The ready-made Napoleon

William II, Emperor of Germany, exchanges his coat and helmet for a hat and coat in the style of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. Bernhard von Bülow stands next to him, also dressed in the style of an early 19th century French aristocrat, holding a cape draped over his right arm. Caption: Valet Von Buelow–Sapristi, Herr Wilhelm! They become you most beautifully!

comments and context

Comments and Context

Bernhard Heinrich Karl Martin, Furst von Bulow, was German Chancellor in 1905. Regarded as a suave diplomatic and bold strategist, he was also widely regarded as a dunderhead and lickspittle, offering Kaiser Wilhelm II as much subservience as wise advice.

In the decades before the “Guns of August” that accompanied the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, there had been several incidents that foreshadowed and might even have precipitated war. One growing irritant was the growing economic strength of Germany at a time when there were few colonies in the world to scoop up in the fashion of Belgium, France, and England. Similarly there were few Continental lands in Europe left to dominate; and Germany’s rapidly growing navy — military and merchant marine — made England nervous.

As the Entente Cordiale (1904) between England and France divided spheres of influence on the north African Coast, Germany — principally von Bulow and his influence over the Foreign Office — took offense at being diplomatically trumped. Von Bulow began registering complaints to the French government, embracing its shadow state Morocco, and demanding international recognition of Moroccan neutrality. He arranged for the Kaiser to make a goodwill visit to Morocco.

The international hubbub that this caused inspired fears, again, of a European war — the latest pretext for one. As Germany was largely rebuffed in its ploy, whose diplomatic attempts are likened to a grand Napoleonic gambit in the view of Puck‘s cartoonist J. S. Pughe, the Kaiser unexpectedly called on President Roosevelt to mediate.

Roosevelt was disinclined to do so, for several reasons: he believed that the “crisis” had been manufactured by Germany merely fishing in troubled waters, unsuccessfully; he was already involved in tending to the Russo-Japanese war; and he knew that public sentiment in the United States, clearly articulated by many senators, was against meddling in European affairs, especially if armed conflict were possible.

Nevertheless Roosevelt felt acutely aware that diffusing the issue could avert, or at least postpone, a land war in Europe. So he issues a call for an international conference. He sent his friend, the master diplomat Henry White, as emissary with the express instructions to attempt the following result — that the Mediterranean would remain as before, with British and French hegemonies intact; but Germany allowed some face-saving claims.

Wilhelm was no Napoleon; von Bulow was revealed as a bungler; and Theodore Roosevelt, with little effort but wise vision and firm instructions, further cemented America’s place among world diplomatic powers.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1905-07-26

Creator(s)

Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909

Period

U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)

Repository

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Page Count

1

Record Type

Image

Resource Type

Cartoon

Rights

These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.

Citation