# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/theobald-von-bethmann-hollweg
# Generated: 2026-09-01T09:22:10.814Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/theobald-von-bethmann-hollweg"
name: "Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg"
slug: "theobald-von-bethmann-hollweg"
description: "He was imperial chancellor when Germany entered World War I, holding the office through the first three years of the war until military leaders forced him out in 1917. His name is tied to the cascade of decisions in August 1914 — the blank check to Austria-Hungary, the calculated delay of German mobilization, the invasion of Belgium he called an injustice ev"
tagline: "German politician (1856–1921)"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Theobald_von_Bethmann_Hollweg_by_E._Bieber.jpg?width=1200"
gender: "male"
country:
  name: "Germany"
  isoCode: "DE"
category:
  name: "Politicians"
  slug: "politicians"
profileType:
  name: "Politician"
  slug: "politician"
birthDate: "1856-11-29"
deathDate: "1921-01-01"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           57.6
  momentum:             1.307258367807446
  historical:           24.541188
  currentAttention:     0
  sourceConfidence:     60
  profileCompleteness:  70
  trendDirection:       "STABLE"
ranks:
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  country:  null
  category: null
tags:
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  - name: "Germany"
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  - name: "Europe"
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  - name: "19th Century"
    slug: "19th-century"
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# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg rose quickly through Prussian administrative posts between 1884 and 1899, serving briefly in the Reichstag in 1890 — an experience that left him skeptical of party politics for life. Emperor Wilhelm II appointed him chancellor in 1909, drawn to his conciliatory style, and Bethmann-Hollweg spent eight years as a cautious reformer who believed parliamentary monarchy suited Germany best. When war came he assured Austria-Hungary of Germany's full backing and supported its aggressive demands against Serbia, held German mobilization until after Russia's to avoid appearing the aggressor, and approved the invasion of Belgium while acknowledging it as a wrong that would need righting. He resisted unrestricted submarine warfare but eventually bent to pressure from the military and conservatives in the Reichstag. By 1917 even his allies in parliament believed he had stayed too long to broker peace; when Ludendorff and Hindenburg threatened to resign unless he was removed, he submitted his resignation. In unfinished reflections written before his death in 1921, he stressed Germany's difficult position, admitted government mistakes, and argued t