Wilhelm+and+Germany

__Kaiser Wilhelm II __

Teresa []

He was a strong believer in increasing the strength of the German armed forces, particularly the navy. His policies towards Britain were contradictory. He alienated Britain with his naval expansion and a policy of aggressive German colonial expansion, and also supported the Boers in their fight against the British.

Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914, Wilhelm encouraged the Austrians to adopt an uncompromising line against Serbia, effectively writing them a 'blank cheque' for German support in the event of war. He appeared not to realise the chain reaction this would trigger. Russia and her allies France and Britain entered the war against Germany and Austria. Wilhelm tried to scale back the mobilisation of Germany's armed forces, but was prevented by the Germany military.

Kasia’s Research  [|(http://www.angelfire.com/tv/jarbury/essay/wilhelm.html)] & ([])


 * In 1888, Wilhelm II ascended to the German throne as Kaiser. The policies and style of government he instigated over the next 26 years __played a major role in the outbreak of war__ in 1914. In a marked change from the conservative Bismarckian politics of the 1870s and 1880s, Wilhelm II embarked upon a militaristic and expansionist political path in an attempt to ‘defend Germany’s so-called “place in the sun”’.
 * Upbringing was __aggressive and authoritarian__
 * Wilhelm was an __overtly militaristic man__, and believed fervently in increasing the strength of Germany's armed forces. In particular he was keen to develop a German navy the equal of Britain's Royal Navy
 * Wilhelm __suffered a nervous breakdown__ in 1908, consequently playing a lesser role in the government of Germany for the following few years. Wilhelm was, however, no friend of democracy.
 * Wilhelm __operated as Commander in Chief of the German armed forces__ throughout the war. Notwithstanding this, the __German military operated under its own effective control__: Wilhelm was essentially a figurehead. It was a completely independent of political authority to tell them what they should do, they were an institution unto itself.
 * To found a n__ation on military success can be seen as very dangerous, and the constitution of Germany that was created reflected the militaristic foundation of the new empire__. The Wilhelmine system was not an autocracy, but neither was it a constitutional monarchy: the Bundesrat, the Reichstag under leadership of the Chancellor, as well as the Prussian Cabinet and the military establishment all had real political power.
 * Wilhelm II’s __desire for ‘personal rule’ meant that any of his personal traits would be very important; therefore ‘Wilhelm II’s impulsiveness and infirmity of purpose aroused mistrust everywhere’.__ Historians are in general agreement that Wilhelm II __did not have the right personality to be a competent leader.__ Furthermore, because he had constitutional prerogative over foreign and military affairs, such a mismatch between personality and power would have disastrous results.

Maria’s Research: (From Encyclopedia Britannica)


 * He was born with a damaged left arm. The limb never grew to full size and some historians have claimed this disability as a clue to understanding his behaviour.
 * More influential, however, in influencing his behaviour was his parentage. His father was honourable, intelligent, and considerate but had neither the will nor the stamina needed to dominate. His father’s lack of stamina was not shared by his mother, who had acquired from her father, [|**Albert**] , seriousness of purpose and from her mother emotion and obstinacy. Her intellect was hopelessly at the mercy of her feelings, and she took rapid likes and dislikes.
 * She [Wilhelm's mother] tried to force on her son the outlook of a 19th-century British Liberal and bring him up as an English gentleman. The result, however, was to make him sympathetic to those who were urging him to fulfill the ideal that the Prussian people had formed of a ruler—firm, brave, frugal, just and manly, self-sacrificing but also self-reliant.
 * Difficult as William’s relations with his mother were, __she left a deep and lasting mark on him__. He was never able to shake off the respect instilled into him for liberal values and habits of life. __To be the tough warrior-king did not come naturally to him, yet this was the role to which he felt he must live up, and the result was that he overdid it__. Inclination and a sense of duty—inculcated by a Calvinist tutor—were alternating in him continually, each managing to frustrate the other. The tension between the two, superimposed on his ** [|physical disability], ** <span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">ultimately explains __his__ __taut, restless, and irresolute character.__<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">
 * <span style="color: black; line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">... __William often bombastically claimed to be the man who made the decisions__
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">As time passed, historians increasingly viewed William more as an accomplice rather than an instigator<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">. In the years after 1890 the German upper and <span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">[|**middle classes**] <span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> would have wanted a larger say in the world’s councils no matter who had been on the throne, and this “urge to world power” was almost bound to bring them into collision with some of the existing great powers. __T__ __he chief real criticism to be made of the kaiser is that, instead of seeing this danger and using his influence to restrain German appetites, he shared those appetites and indeed increased them, particularly by his determination to give Germany a navy of which it could be proud and by his frequently tactless and aggressive public statements.__<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">