General Notes

William II (of Germany and Prussia), full name Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert
(1859-1941), emperor of Germany and king of Prussia (1888-1918), whose
policies helped bring about World War I (1914-1918).
William, also known as Kaiser Wilhelm, was born in Berlin and educated at the
University of Bonn. He was the son of Prince Frederick William, later German
emperor as Frederick III, and Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise, eldest daughter
of Queen Victoria of Great Britain. In 1881, after a period of military
service, he was married to Augusta Victoria, princess of Schleswig-Holstein.
He became emperor in 1888 upon the death of his father, who had reigned for
only three months.
William II's first major action as emperor was his dismissal in 1890 of the
aged chancellor Prince Otto von Bismarck, who had been largely responsible for
the growth of the German Empire under the emperor's grandfather, William I.
Thereafter William II participated significantly, often decisively, in the
formulation of foreign and domestic policies. His administration of internal
affairs was marked by the rapid transformation of Germany from an agricultural
to a major industrial state and by the accompanying development of serious
problems in capital-labor relations. William was only partially successful in
his attempts to curb the growth of Germany's Social Democratic party, which
ultimately became the largest political group in the empire.
The emperor believed that he ruled by divine right. Foreign affairs interested
him, but his policies were contradictory and confused. He professed deep
friendship for Great Britain but drove that country into an alliance with
France and Russia by his aggressive program of colonial, commercial, and naval
expansion. Similarly, his policy of friendship with Russia and support of
Russian ambitions in East Asia was negated by his encouragement of
Austro-Hungarian actions in the Balkans. He believed firmly in the efficacy of
the Triple Alliance of Germany with Austria-Hungary and Italy as a deterrent
to war. Imperial policy under his impulsive guidance severely aggravated the
international frictions that culminated in World War I.
During the war William's position became increasingly that of a figurehead.
Realizing his own incapacity as a military leader, he left the responsibility
for military decisions increasingly to the German generals Paul von Hindenburg
and Erich Ludendorff. He ignored the 1917 peace resolutions submitted by the
Reichstag and urged continuation of the war. After the German offensive of
1918 failed, unrest mounted among the German armies and people, and William
left his country and went to the Netherlands. He was forced to abdicate his
throne on November 9, 1918. During the peace negotiations at Versailles,
various representatives of the victorious Allies urged vainly that William be
extradited and tried as a war criminal. He spent his remaining years in
complete seclusion at Doorn Castle in the Netherlands. After the death of the
former empress in 1921, William married Hermine, princess of
Schönaich-Carolath. He lived to see the resurgence of German armed power; and
after his death he was buried with military honors by order of Adolf Hitler.