Skip to main content

Kaiser William II - The Last Emperor of the German Empire

Kaiser William (or Wilhelm) II was the third and last Emperor of the German Empire and the last king of the Kingdom of Prussia. He remained the emperor for 30 years (1888-1918). The German defeat in World War I (1914-18) ended his reign and abolished the monarchy.

Early Life

Kaiser William II

William was born on 27th January 1859 in Berlin to the 2nd German Emperor Frederick III. Her mother, Victoria, was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the U.K. Wilhelm finished high school in 1877 while he studied law and politics at the University of Bonn. Under the influence of his German tutors, William became an extreme antagonist of the British form of democracy while he was much interested in autocratic rule according to Prussian thought. 

William II as Emperor

On 9th March 1888, Emperor Wilhelm I died and was replaced by Wilhelm II’s father, Frederick III. But he also died in June 1888 due to throat cancer, and Wilhelm II became the German Emperor on 15th June 1888.

Chancellor Otto von Bismarck was a German statesman who played the most significant role in the unification of Germany and the formation of the German Empire during the second half of the 19th Century. But his relations with Wilhelm III were not courteous due to the latter aggressive foreign policy as opposed to Bismarck’s relatively peaceful and wise policy. Tensions between the two rose with time, and Bismarck resigned as chancellor in 1890 after being insisted by Wilhelm II.

In 1888-89, Wilhelm II suppressed the Abushiri Revolt in German East Africa (now Kenya, Tanzania, etc.).

In 1904, the Herero and Namaqua Genocide occurred in German South-West Africa (now Namibia) when the tribes of Herero and Namaqua rebelled against the Germans. After the failed revolt, these tribes were driven by German forces into the Namib Desert, where thousands died due to thirst and starvation.

In March 1905, Kaiser William II visited Morocco and met with representatives of the Sultan of Morocco and assured his support for the sovereignty of Morocco, which was under the influence of France. This visit started the First Moroccan Crisis, which lasted till April 1906. This crisis worsened the relations between Triple Alliance (Germany, Austro-Hungary, and Italy) and Triple Entente (Britain, France, and Russia) and is known as one of the causes of World War I. 

Kaiser William II wanted to become the ruler of a country with a powerful navy comparable to the Royal Navy of the U.K. For this purpose, he passed five German Naval laws in 1890, 1900, 1906, 1908, and 1912 to strengthen its naval force. The purpose behind these efforts was to prepare Germany to compete with the marine superpower Britain during any conflict.

Kaiser During World War I

On 28th June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serbian nationalist organization Black Hand. Within two days of this event, Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war against Serbia, and Russia mobilized its forces to defend Serbia. Later, Germany also entered the war in favor of Austro-Hungary.

After initial hostilities, trench battles started without much success for any opposing side. During the last stages of the war, the political government of Germany was seen nowhere while the military generals were controlling the whole situation. The situation deteriorated in 1918 for Germany and its allies, and the war ended in favor of the Allied Powers in November 1918. 

German Revolution

During the last months of 1918, the German Revolution started when both the nationalists and socialists united against the monarchy. Apart from that, a mutiny was also evident among the ranks of the military, especially naval forces. This situation left no option for Kaiser except to resign. After the exile, William entered the Netherlands on 10th November 1918 and remained there for the remainder of his life. William II died at 82 on 3rd June 1941, during World War II.

Place in History

Kaiser William II wanted to become a great ruler of the German Empire and intended to take the Empire to the height of glory. However, he lacked the qualities required for this purpose. He took the resignation of Otto van Bismarck, the mind behind establishing the German Empire, to become an autocratic monarch.

His aggressive policies paved the way for World War I. These include the Moroccan Crisis, building a powerful navy parallel to the English Royal Navy, and his controversial interview with the Daily Telegraph. His strategy during World War I also proved damaging as he let his military commanders control the situation while the political government remained ineffective. His rule deserves to be called a failed one which caused damage to Germany and also resulted in the dismantling of the German Empire. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reasons for the Fall of the Abbasid Caliphate

Abbasid Caliphate was the third Muslim Caliphate after the Rashidun and Umayyad caliphates. It was also the second Muslim dynasty after Umayyad Dynasty, as the rulers during this dynasty belonged only to the Abbasid family.  The Abbasids took the throne in 750 AD after the fall of the Umayyad Dynasty . They ruled almost the entire Muslim world (directly or indirectly) for more than 500 years till 1258 AD. In 1258, Mongols occupied Baghdad and assassinated the last Abbasid caliph Mustasim, thus effectively bringing  the downfall of  the Abbasid Caliphate. Though Abbasids remained caliphs for over 500 years, the gradual decline of their empire started almost from the beginning. The following are the top reasons behind the fall of the Abbasid Caliphate. Fall of the Abbasid Caliphate - Main  Reasons Differences with Shia Abbasids and Shia were together during the Hashemite movement, which overthrew the  Umayyad Caliphate . But differences between the two parties started a
5 comments
Read more

Reasons for the Fall of the Umayyad Dynasty

Umayyad Caliphate was the second Muslim Caliphate that emerged after Rashidun Caliphate. However, it is commonly known as Umayyad Dynasty due to its centralization on the Umayyad clan of the Quraysh tribe of Makkah.  At its peak, the Umayyad Dynasty ruled the  Middle East, North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, Persia, and Central Asia . It makes it the largest Muslim dynasty and one of the largest empires in human history. Umayyad Caliphate also kept the unity of the Islamic Caliphate as more than one Muslim dynasty appeared soon after the fall of the Umayyad Dynasty. But despite these prominent political and military achievements, Umayyad Dynasty could only last for around 90 years. The Abbasids took the throne from them in 750 AD (Later, Umayyad ruled the Iberian Peninsula from 756 to 1031 AD). Fall of Umayyad Dynasty - Main Reasons Surprisingly, such a vast and politically powerful umpire could only last 90 years. There are several reasons behind the fall of the Umayya
6 comments
Read more

Muslim Migration to Abyssinia - Difficulties and Significance

Migration to Abyssinia is a significant event in Islamic History. Through this migration (Hijrah), several Muslims saved themselves from the persecution of the  Quraysh tribe of Makkah. The helpful experience of this migration paved the way for a far more fruitful Muslim Migration to Madinah, which later proved to be the basis of the formation of the Islamic Caliphate. Situation Before Hijrah Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) started preaching Islam secretly in 610 AD. After three years, he publically started teaching Islam and declared his prophethood. Quraysh became furious at his teachings as it was against the way of their forefathers. They started mistreating those few people who accepted Islam, and life became difficult for Muslims in Makkah.  First Hijrah to Abyssinia At that time, Muslims heard about a kind-hearted king of Abyssinia (now in Ethiopia and Eritrea), Najashi . On seeing the difficulties of people and the cruelty of Quraysh, Muhammad (PBUH) allowed a few Mus
7 comments
Read more