PEEBLES PROFILES
EPISODE 162
Hans, Baron von Wangenheim
EARLY YEARS
Hans, Baron von Wangenheim was born in Gotha on July 4, 1859. He got his education at the Ernestine Gymnasium. In 1902, Wangenheim married Johanna Freiin von Spitzemberg, daughter of Carl, Baron von Spitzemberg and Hildegard Baroness von Spitzemberg (née Freiin von Varnbüler).
Wangenheim held a number of diplomatic posts throughout his life. He was First Secretary at the German Embassy in Constantinople from 1899 to 1904. He was Minister to Mexico from 1904 to 1908. Then, Wangenheim was named Chargé d’Affaires in Tangier in 1908… and Minister in Athens from 1909 to 1912.
THE AMBASSADOR
In October 1912, Wangenheim was named German Ambassador to Ottoman Turkey. At that time, German influence on the Ottoman government had diminished because (1) of the German stance on the Albanian question… and (2) particularly because of the Kaiser’s positive attitude towards the relative Greek claims. From his arrival in Constantinople, Wangenheim had to face the reservation and doubt of the most prominent Germanophile among the Young Turks leadership, Enver Pasha.
With the arrival of the German military mission in Constantinople the following year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Sazonov plainly accused Wangenheim of demanding his dismissal. Nevertheless, the situation had changed, as Wangenheim’s involvement in the affair was not crucial. In addition, Wangenheim openly despised Otto Liman von Sanders, having repeatedly asked Berlin to relieve the German general of his duties. Furthermore, Wangenheim was sympathetic to Russian claims about Constantinople, and he was open to the incorporation of the city and surrounding area into the Russian Empire.
But the ambassador also had ties to Alexander Parvus, a German Marxist activist, agent, and arms dealer. Wangenheim sent Parvus to Berlin in March 1915, endorsing a’ plan for Imperial Germany to back the Bolsheviks against Tsarist Russia.
THE SECRET ALLIANCE
As war seemed imminent in the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire was keen to secure an alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary as a means of self-preservation. The Turks wanted to insure the expansion of Ottoman territories and the protection of the empire from foreign territorial claims.
But before they approaching the Germans, the Ottoman Turks persisted in establishing an alliance with Great Britain and France… who were both unwilling. So Enver Pasha repeatedly tried to convince the German ambassador of the need for a German-Ottoman alliance, but Wangenheim was strongly opposed.
On the contrary, Wangenheim was convinced that the Ottoman Army was in a state of disarray and no value. He was now in agreement with the head of the German military mission in Constantinople, General Otto Liman von Sanders.
In an official letter to Berlin on July 18, 1914, Wangenheim stated that in his opinion the Ottoman Empire was:
“…undoubtedly still useless as an ally, being a burden to her allies and not offering them any advantage.”
Enver Pasha secretly met with Wangenheim on July 22nd, when his repeated offer for an alliance with Germany faced staunch opposition from the ambassador. However, the Kaiser’s view on the matter was completely different… and he ordered the acceptance of the Ottoman offer. This led to the signing of a secret German-Ottoman alliance on August 2, 1914.
A HOLY WAR
The Ottoman leadership appeared ready to use propaganda tactics and (with strong encouragement from Max von Oppenheim) declared jihad (holy war) against the Allies. This move capitalized Mehmed V’s role as the caliph of Muslims around the world. It was believed that native Muslims in the British and French colonies would rise up against their Christian rulers… but the results were disappointing!
From the start, Wangenheim opposed this scheme. He only supported it because of his loyalty to the Kaiser. Personally, Wangenheim believed that the Central Powers were in danger of alienating Italy, considering Muslim colonial subjects in the Italian colonies numbered in the millions! Furthermore, he was afraid of the spread of violence against the Ottoman Empire’s non-Muslim subjects.
Despite his opposing thoughts, Wangenheim was actively involved in organizing guerrilla warfare! He also supported and encouraged Islamic movements in Tsarist Russia and British-held Egypt… in accordance with his country’s policy.
GENOCIDE
With the world at war, the so-called “Armenian Question” reignited, which resulted in the Armenian genocide of 1915 by Ottoman authorities. Wangenheim believed that the Armenians did not pose a threat to Ottoman Turkey… and that even since 1908, an Armenian rebellion was not imminent or feasible.
Moreover, Wangenheim relayed a report to Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, originally written by the German consul to Erzurum. It suggested the existence of an Ottoman plan to provoke the Armenians into open rebellion. The diplomat was critical of Ottoman action against the Armenians, and he issued an official protest against their deportations on July 4, 1914.
However, Wangenheim underestimated Ottoman plans regarding the Armenians, and as a result, he did not press the matter in his official correspondence with Berlin! It seemed that Wangenheim did not possess accurate information about the situation. In this context, American Ambassador to Ottoman Turkey Henry Morgenthau criticized Wangenheim’s ambiguous attitude towards the genocide. In an interview with an American journalist, Wangenheim was quoted:
“I do not blame the Turks for what they are doing to the Armenians … They are entirely justified.”
A STRESSFUL DEATH?
The scandal regarding the Armenian massacres combined with the Allied landings at Gallipoli (which Wangenheim thought would succeed in reaching Constantinople) were recognized as the causes of the stress-provoked stroke that eventually killed the German ambassador! Austrian Ambassador Johann von Pallavicini attributed his colleague’s distress to the fact that Wangenheim felt responsible for the entry of the Ottoman Empire into the war.
On October 26, 1915 (six months after the Armenian genocide began), Hans, Baron von Wangenheim died in Constantinople from a stroke, diagnosed most likely as “neurasthenic” tendencies. However, there were persisting rumors that he had been poisoned.
By the time of his death, Wangenheim had been replaced as German Ambassador to Turkey by Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Sazonov regarded Wangenheim as “the most successful of the German fighting diplomatists”.