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BENNIGSEN, RUDOLF VON (1824–1902)

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 743 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BENNIGSEN, See also:RUDOLF VON (1824–1902) , See also:German politician, was See also:born at See also:Luneburg on the loth of See also:July 1824. He was descended from an old Hanoverian See also:family, his See also:father, Karl von Bennigsen, being an officer in the Hanoverian See also:army, who See also:rose to the See also:rank of See also:general and also held See also:diplomatic appointments. Bennigsen, having studied at the university of See also:Gottingen, entered the Hanoverian See also:civil service. In 1855 he was elected a member of the second chamber; and as the See also:government refused to allow him leave of See also:absence from his See also:official duties he resigned his See also:post in the public service. He at once became the recognized See also:leader of the Liberal opposition to the reactionary government, but must be distinguished from See also:Count Bennigsen, a member of the same family, and son of the distinguished See also:Russian general, who was also one of the See also:parliamentary leaders at the See also:time. What gave Bennigsen his importance not only in lIanover, but throughout the whole of See also:Germany, was the See also:foundation of the See also:National Verein, which was due to him, and of which he was See also:president. This society, which arose out of the public excitement created by the See also:war between See also:France and See also:Austria, had for its See also:object the formation of a national party which should strive for the unity and the constitutional See also:liberty of the whole Father-See also:land. It See also:united the moderate Liberals throughout Germany, and at once became a See also:great See also:political See also:power, notwithstanding all the efforts of the governments, and especially of the See also:king of See also:Hanover to suppress it. In 1866 Bennigsen used all his See also:influence to keep Hanover neutral in the conflict between See also:Prussia and Austria, but in vain. He took no See also:part in the war, but his See also:brother, who was an officer in the Prussian army, was killed in Bohemia. In May of this See also:year he had an important interview with See also:Bismarck, who wished to secure his support for the reform of the See also:confederation, and after the war was over at once accepted the position.of a Prussian subject, and took his seat in the See also:diet of the See also:North German Confederation and in the Prussian See also:parliament. He used his influence to procure as much See also:autonomy as possible for the See also:province of Hanover, but was a strong opponent of the See also:Guelph party.

He was one of the three Hanoverians, See also:

Windthorst and See also:Miquel being the other two, who at once won for the representatives of the conquered province the See also:lead in both the Prussian and German parliaments. The National Verein, its See also:work being done, was now dissolved.; but Bennigsen was chiefly instrumental in See also:founding a new political party—the National Liberals,—who, while they supported Bismarck's national policy, hoped to secure the constitutional development of the See also:country. For the next See also:thirty years he was president of the party, and was the most influential of the parliamentary leaders. It was chiefly owing to him that the See also:building up of the See also:internal institutions of the See also:empire was carried on without the open See also:breach between Bismarck and the parliament, which was often imminent. Many amendments suggested by him were introduced in the debates on the constitution; in 187o he undertook a See also:mission to See also:South Germany to strengthen the national party there, and was consulted by Bismarck while at See also:Versailles. It was he who brought about the See also:compromise on the military See also:bill in 1874. In 1877 he was offered the post of See also:vice-See also:chancellor with a seat in the Prussian See also:ministry, but refused it because Bismarck or the king would not agree to his conditions. From this time his relations with the government were less friendly, and in 1878 he brought about the rejection of the first Socialist Bill. In 1883 he resigned his seat in parliament owing to the reactionary See also:measures of the government, which made it impossible for him to continue his former co-operation with Bismarck, but returned in 1887 to support the See also:coalition of national parties. One of the first acts of the See also:emperor See also:William II. was to appoint him president of the province of Hanover. In 1897 he resigned this post and retired from public See also:life. He died on the 7th of See also:August 1902.

See See also:

biographical notices by A. See also:Kiepert (2nd ed., Hanover, 1902), and E. Schreck (Hanover, 1894).

End of Article: BENNIGSEN, RUDOLF VON (1824–1902)

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