Moralische Eroberungen als Instrumente der Diplomatie

The establishment of mass media and the development of new communication technologies at the end of the 19th century had severe consequences on how politics and diplomacy were perceived. The leading diplomats of the German Foreign Ministry were no exception. In Berlin, the “Public” was growingly considered to be a political factor of its own, which had the potential of benefiting as well as threatening German interests in the world. The author will investigate how Germany’s diplomats reacted to this challenge between the turn of the century and up until the outbreak of World War I. and how they tried to influence the public abroad in a way that was favorable for German foreign policy.