Why is kaiser wilhelm ii important

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This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. World War One Centenary. Settings Sign out. Wilhelm was now second in line after his father to become an emperor as well as king of Prussia. Twelve years old at the time, Wilhelm was filled with nationalistic enthusiasm. An intelligent young man who possessed a lifelong interest in science and technology, Wilhelm was educated at the University of Bonn. His quick mind, however, was combined with an even quicker temper and an impulsive, high-strung personality.

He had dysfunctional relationships with both parents, particularly his English mother. The couple would go on to have seven children.

Already ill with terminal throat cancer, he died after a reign of only several months. Wilhelm succeeded his father on June 15, , at the age of The kaiser embarked on his so-called New Course, a period of personal rule in which he appointed chancellors who were upper-level civil servants rather than statesmen.

Bismarck bitterly predicted that Wilhelm would lead Germany to ruin. Wilhelm damaged his political position in a number of ways. He meddled in German foreign policy on the basis of his emotions, resulting in incoherence and inconsistency in German relations with other nations. He also made a number of public blunders, the worst of which was The Daily Telegraph affair of Although there is no evidence that Wilhelm was gay—in addition to his seven children with his first wife, he was rumored to have several illegitimate offspring—the scandal was used by his political opponents to weaken his influence.

His childhood visits to his British cousins had given him a love for the sea—sailing was one of his favorite recreations—and his envy of the power of the British navy convinced him that Germany must build a large fleet of its own in order to fulfill its destiny. The kaiser supported the plans of Alfred von Tirpitz , his chief admiral, who maintained that Germany could gain diplomatic power over Britain by stationing a fleet of warships in the North Sea.

There is little doubt that he had been broken psychologically by the criticism that followed the Eulenburg-Harden and Daily Telegraph scandals; he suffered an episode of depression in In addition, the kaiser was out of touch with the realities of international politics in ; he thought that his blood relationships to other European monarchs were sufficient to manage the crisis that followed the June assassination of the Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

With World War I under way, the kaiser, as commander in chief of the German armed forces, retained the power to make upper-level changes in military command. Nonetheless, he was largely a shadow monarch during the war, useful to his generals as a public-relations figure who toured the front lines and handed out medals.

After , Germany was, in effect, a military dictatorship dominated by two generals, Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Charles II was the monarch of England, Scotland and Ireland during much of the latter half of the 17th century, marking the Restoration era.

Alexander the Great served as king of Macedonia from to B. During his time of leadership, he united Greece, reestablished the Corinthian League and conquered the Persian Empire.

Nicholas II was the last tsar of Russia under Romanov rule. Flavor Flav is an American hip-hop artist known for his work with Public Enemy and for his appearances on multiple reality television series. By winning wars and expanding territories, he established Prussia as a strong military power.

Philip II reigned over Macedonia from to B.