Kaiser wilhelm ii role in ww1

Kaiser wilhelm 2 biography wikipedia F or thirty years, from to , Wilhelm II led Germany as its kaiser, or emperor, until he was forced to abdicate resign from the throne and go into exile after Germany's defeat in World War I. He went to the Netherlands and lived there in virtual isolation for twenty-three years He died in , during World War II —45 , when the Netherlands was under German occupation. Wilhelm II led Germany during its period of rapid modernization in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His ambitions to make Germany a major military and naval power and his sometimes reckless diplomatic maneuvering in Europe were primary factors leading to World War I , and they ultimately spelled disaster for him and his nation. John Van der Kiste's biography of Wilhelm II, published in , suggests that some degree of mental instability, as well as personal animosities, fed Wilhelm's dislike for England and fueled his grand political strategies to dominate Europe.

Wilhelm II, German Emperor

Wilhelm II

Wilhelm II in

Reign

15 June – 9 November

Predecessor

Frederick III

Successor

Monarchy abolished
Friedrich Ebert (as President)

Chancellors

Born

Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert
()27 January
Kronprinzenpalais, Berlin, Prussia

Died

4 June () (aged&#;82)
Huis Doorn, Doorn, Netherlands^[a]

Burial

9 June

Huis Doorn, Doorn

Spouse

Issue

Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert

House

Hohenzollern

Father

Frederick III, German Emperor

Mother

Victoria, Princess Royal

Religion

Lutheranism (Prussian United)

Signature

Wilhelm II^[b] (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January &#;&#; 4 June ) was the last reigning German Emperor and King of Prussia from until his abdication in Following the German Revolution, his reign ended the German Empire and the Hohenzollern dynasty's year rule of Prussia.

Biography

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Early life and family

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Wilhelm was born on 27 January and was the oldest child in his family. His father was Prince Frederick of Prussia. His mother was Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Kaiser wilhelm 2 biography Wilhelm II , the German kaiser emperor and king of Prussia from to , was one of the most recognizable public figures of World War I He gained a reputation as a swaggering militarist through his speeches and ill-advised newspaper interviews. While Wilhelm did not actively seek war, and tried to hold back his generals from mobilizing the German army in the summer of , his verbal outbursts and his open enjoyment of the title of Supreme War Lord helped bolster the case of those who blamed him for the conflict. His role in the conduct of the war as well as his responsibility for its outbreak is still controversial. Some historians maintain that Wilhelm was controlled by his generals, while others argue that he retained considerable political power.

He was born with a disabled left arm.

He married in Augusta Victoria. He and his wife had seven children. He studied at the Kassel Gymnasium and then at the University of Bonn.

Kaiser wilhelm 2 British Broadcasting Corporation Home. A difficult birth left Wilhelm with a withered arm, which he always tried to conceal. In , after a period of military service, Wilhelm married Augusta Victoria, Princess of Schleswig-Holstein, and they had seven children. He died shortly afterwards, making Wilhelm kaiser at the age of Although he had previously admired the great German statesman Otto von Bismarck, within two years Wilhelm had forced his resignation.

Reign

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He became leader of Germany in , when his father died. He disagreed with his father's longtime chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, and dismissed him in

Wilhelm believed in strengthening Germany’s armed forces, especially the navy. He led Germany during World War I. In November 9th, , Wilhelm II stepped down from the throne, ending the German Empire.

Titles and styles

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Notes

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↑The Netherlands was under German occupation at the time of Wilhelm's death.
↑The English-language form William II is uncommon in contrast to other historical monarchs.

Other websites

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Media related to Wilhelm II, German Emperor at Wikimedia Commons