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| 1856 | Birth |  |
| 29th Nov Hohenfinow Birth of Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg |
| 1899 | President | |
| Appointed President of the Province of Brandenburg |
| 1905 | Minister of Interior | |
| Appointed Prussian Minister of Interior |
| 1907 | Vice Chancellor | |
| Berlin Appointed Vice Chancellor |
| 1909 | Prime Minister | |
| Appointed Prime Minister of Prussia |
| 1913 | Scandal | |
| 4th Dec Berlin Loses a vote of confidence in the Reichstag over the Zabern |
| 1913 | Vote Confidence | |
| 4th Dec Berlin Loses a vote of confidence in the Reichstag over the Zabern |
| 1914 | Alliance | |
| 5th July Assures Francis -Joseph Germany will not desert Austria during its conflict with Serbia |
| 5th July Informs the Austria Germany will support Austria against Serbia, the "blank cheque" |
| 1914 | Assassination | |
| 28th June Sarajevo Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Bethmann Hollweg and Foreign Secretary Gottlieb von Jagow are instrumental in urging the Austrians to take a tough stand against Serbia |
| 1914 | Capture of Brussels | |
| 20th Aug Brussels Germany captures Brussels |
| 1914 | Declaration of War | |
| 1st Aug Germany declares war on Russia |
| 3rd Aug Germany declares war on France |
| 4th Aug Germany declares war on Belgium |
| 12th Aug Montenegro declares war on Germany |
| 12th Aug Serbia declares war on Germany |
| 23rd Aug Japan declares war on Germany |
| 1914 | Diplomacy | |
| Will not invade France if Britain remains neutral but Edward Grey refuses such a deal |
| 31st July Berlin Telegrams Count Berchtold asking the Auastrians not to mobilize against Russia |
| 1914 | Invasion of Belgium | |
| Aug Asks British Ambassador Goschen how Britain could go to war over a "mere scrap of paper" (the Treaty of London of 1839 protecting Belgium's neutrality), a remark which would become infamous |
| 2nd Aug Germany demands free passage through Belgium |
| 3rd Aug Belgium rejects Germany's demand for troop access |
| 3rd Aug Liege German troops cross the Belgian frontier at Vise in the province of Liege |
| 3rd Aug Germany calls for a free passage across Belgium but this is refused the following day |
| 1914 | Invasion of France | |
| 24th Aug Lille Germany enters France near Lille |
| 1914 | July Crisis | |
| 5th July Assures Francis -Joseph Germany will not desert Austria during its conflict with Serbia |
| 5th July Informs the Austria Germany will support Austria against Serbia, the "blank cheque" |
| 6th July Encourages Austro-Hungarian aggression against Serbia with unconditional support |
| 29th July Advises Vienna to mediate |
| 29th July Proposes a neutrality agreement to Britain guaranteeing France's territory |
| 30th July Declares a "state of imminent war" |
| 30th July Learns of Russia's mobilization |
| 1st Aug Demands that France abandon the Franco-Russian alliance |
| 1st Aug Germany declares war on Russia |
| 2nd Aug Belgium is asked to accept German protection from a non-existent French attack |
| 3rd Aug Germany declares war on France |
| 3rd Aug Berk Makes an address in the Reichstag about the Russian "firebrand" |
| 3rd Aug Berlin Makes an address in the Reichstag about the Russian "firebrand" |
| 1915 | Blockade of Britain | |
| 4th Feb Germany declares submarine blockade of Britain, with all approaching ships considered targets, the start of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare |
| 18th Feb A German submarine blockade of Great Britain begins |
| 15th June Allied aircraft bombs Karlsruhe in retaliation for German bombing of London |
| 1915 | Capture of Serbia | |
| 23rd Nov German, Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian forces push the Serbian army into exile; Serbia falls |
| 1915 | Diplomacy | |
| 1st Sep After American outrage, Germany officially stops sinking passenger vessels without warning |
| 1915 | Offensive | |
| 12th Dec After the failure of the Austrian 'Black Yellow' offensive, Germany takes over ultimate control of Austro-Hungarian forces |
| 1915 | Reprisals Order | |
| 11th Mar The Reprisals Order, in which Britain bans all 'neutral' parties from trading with Germany |
| 1915 | Sinking Lusitania | |
| 7th May Kinsale Germany sinks the Cunard liner Lusitania, 1152 lives are lost including 102 Americans |
| 1915 | Triple Offensive | |
| 15th July The German 'Triple Offensive' begins, aiming to destroy the Russian army |
| 22nd July 'The Great Retreat' is ordered - Russian forces pull back out of Poland (currently part of Russia), taking machinery and equipment with them |
| 1915 | Unrestricted Submarine Warfare | |
| 4th Feb Germany declares submarine blockade of Britain, with all approaching ships considered targets, the start of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare |
| 1917 | Diplomacy | |
| Hopes for President Woodrow Wilson's mediation come to nothing, and, over Bethmann Hollweg's objections, Hindenburg and Ludendorff force the adoption of unrestricted submarine warfare bringing the USAinto the war in 1917 |
| 1917 | Peace | |
| 16th May Offers an immediate peace to Russia |
| 9th July The Kaiser rejects Bethmann's peace policy |
| 1917 | Resignation | |
| 13th July Berlin The passage of the Peace Resolution by an alliance of the Social Democratic, Progressive, and Center parties, forces his resignation and replacement by the political nonentity Georg Michaelis |
| 1919 | Trial | |
| June Formally asks the Allied and associated powers to place him on trial instead of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Supreme Council decides to ignore his request |
| 1921 | Death | |
| 1st Jan Death of Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg |
