Re: WW I Linkpage -- Kaiserliche Marine

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Thu, April 25 2024, 14:45:32

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Subject: Re: WW I Linkpage

Author:
PChicas (Context)

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Date Posted: 14:30:20 12/07/07 Fri
In reply to: QUITTNER 's message, "Re: WW I Linkpage" on 10:14:45 07/04/06 Tue

>This may be of interest regarding the pre-1914
>thinking in Germany: The boss of the Navy etc., Kaiser
>Wilhelm II (see
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiser_Wilhelm
>including the section on Naval expansion) said on July
>27, 1900 (called "the Hunnenrede" [see about
>variations, in German,
>http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunnenrede]): "Kommt Ihr
>vor den Feind, so wird er geschlagen, Pardon wird
>nicht gegeben; Gefangene nicht gemacht. ... m�ge
>der Name Deutschland [in the enemy country] in einer
>solchen Weise bekannt werden, da� niemals wieder ein
>[enemy] es wagt, etwa einen Deutschen auch nur scheel
>anzusehen."
>..... An approximate translation is: When you get to
>the enemy then he'll be defeated; there will be no
>mercy. May the name Germany [everywhere] get to be
>known so that none will dare to even only look sharply
>at a German.

It is best to put this quote in historical context. The German ambassador to Peking had just been assassinated on the streets of that city by the so-called "Boxers" thus igniting the rebellion in Peking by that same name. The Kaiser was addressing the German army troops about to embark for China (to join the troops of all other major powers) to put down the rebellion. He is on record in several primary sources publicly regretting the extreme sentiments he expressed in that speech (other parts of it are even worse). He realized it was over the top even in the context of his usual bombast.

I only bring the subject up because this quote has been widely abused within American and British school textbooks as an example of just how "bloodthirsty" the Kaiser and his regime were. Virtually every reputable modern historian now realizes that the Imperial German state was little more "aggressive" "imperialistic" or "bloodthirsty" than most of the other great powers of the time (including the US).

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