Events in the year 1900 in Germany.
Incumbents
National level Emperor – Wilhelm II Chancellor – Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst to 17 October, then Bernhard von Bülow
State level
Kingdoms King of Bavaria – Otto King of Prussia – Wilhelm II King of Saxony – Albert King of Württemberg – William II
Grand Duchies Grand Duke of Baden – Frederick I Grand Duke of Hesse – Ernest Louis Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin – Frederick Francis IV Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Frederick William Grand Duke of Oldenburg – Peter II to 13 June, then Frederick Augustus II Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach – Charles Alexander
Principalities Schaumburg-Lippe – George, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt – Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Schwarzburg-Sondershausen – Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Principality of Lippe – Alexander, Prince of Lippe (with Ernest II, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld as regent) Reuss Elder Line – Heinrich XXII, Prince Reuss of Greiz Reuss Younger Line – Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line Waldeck and Pyrmont – Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Duchies Duke of Anhalt – Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt Duke of Brunswick – Prince Albert of Prussia (regent) Duke of Saxe-Altenburg – Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to 30 July, then Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Duke of Saxe-Meiningen – Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Colonial Governors Cameroon (Kamerun) – Jesko von Puttkamer (6th term) to 17 January, then August Köhler to 31 July, then ...Dehl, (acting governor) to 6 September, then ...von Kamptz (acting governor) to 15 November, then again Jesko von Puttkamer (7th term) Kiaochow (Kiautschou) – Otto Jäschke German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika) – Eduard von Liebert German New Guinea (Deutsch-Neuguinea) – Rudolf von Bennigsen German Samoa (Deutsch-Samoa) (from 1 March) – Wilhelm Solf German South-West Africa – Theodor Leutwein Togoland – August Köhler
Events 4 January – Riots break out as miners go on strike. 6 January – The German steamer Herzog is seized by the British warship HMS Thetis outside Delagoa Bay in East Africa, on suspicions that it was carrying supplies to Boer troops. The Portuguese colonial Governor of Zambesia is among the passengers."One German Steamer Released," NYT 10 January 1900, p. 1 After no supplies are found, the ship and its crew are released on 22 January.Herbert Whittaker Briggs, The Law of Continuous Voyage, (William S. Hein Publishing, 2003) pp. 83–4 1 March – The German flag is formally hoisted at Apia, the capital of Samoa, and Wilhelm Solf becomes the colony's first governor. Chief Mata'afa, who had fought against the Germans, and Chief Tamasese, who had been the puppet ruler during German occupation, are reconciled."Germany in Samoa", New York Times, 15 March 1900, p. 7 Mata'afa is named as the Paramount Chief of the Western Samoa colony, although Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II is designated as the Paramount King."Tutuila (U.S.)", The Atlantic Monthly, 1904, p. 213 1 April – The 6th Royal Bavarian Division is raised as a new addition to the German Imperial Army. 13 June – When three Chinese Boxers come too close to the German legation, one of them, a young man, is captured by the German guards. Baron von Ketteler, the German minister, thrashes the Boxer with his cane, orders his guards to extend the beating, and warns the Chinese Foreign Ministry (the Zongli Yamen) that the boy will die. Over the next few days, the foreign diplomats begin shooting at Chinese nationals near the legation quarter. Von Ketteler himself would be killed on 20 June.Lanxin Xiang, The Origins of the Boxer War, pp. 268–9. The same day, communication between the foreign embassies and the rest of the world is broken off as telegraph lines are severed.Max Boot, The Savage Wars of Peace (Da Capo Press, 2003), p. 76 14 June At 7:00 pm, German embassy guards, under the direction of Ambassador Ketteler, fire on Boxer rebels outside the legation quarter, killing 20. Lancelot Giles, of the British embassy, records the incident in his diary that night, noting the furious shouts from a crowd trying to get into the city. G.E. Morrison, correspondent for the London Times, noted another incident where 45 Chinese were killed in a raid by the Europeans on a temple.Lanxin Xiang, The Origins of the Boxer War, p. 269. The Reichstag approves a second law that allows the expansion of the Imperial German Navy. 20 June – Clemens von Ketteler, the German ambassador to China, was murdered as he and an aide went to the Chinese Foreign Ministry (Zongli Yamen) without their guards. With seven hours left until a 4 p.m. deadline for all foreigners to leave Beijing, Baron von Ketteler defied his fellow ambassadors and left the safety of the diplomatic quarter. Von Ketteler was shot and killed (by a Boxer later identified as En Hai) as he approached the Zongli Yamen. His interpreter, Heinrich Cordes, survived to return to the embassy, at which point evacuation was no longer an option.Lanxin Xiang, The Origins of the Boxer War pp. 335–7 American ambassador Conger would later report that he had learned "that Prince Tuan had planned to have his soldiers massacre all the foreign ministers at the Tsungli Yamen on June 20. But...the impatient soldiers prematurely attacked and killed Baron von Kettler... we were not invited to the Tsungli Yamen, and so were saved. The directive to Mr. Conger stated, 'The princes and ministers...beg that within twenty-four hours the minister of the United States, with his family... and taking his guards, keeping them under control, will leave for Tientsin, in order to avoid danger. An escort of troops has been dispatched to give protection en route, and the local officials have been also notified to allow the minister's party to pass.'"Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States (G.P.O. 1902) p. 191 At 4:00 p.m., Chinese troops began their siege of the foreign legations quarter, where 900 foreigners, 523 defenders, and 3,000 Chinese Christians held out behind the walls. The siege would last 55 days.Max Boot, The Savage Wars of Peace (Da Capo Press, 2003), pp. 79–80 21 June – China formally declares war on Germany. 14 July – In China, Tientsin (Tianjin) is captured by the Allied forces after a three-day battle. The Allies had 775 killed or wounded, mostly from Russian troops and Japanese troops under the command of the Japanese Colonel Kuriya. Parties of German and French soldiers destroyed the enemy's guns, while American, British, Japanese and Austrian troops, and the Welsh Fussillers captured the arsenal."Allies Victorious; Tien-Tsin Captured", New York Times, 18 July 1900, p. 1 27 July – Kaiser Wilhelm II gives the infamous "Hun speech" at Bremerhaven as he dispatched troops to fight in China. The most inflammatory line was, "Wie vor tausend Jahren die Hunnen unter ihrem König Etzel sich einen Namen gemacht, der sie noch jetzt in Überlieferung und Märchen gewaltig erscheinen läßt, so möge der Name Deutscher in China auf 1000 Jahre durch euch in einer Weise bestätigt werden, daß es niemals wieder ein Chinese wagt, einen Deutschen scheel anzusehen!". "Just as the Huns under their King Atilla made a name for themselves a thousand years ago which still, in saga and tradition, makes them appear powerful, so may the name "German" be impressed by you for a thousand years, that no Chinese will ever dare again look askance at a German!" Manfred Jonas, The United States and Germany: A Diplomatic History (Cornell University Press, 1985) p. 63 The Germans were, for a century thereafter, referred to as "Huns". 17 October – Bernhard von Bülow becomes the fourth Chancellor of the German Empire, appointed by Kaiser Wilhelm I. The former Foreign Secretary succeeded Prince Chlodwig Hohenlohe, who resigned because of his age (81) and health. 16 November – During a parade in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland), a woman throws a hatchet at the open carriage of Kaiser Wilhelm II. The "hand chopper" strikes the imperial carriage, and Selma Schnapke, later ruled to be insane, is arrested."Attempt to Kill Emperor William", New York Times, 17 November 1900, p. 7 1 December – A census of the German Empire was taken. Provisional figures showed a population of 56,345,014.The American Monthly Review of Reviews (July 1901) p. 90; "Geographic Notes" National Geographic (July 1901), p. 123 31 December – At 3:00 in the afternoon in Beijing, Su-Hai, identified as the man who had killed Baron von Ketteler, Germany's minister to China, on 20 June, became the last prominent person to die in the 19th century. Su-Hai was beheaded at the scene of the crime."His Head Is Off", Fort Wayne Sentinel, 1 January 1901, p. 1
Architecture The Salzgitter Bismarck Tower is completed.
Commerce 3 June – A series of meat inspection laws, at the time the most comprehensive in the world, are introduced.Robert von Ostertag, Handbook of Meat Inspection (translated by Earley Vernon Wilcox) (Jenkins, 1907), p iii 1 September – The German-American Telegraph Company opens the first direct line between Germany and the United States. At 7,917 kilometres or 4,919 miles, the line was the longest transatlantic cable to that time, running from Emden to New York City, via the Azores Islands.Anton A. Huurdeman, The Worldwide History of Telecommunications (Wiley-IEEE, 2003), pp. 308–9
Undated The Adler automobile company is established.
Diplomacy 14 January – The United States Senate accepts the Anglo-German treaty of 1899, in which the United Kingdom renounces its claims to the Samoan islands. 16 February – In Washington, British Ambassador Lord Pauncefote, and German Ambassador Baron Theodor von Holleben meet Secretary of State Hay at the State Department, and exchange ratifications of the Samoan Treaty signed by all three nations. "Secretary Hay retained for the United States the copy of the treaty which was ratified by the United States Senate. He handed to Lord Pauncefote and to Herr von Holleben copies of the treaty bearing the signatures of the President and himself", reported the New York Times. Similar proceedings take place in London and Berlin with the foreign ministers and ambassadors, completing the Tripartite Convention of 1899. Under the treaty, the Pacific islands of Samoa are divided between the U.S. (as American Samoa) and Germany (later the Independent State of Samoa).(Annual Register of World Events 1900, p. 6; "Samoa Treaty in Full Effect", New York Times 17 February 1900, p. 4 16 October – Germany and the UK sign an agreement in London to they oppose the partition of China into spheres of influence. The "Yangtze Agreement", signed by Lord Salisbury and Ambassador Hatzfeldt, was an endorsement of the Open Door Policy proposed by the United States for free trade in China."Yangtze Agreement", Historical Dictionary of the British Empire (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996), p. 1176 5 December – Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy sign a treaty providing that their navies will work together in the event of an attack on either nation by France or Russia.The Secret Treaties of Austria-Hungary, 1879-1914 Translated by Denys Peter Myers, John Gilman D'Arcy Paul, p. 115
Education Women in Germany demand the right to participate in university entrance exams.
Science 7 March – A new era in transportation safety began on reports of the first successful transmission of Wireless signals from a passenger ship to a distant receiver. The German steamer SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, carrying 1,500 passengers, transmitted from on ship to Borkum, fifty miles away."Messages From a Vessel", New York Times, 8 March 1900, p1