Georg Leo Graf von Caprivi de Caprara de Montecuccoli (; born Georg Leo von Caprivi; 24 February 1831 – 6 February 1899) was a German general and statesman. He served as the imperial chancellor of the German Empire from March 1890 to October 1894, succeeding longtime chancellor Otto von Bismarck.
Caprivi was born into a Prussian noble family of Italian origin. After graduating from the Prussian Staff College, he rapidly rose through the ranks and distinguished himself in particular during the Franco-Prussian War, where he served as chief of staff of the X Army Corps. In 1883, he was appointed chief of the Imperial German Navy, but upon the ascension of Wilhelm II he quickly came into conflict with the Emperor, who envisioned an offensive navy capable of challenging the British. He resigned in 1888 and returned to the Imperial German Army.
In 1890, Wilhelm forced Bismarck's resignation and named Caprivi chancellor; he simultaneously became minister-president of Prussia. During his tenure, Caprivi promoted industrial and commercial development, and attempted to reconcile opposing domestic forces through a series of social reforms. As part of Wilhelm's "new course" in foreign policy, Caprivi abandoned Bismark's military and political alignment with the Russian Empire by electing not to renew the Reinsurance Treaty. He aimed to forge closer ties with Britain, acquiring for Germany the archipelago of Heligoland and the Caprivi Strip in southern Africa in exchange for recognizing British authority in Zanzibar, though improvement of relations ultimately did not result in an alliance. Caprivi also pursued an aggressive trade policy and concluded numerous bilateral treaties for reduction of tariff barriers, reversing the protectionist policies implemented by his predecessor.
Caprivi's policies were met with significant domestic opposition, particularly from right-wing nationalists, pro-colonial groups and large landowners. The failure of his educational reforms marked the beginning of his downfall and led to his resignation as Prussian minister-president in 1892. His position becoming more untenable as conflict arose over a new military bill, Wilhelm dismissed him as Chancellor in 1894, after which he withdrew from public life.
Early life Leo von Caprivi was born in Charlottenburg (then a town in the Prussian Province of Brandenburg, today a district of Berlin), the son of jurist Julius Leopold von Caprivi (17971865), who later became a judge at the Prussian supreme court and member of the Prussian House of Lords. His father's family was of Italian origin (Caprara Montecuccoli, from Modena). The Caprivis were ennobled during the 17th century Ottoman–Habsburg wars. They later moved to Landau in Silesia. His mother was Emilie Köpke, daughter of Gustav Köpke, headmaster of the Berlinisches Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster and teacher of Caprivi's predecessor Otto von Bismarck. Caprivi's brother was lieutenant general Raimund von Caprivi and his nephew, Leo von Caprivi was an aide-de-camp to Emperor Wilhelm II.
Caprivi's origins differentiated him from the majority of the Prussian upper class, since he was not a large landowner. Accordingly, he later described himself as "without are and straw." He was a Protestant. On a personal level, Leo von Caprivi was an affable man with few close friends, who remained unmarried.
Military career Rise Caprivi was educated at the in Berlin. After graduating in 1849, he enlisted in the of the Prussian Army. As a second lieutenant, he attended the Prussian Staff College and from 1860 he was a Hauptmann in the topographic division of the German General Staff. He served in the Second Schleswig War of 1864 as a member of the staff of the 5th Division and in 1865 he was made the commander of an infantry company. He served in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 as a major in the staff of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia. Afterwards he was appointed to the general staff of the Guards Corps and then in spring 1870 he was temporarily appointed chief of staff of the X Army Corps.
Caprivi had gained a reputation as one of the most gifted students of Helmuth von Moltke and was confirmed in his post as chief of the general staff of the X Army Corps with the rank of lieutenant colonel during the Franco-Prussian War. This appointment brought the comparatively young Caprivi to public attention. During the war, he distinguished himself at the Battle of Mars-la-Tour, the Siege of Metz and the Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande, receiving the military order Pour le Mérite.
Chief of the Navy After the war Caprivi first served as a department head in the Prussian War Ministry. There he was involved in drafting a law about barracks and in the introduction of the Mauser rifle. From 1878 he was placed in charge of a range of different divisions in rapid succession. In 1882, he became commander of the 30th Infantry Division at Metz.
In 1883, he succeeded Albrecht von Stosch, a fierce opponent of Chancellor Bismarck, as Chief of the Imperial Navy, with the rank of Vice-admiral. According to Robert K. Massie, this appointment was made by Bismarck and caused great dissatisfaction among the officers of the navy. He says that at the time of Caprivi's appointment, he "had no interest in naval affairs and did not know the names of his officers or the emblems of rank on the uniforms they wore." According to Thomas Nipperdey, the appointment was made against the express wishes of Bismarck, who had not wanted the Prussian Army to lose one of its best officers. He refers to Caprivi's appointment as a "deportation to the navy." In 1884, Caprivi was appointed to the State Council.
Caprivi showed significant administrative talent, in reforming and expanding the German navy. Caprivi emphasized the development and construction of torpedo boats during his tenure as naval chief. He submitted two long memoranda to the Reichstag regarding the interests of the fleet. When Wilhelm II became emperor in 1888, he made naval politics one of his personal concerns and Caprivi quickly came into conflict with the Emperor. Up to this point administration of the navy and naval military command had both been invested in the Admiralty; Wilhelm wished to separate them. Even more importantly, Wilhelm wanted an offensive navy with large battleships, which could compete with the English on the high seas. Meanwhile, Caprivi supported a traditional continental military policy, in which the fleet played an entirely defensive role. After being overruled on the issue by the Kaiser, Caprivi resigned in 1888. He was briefly appointed to the command of his old army corps, the X Army Corps stationed in Hanover.
Chancellor of Germany OfficeIncumbentIn officePartyImperial ChancellorLeo von Caprivi20 March 1890 – 26 October 1894NoneVice-Chancellor of GermanySecretary for the InteriorKarl von Boetticher20 March 1890 – 26 October 1894NoneSecretary for the Foreign AffairsHerbert von Bismarck20 March 1890 – 26 March 1890NoneAdolf von Bieberstein26 March 1890 – 26 October 1894NoneSecretary for the TreasuryHelmuth von Maltzahn20 March 1890 – 26 October 1894NoneSecretary for the JusticeOtto von Oehlschläger20 March 1890 – 2 February 1891NoneRobert Bosse2 February 1891 – 2 March 1892NoneEduard Hanauer2 March 1892 – 10 July 1893NoneRudolf Arnold Nieberding10 July 1893 – 26 October 1894NoneSecretary for the NavyKarl Eduard Heusner26 March 1890 – 22 April 1890NoneFriedrich von Hollmann22 April 1890 – 26 October 1894NoneSecretary for the PostHeinrich von Stephan20 March 1890 – 26 October 1894None In February 1890, Caprivi was summoned to Berlin by Emperor Wilhelm II and informed that he was Wilhelm's intended candidate to replace Bismarck as Chancellor, if the latter resisted Wilhelm's proposed changes to the government. Upon Bismarck's dismissal on 18 March, Caprivi became chancellor of Germany and Minister President of Prussia. Though his exact motives are unknown, Wilhelm appears to have viewed Caprivi as a moderate who would make a sufficiently strong replacement for Bismarck, should the former chancellor make trouble in retirement, yet lacked the ambition to seriously oppose the throne.Röhl, John C. G. Germany Without Bismarck: The Crisis of Government in the Second Reich, 1890–1900. Univ. of California Press, 1974. p. 57. For his part, Caprivi was unenthusiastic, yet felt duty-bound to obey the Emperor. He said to one gathering, "I know that I shall be covered in mud, that I shall fall ingloriously". After his appointment, Caprivi wrote in the Berliner Tageblatt that the main task of Bismarck's successor would be "to lead the nation back after the preceding epoch of great men and deeds to an everyday existence."Erich Ekkehard (ed.): Sigilla veri. 2nd edition (Philipp Stauff's Semi-Kürschner), Vol. 1, Bodung-Verlag, Berlin 1929, p. 949.
Caprivi's administration was marked by moves towards conciliation of the Social Democrats on the domestic front, and towards a pro-British foreign policy. This approach is known to historians as the "" ("New Course"), a term coined by Wilhelm II in 1890.
The American historian Robert K. Massie characterises Caprivi at the time of his appointment as follows:
Caprivi promised at the beginning of his tenure "To adopt what is good, wherever and whomever it comes from, if it is compatible with the national interest." However, the important economic policies of his government derived from the ideas of Johannes von Miquel, leader of the National Liberals. In various areas, including social policy, reforms were announced. Within Prussia, Caprivi's most important collaborators were the trade minister , the interior minister , and the war minister Hans von Kaltenborn-Stachau. At the imperial level, his key allies were the Secretary for the Interior Karl von Boetticher and Secretary for the Foreign Affairs Adolf von Bieberstein. Caprivi's policy of moderation had clear limits; the authority of the monarchy and the state was not to be diminished. Legal restrictions of rights of association, for example, were not removed, the disciplinary rules for Beamte were strengthened, and appointments in the judiciary went to trusted conservatives. Nipperdey characterises this policy as "enlightened bureaucratic-conservatism."
In order to carry out his political agenda, Caprivi, like Bismarck before him, required the approval of the Reichstag. A new factor, however, was that the Emperor now wished to exercise direct political influence. His changing positions and apparently absolutist desires became a decisive political factor from the time of Caprivi's appointment onwards. Opposition from Bismarck also remained a significant factor. A further problem for Caprivi was the relationship between the German Empire and Prussia. Unlike Bismarck, Caprivi's leadership style within the Prussian State Ministry was markedly collegial. This change was made clear even in his appointment speech in the Prussian House of Representatives.Neueste Mittheilungen of 18 April 1890 Unlike Bismarck, he never demanded to be present with the emperor when one of his ministers was exercising his rights of immediate authority. However, this made it more difficult for him to get political policies implemented and allowed the Prussian finance minister Miquel to gain influence well beyond his area of authority.
Foreign Policy
Ending the Reinsurance Treaty