Quote#Nature
Like you, I believe our most urgent task is a modus vivendi with…
Quote byTheobald von Bethmann Hollweg · 1856–1921
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Letter to Eisendecher (26 December 1911), quoted in Konrad H. Jarauschl, ‘The Illusion of Limited War: Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg's Calculated Risk, July 1914’, Central European History, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Mar., 1969), p. 53.
English (original)
Like you, I believe our most urgent task is a modus vivendi with England. In the last analysis even Morocco was intended to facilitate this. ... We should do everything our finances allow for our defenses on land and sea, but we must work as quietly as possible, not threaten boisterously. Only then can we improve our relations with London and prevent a new naval law from leading to war.
— Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg
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If we succeed not only in keeping France itself quiet, but also in having it plead for peace in Petersburg, this turn of events will weaken the Franco-Russian alliance.
We must keep France in check through a cautious policy towards Russia and England. Naturally this does not please our chauvinists and is unpopular. But I see no alternative for Germany in the near future.
It is improbable that England will immediately enter the fray.