Treaty of Björkö
Kaiser Wilhelm II | Tsar Nicholas II |
Heinrich von Tchirschky | Aleksei Birilev |
The Treaty of Björkö, also known as the Treaty of Koivisto, was a secret mutual defence agreement signed on 24 July 1905 in
Secret meeting
The mutual defence treaty was signed in secret at a meeting arranged by Wilhelm II only four days prior. On the evening of Sunday 23 July 1905, the Kaiser arrived at
Treaty
The defence treaty consisted of four articles and was signed by Wilhelm II and Tsar Nicholas II. It was countersigned by Heinrich von Tschirschky, head of the German Foreign Office, and Naval Minister Aleksei Birilev:[3]
Their Majesties the Emperors of all the Russias and Germany, in order to ensure the continuance of peace in Europe have decreed the following Articles of a Defensive Alliance Treaty.
Article I
In case one of the two Empires is attacked by a European Power, his ally will help it in Europe with all its land and sea forces.
Article II
High Contracting Parties undertake not to conclude separate peace with any common adversary.
Article III
The present Treaty shall enter into force as soon as peace between Russia and Japan is concluded and shall remain valid as long as it is not denounced a year in advance.
Article IV
The Emperor of all the Russias, after the entry into force of this treaty, will take the necessary steps to initiate France to this agreement and engage it to join as an ally.
Signature
Wilhelm I.R. Nicolas
Von Tschirschky und Brogendorff Birilev.
Reaction
The treaty needed to be ratified by both the German and Russian governments.
Germany
The German motive for the treaty was to weaken the Franco-Russian Alliance and enhance Germany's position towards Britain.[4] The treaty was initially designed as a global mutual defence agreement, but Wilhelm's addition of the words "in Europe" in the first article limited its scope to Europe. This amendment caused a disagreement between the Kaiser and the German Reich Chancellor, Bernhard von Bülow, who was not informed of the late change.[4] Bülow believed that Russia's assistance would be necessary regarding the British presence in India. However, Wilhelm argued that such operations would lead Germany into a futile war in that region, jeopardising Germany's position in Europe.[4] Bülow's disagreement even led him to threaten resignation, prompting a melodramatic letter from the Kaiser that ended with the words, "if a letter of resignation arrived from you, the next morning would find the Kaiser no longer alive! Think of my poor wife and children!"[4] Bülow offered to compromise, but the Russian government rejected the agreement before the issue could be resolved on the German side.[4]
Russia
Although Tsar Nicholas had signed the treaty, his government did not ratify it due to the preexisting
References
- ^ Roderick R. McLean ,"Dreams of a German Europe: Wilhelm II and the Treaty of Björkö of 1905." in The Kaiser: New Research on Wilhelm II’s Role in Imperial Germany (2003): 119-141.
- ^ Fay, p. 48, citing from A. A. Knopf's work (ed. Herman Bernstein), The Willy-Nicky Correspondence (January 1918). "Nobody has the slightest idea of meeting. The faces of my guests will be worth seeing when they suddenly behold your yacht. A fine lark. Tableaux. Which dress for the meeting? Willy." (Original text, in English).
- ^ Die Grosse Politik der Europäischen Kabinette 1871-1914, Vol.19, p. 465.
- ^ ISBN 9781107544192.
- ^ Reynolds, p. 23
- ^ Cecil, p. 102
- ^ Clark, p. 193
Sources
- Cecil, Lamar. Wilhelm II. UNC Press, 1996. ISBN 0-8078-2283-3.
- Clark, Christopher. Kaiser Wilhelm II: A Life in Power. Penguin, 2009. ISBN 978-0141039930
- Fay, Sidney B. The Kaiser's Secret Negotiations with the Tsar, 1904-1905. American Historical Review 24#1 (1918), pp. 48–72. online
- McLean, Roderick R. "Dreams of a German Europe: Wilhelm II and the Treaty of Björkö of 1905." in The Kaiser: New Research on Wilhelm II’s Role in Imperial Germany (2003): 119-141.
- Reynolds, David. Summits. Six Meetings That Shaped the World. Basic Books, 2007. ISBN 978-0-465-06904-0
- Die Grosse Politik der Europäischen Kabinette 1871-1914, Vol.19, "Chapter 138: Der Vertrag von Björkoe" (pp. 433–528), 1927; primary sources (in German).