pro-British foreign policy, exemplified by the Zanzibar treaty of July 1890, in which the British ceded the island of Heligoland to Germany in exchange for control of Zanzibar. This led to animosity from the colonialist pressure-groups in Germany, while Caprivi's free trading policies led to opposition from conservative agrarian protectionists. He also managed to obtain the Caprivi Strip, which was added to German South West Africa, thus linking that territory with the Zambezi River, which he had hoped to use for trade and communications with eastern Africa (the river proved to be unnavigable).
In 1892, following a legislative defeat on an educational bill, Caprivi resigned as Prussian Minister-President and replaced by Count Botho zu Eulenburg, leading to an untenable division of powers between the Chancellor and the Prussian premier, ultimately leading to the dismissal of both in 1894 and their succession by Prince Chlodwig of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst.
[edit] Notes
Regarding personal names: Graf is a title, translated as Count, not a first or middle name. The female form is Gräfin.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Otto von Bismarck |
Prime Minister of Prussia 1890–1892 |
Succeeded by Count Eulenburg |
| Chancellor of Germany 1890–1894 |
Succeeded by Prince Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst |
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