Difference between revisions of "Kaiser Wilhelm II"
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(Historian Fritz Fischer examined the German archive and identified a meeting, the German Imperial War Council of December 8, 1912, at which Wilhelm expressed the intention of initiating war against the Britain, France, and Russia by the summer of 1914.) |
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| − | '''Kaiser Wilhelm II''' (27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was king of [[Prussia]] and [[Germany|German]] [[emperor]] | + | '''Kaiser Wilhelm II''' (27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was king of [[Prussia]] and emperor of [[Germany|German]] [[emperor]] from June 1888 to November 1918. He fled to Holland at the end of the war, after his abdication due to political pressure in the midst of Germany's surrender in [[World War I]]. |
| − | Wilhelm was a prominent figure in late 19th century and early 20th century politics, pursuing an aggressive foreign policy strategy known as "Weltpolitik" | + | |
| − | Wilhelm II was obsessed with militarism, having had a say in many German military issues of the time. He was also a manic depressive, which influenced his decisions considerably, and lead to inconsistent and erratic policies. His power was undermined by 1916, with | + | Wilhelm was a prominent figure in late 19th century and early 20th century politics, pursuing an aggressive foreign policy strategy known as "Weltpolitik," literally meaning "world policy." In 1961, historian Fritz Fischer researched the German archive and identified a meeting, the German Imperial War Council of December 8, 1912, at which Wilhelm expressed the intention of initiating war against the Britain, France, and Russia by the summer of 1914. This discussion was prompted by a Russian military modernization program announced a few weeks earlier. Events played out much as the kaiser anticipated at this meeting, resulting in [[World War I]]. |
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| + | Wilhelm II was obsessed with militarism, having had a say in many German military issues of the time. He was also a manic depressive, which influenced his decisions considerably, and lead to inconsistent and erratic policies. His power was undermined by 1916, with generals Ludendorff and Von Hindenburg taking control of many wartime affairs. | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 11:06, April 30, 2016
Kaiser Wilhelm II (27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was king of Prussia and emperor of German emperor from June 1888 to November 1918. He fled to Holland at the end of the war, after his abdication due to political pressure in the midst of Germany's surrender in World War I.
Wilhelm was a prominent figure in late 19th century and early 20th century politics, pursuing an aggressive foreign policy strategy known as "Weltpolitik," literally meaning "world policy." In 1961, historian Fritz Fischer researched the German archive and identified a meeting, the German Imperial War Council of December 8, 1912, at which Wilhelm expressed the intention of initiating war against the Britain, France, and Russia by the summer of 1914. This discussion was prompted by a Russian military modernization program announced a few weeks earlier. Events played out much as the kaiser anticipated at this meeting, resulting in World War I.
Wilhelm II was obsessed with militarism, having had a say in many German military issues of the time. He was also a manic depressive, which influenced his decisions considerably, and lead to inconsistent and erratic policies. His power was undermined by 1916, with generals Ludendorff and Von Hindenburg taking control of many wartime affairs.