Book Description
B> The latest book in the popular Profiles in Power Series,
Kaiser Wilhelm provides a concise and analytical examination which covers the entire span of the Kaiser's life, including his years in exile. Wilhelm was one of the key figures in the history of twentieth century Europe as King of Prussia and German Emperor from 1888 to the collapse of Germany in 1918. . Offers an analytical study of the nature and extent of Wilhelm's political power, examines his political goals and success in achieving them, as well as, his failings as a ruler, and explores the collapse of Prussia's monarchy. Of interest to readers of German history or World War I. Hardcover 0-582-24560-5 $ 69.95
Customer Reviews:
Excellent political science & history, less so biography.......2003-11-11
Christopher Clark's remarkably concise biography of Wilhelm II, one of the more controversial figures of German history, very ably presents the last Kaiser in the context of his times and his political position. It is a well written work of political science and history, with incisive analysis of how the Kaiser operated within the constraints of the powers he enjoyed as emperor.
Since this is a volume in a series entitled "Profiles in Power," it is perhaps not surprising that its focus is primarily the 30 years in which Wilhelm reigned: 1888-1918. Because of this, as a biography, the book is somewhat less satisfying, in that it gives relatively limited attention to the first 29 years of his life and to the last 23 years of his life (a chapter each for these two periods as compared to 6 chapters for the period of his reign and a summary chapter). The book presents a relatively limited portrait of Wilhelm as an individual, except insofar as his personal strengths and weaknesses affected his role as monarch. Because his personality affected his rule so greatly, this seems a greater deficit here than in other political biographies.
Nonetheless, the book presents a great deal of information in a relatively short scope-261 pages, including footnotes. Among the topics the book explores: Wilhelm's difficult relations with his father and his closer relationship to his grandfather, Wilhelm I; the challenges posed by his dual role as German Kaiser and King of Prussia; his difficult position between the Reichstag and Cabinet, on one hand, and the German military, on the other; the divide between the early years of his reign, when he chose to intervene more often in politics and governance of Germany, and the latter years, when a combination of World War I and his seeming reduced interest seemed to lessen his interventions; his role as Commander in Chief of the German army; and, of course, the question of his culpability for the First World War, which Clark handles especially well. He also addresses the issue of whether Wilhelm's reign was, as many historians claim, largely a personalized exercise of power. Many of these topics are presented with alternate interpretations by other historians, and the author's synthesis or conclusions. This is certainly one of the most balanced portrayals of Wilhelm I have read.
This biography is bound to appeal to aficionados of German and modern European history as well as those interested in the causes of World War I. It both was quite informative and held my interest throughout.
great!.......2003-03-10
Cambridge historian Christopher Clarkýs 2000 study of the Kaiser is, despite its brevity, a concise and balanced account of Wilhelmýs life into which he incorporates much recent historiography of Wilhelmine Germany. Clark paints a picture of an emperor whose power and influence gradually weakened over time. By the late 1890s, he argues, Wilhelm had ýemerged as a significant factor in high politics, launching ambitious (if often doomed) legislative schemes, intriguing with individual ministers, and gradually hollowing out the authority of the chancellor.ý (117) In the realm of foreign policy, however, Clark argues that Wilhelm became increasingly ýmarginalýto the real centers of policy making,ý particularly after several notable blunders including the Zabern incident and the Daily Telegraph affair, both of which witnessed his impetuous and ýundiplomaticý style, to the horror of professional diplomats.
With regard to the outbreak of war in 1914, however, Clark argues that while Helmuth von Moltke, chief of the German General Staff, ýpressed his sovereignýat crucial momentsý in the months leading to war, at no point did the monarch ýsurrender the power of decision to the military.ý (215) Far from being a warmonger, Clark asserts, Wilhelm was ýreluctant to entangle Germany in a continental war,ý (214) and maintained ýhis own outlook on policy [that] differed in crucial ways from that of the military leadership.ý (216) He never supported the ýpreventive warý strategy espoused by top army officials, nor did he regard mobilization as irreversible. Clark points to Wilhelmýs attempts to mediate between Serbia and Austria-Hungary as evidence of his ýreluctance to allow Germany to be sucked into a Balkan engagementý in 1914. (218) This initiative was ýoverridden by the chancellor,ý Clark notes, which provides further proof of the Kaiserýs declining stature in affairs of the stateýaffairs he could ýinfluenceýbut did not control.ý (218)
What of Wilhelmýs involvement in the prosecution of and involvement in the Great War? Clark concludes that the Kaiserýs ýcapacity to exercise a command function was narrowly circumscribed,ý which considerably diluted his influence among Germanyýs military leaders. Furthermore, he ýlacked an overview of strategic planningý leading up to and including the early stages of the war because, Clark maintains, the general staff regarded him as a security risk and refused to take him in to their confidence. As a result, he was displaced from the center of military affairs, shielded from much bad news from the front, and ýwas excluded from the sphere of operational command of the land forcesýthough he did exercise a more directýinfluence on the wartime operations of the German navy.ý (227) Clark warns that one should not push the argument that the Kaiser was marginal too far. ýBy virtue of his position,ý he writes, Wilhelm was a ýfigure of crucial importance,ý namely for his authority to ýappoint and dismiss ýhisý officers and officials.ý (228) He concludes that although he was not vital militarily to the day to day running of the war, the emperor was a central figure in the ýprocesses by which some of the most central policy issues of the war years were resolved.ý (244)
This is a great, short study for the student and buff.
Good for what it attempts to do.......2001-07-02
I just finished this book, and found it very interesting and useful. It is not intended as a "life" of the Kaiser, but only as an analysis of his rule. I was looking for this kind of focus, so was happy with the book. The author's main thesis is that under the German constitution in effect at the time, the Kaiser had little actual power. While able to influence events, he could not control them. Only in the German shipbuilding plan did the Kaiser play a leading role. The author feels that Wilhelm sincerely wanted to avoid war in 1914. Actually, most of the book is not about the war years, giving the reader a more balanced overview of the reign. It is suggested that Wilhelm was one of the first "media" personalities, partly because of his penchant of making off-the-cuff remarks that continually got him bad publicity. The author discusses these various remarks based on the context in which they were made and the audience they were intended for, in a partially sucessful attempt to show they were not so outrageous as usually presented. While the book is not a whitewash of the Kaiser, the author does try to show he was not the arch-fiend of Allied propaganda. Since this is my personal view, I was in sympathy with the author's approach.
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The Kaiser: New Research on Wilhelm II's Role in Imperial Germany
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0521824087 |
Book Description
Focusing on the final years of his reign (1900-1918), this collection of essays examines the role of Germany's last emperor, Wilhelm II, by highlighting his importance from different perspectives: domestic and foreign policy, and public opinion. It is based on the latest research on Wilhelmine Germany, as well as new archival evidence, and thus presents the most up-to-date interpretation of the monarch. The volume also pays tribute to Professor John Röhl, Wilhelm II's most famous biographer, on the occasion of his 65th birthday.
Book Description
This lively and concise book uses a dual approach to introduce students and non-specialists to Wilhelmine Germany (1888-1918). It surveys social, economic, political, cultural and diplomatic developments in an age of tumultuous upheaval. It also explains why historians have so often reversed the interpretative 'switches' guiding research on this period. By highlighting the breadth of historical change under Wilhelm II and the evolution of opposing viewpoints about its significance, this book provides easy access to an epoch - and a debate - characterised more by controversy than consensus.
Amazon.com
Praised for a thoughtful reassessment of Frederick the Great in his previous book, Giles MacDonogh tackles another controversial figure in German history, Kaiser Wilhelm II. William (as his British biographer calls him throughout) has often been dismissed as an anti-Semite and a reactionary whose policies, particularly the buildup of the German navy, inevitably led to World War I. MacDonogh's readable and thorough synthesis of current scholarship depicts a more complex man with far more in common with his English mother, Queen Victoria's daughter Vicky, than is usually acknowledged. "He had inherited her memory, her lack of snobbery, openness, vivacity, moodiness, over-estimation of her own importance, her cleverness without wisdom," writes MacDonogh, characteristically listing both good and bad traits without moralizing. William's mixed feelings about his mother indelibly shaped his attitude toward Great Britain: he strove from the moment he became emperor in 1888 for an alliance with England, yet seemed compelled to undermine it due to "a combination of admiration and envy, animosity and affection." Born in 1859, his botched delivery resulted in a withered left arm, the first in a lifelong series of painful physical and mental ailments that may well have been responsible for the intemperate outbursts that have damaged his posthumous reputation. MacDonogh reminds us that William's worst threats--to tear up the German constitution, to have his enemies shot--were never carried out. After Germany's defeat in 1918, he abdicated and retired to a manor house in Holland; he may have disliked Jews, but he viewed the Nazis with distaste and until his death in 1941 gave no indication he supported the Third Reich. MacDonogh's detailed account of William's life and times doesn't so much revise the conventional portrait as add nuance, and it will be welcomed by aficionados of old-fashioned narrative biography. --Wendy Smith
Book Description
Wilhelm II, Prussia's last king and Germany's last Kaiser, was born in Potsdam on January 27, 1859, the son of Prince Frederick of Prussia and Princess Vicky, Queen Victoria's eldest child. Al-though he is widely perceived as a warmonger who seemed to delight in victory, bloodshed, and the belligerent aims of his staff, he carved out an image for himself as the 'Emperor of Peace.' Historically, he has been blamed for World War I, although he made real efforts to prevent it. He has been branded an anti-Semite, yet the Nazis wrote him off as a 'Jew-lover.' In this fascinating, authoritative new profile, MacDonogh takes a fresh look at this complex and contradictory statesman and the charges against him.
Customer Reviews:
Pretty good -- he has many characteristics of G W Bush.......2007-09-24
Lots of detail that gives a view of how at times the Kaizer was very fit for the job and at other times extremely unfit. But when things comes down for a final decision he did what he was told by who ever was his 'Cheney' counterpart of the time or based it on his religious convictions like Bush. Other parallels with Bush: lazy student; not a deep thinker; not pragmatic; not a hard worker. However, more intellegent than Bush. The bottom line: don't have a leader that did not work day and night their whole life to accel and most of their life working become a leader of a country -- they won't do it well and will not give their position the effort it is due. The cause of WWI was that things got too complicated much too fast for lazy and very limited leaders. The cause of the Iraq war was things were simple for an even simpler President too lazy the think things through.
Rick Utt.......2005-05-12
I enjoyed reading this book. There were a few times I lost track of who was who doing what to what and when and where, but for the most part I felt I understand better the role and personality of a complex and contradictory charactor in history.
In regard to the Kaiser, the quote by Daisy Pless in this book may say it best. "Poor man, he means so awfully well, and everything he does is intended for the best, and still he is completly destitute of tact that everything turns out exactly opposite to what he intends."
Still,little comfort to the millions who died in the "War to End All Wars."
Politics with No Personality.......2004-10-31
I picked up this book on recommendation from my dad, a history buff much like myself, and was extremely disappointed in it. Instead of dealing properly with the Kaiser himself it spent the vast majority of the time discussing and analyzing German politics and political figures active during the Kaiser's reign and made only the most fleeting references to the personal life of the Kaiser (or anything to do with him personally, for that matter). It's as if the author was too afraid to delve into the private life of this controversial figure because he knew that the bright picture he put forth of the Kaiser would be blown to pieces. Needless to say, this book should be entitled "Politics and Political Figures During the Reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II."
Go to another book if you are looking for a true biography of Wilhelm. This one will only disappoint.
A revisionist work that may be too forgiving.......2003-03-14
The most recent English language biographical study of Wilhelm is The Last Kaiser: The Life of Wilhelm II by Giles MacDonogh (2001). MacDonogh seems to have set out deterministically to write something other than an "indictment" of Wilhelm. He asserts that historians have been unduly critical against the emperor for eighty years, which has prompted him to examine Wilhelm "in a light which, if not ridiculously positive, [is] at least a little more indulgent than that which as coloured attitudes in the past." (viii) While MacDonogh's study is not "ridiculously positive," it does tend to minimize Wilhelm's culpability for the various blunders historians commonly associate with his reign. While he concurs with other scholars of Wilhelmine Germany that the emperor was "a mass of contradictions," (1) MacDonogh also minimizes the Kaiser's documented anti-Semitism, and strongly implies that the "cases brought up against the emperor" such as the Kruger telegram (1896), the "Hun Speech" of 1900, and the Daily Telegraph Affair (1908), were handled "reasonable, and in some cases well" by the Kaiser. (7) This attempt to show that Wilhelm did not act maliciously, criminally or incompetently is what differentiates The Last Kaiser from its predecessors.
In MacDonogh's account of Wilhelm's wartime role, he reaches a familiar conclusion: "it would be impossible to make out that he played the role of `Supreme Warlord' between 1914 and 1918." (3) He shows that Wilhelm "wavered over the preventive strike" long advocated by the General Staff, and "each time he looked in to the abyss he drew back in horror and countermanded" his generals' orders for such an attack. (9) This gives the kaiser too much of a benevolent, conscientious role for the time. MacDonogh portrays a Kaiser swept up with the emotions and events of August 1914, a leader who allowed himself to be carried into the war. By the first weeks of the conflict, "he had become increasingly peripheral." (367) This declension culminated in January 1917 with Bethmann Hollweg's removal at the insistence of Hindenburg and Ludendorff, at which point Wilhelm "was no more than a shadow emperor. No one listened to him." (391) Probably true.....
Despite showing far more sympathy toward his subject than other biographers of Wilhelm II have done, MacDonogh echoes many of their conclusions. "It is perhaps right that we condemn William," he suggests, "for if the First World War was not his undertaking, the finger of blames points over and over again to the failure of German diplomacy in which he tried so hard to play a positive role." (460) MacDonogh seems reluctant to assign Wilhelm much direct blame for the origins of the Great War or how it was conducted. On the contrary, most students of the last Hohenzollern ruler of Germany concur with the concise biographical entry in The Oxford Companion to Military History (2001): Kaiser Wilhelm II was "seduced by...nationalism and militarism," and came to discover that "leading a cavalry charge on maneuvers...is not the same thing as presiding over a beleaguered state engaged in total war." The last German Kaiser "lacked the strength of character and consistency of purpose which his role demanded, and if he cannot be blamed for leading Germany into war, he may be more justly censured for what one historian has called `a childlike flight from reality' in the crisis of 1914."
Good biography of the last major monachist tyrant........2003-02-04
The book is good because it examines one of the figures who was instrumental in shapping the 20th century. The author proves that he was very erratic with his forighn policy and his views on the world. The author also disproves the misconception that it was his imperial ambitions that led to the first World War and points out that it was the militarism of prussian aristocrats.
Book Description
Within a couple of decades Kaiser Wilhelm II had led the German Reich into World War and collapse. How did the Kaiser come to have so much power? Using new archival sources, this book analyzes the Kaiser and the nature of his rule. After an original character sketch of the Kaiser, the book then examines the Kaiser's friends and favorites, the neo-absolutist culture of the court and of Berlin society, and the nature of his relationship with the court and with the administrative corps in Prussia and the Reich. A final chapter reveals for the first time the extent of the exiled Kaiser's anti-Semitism.
Customer Reviews:
Very academic.... very.... very.......2006-02-28
If you are a scholar and like lots and lots of references to peruse, you might like this book. However, if you are somebody who enjoys reading history in a non-academic form, you might find this book mind-numbingly boring. I could barely get through the first 100 pages and pretty much gave up after that. I love history and am always looking for great stories; this isn't one of them.
Good!!.......2003-03-12
Professor John Röhl of the University of Sussex has written extensively on Wilhelmine Germany, including his collection of essay entitled The Kaiser and his Court: Wilhelm II and the Government of Germany (1994). Röhl asserts that Wilhelm has for many years "been marginalized by professional German historians," who viewed the Kaiser as one "who played no part in shaping the policies of the Kaiserrreich." Other scholars have depicted him as "an aggressive autocrat who must bear a large degree of responsibility for plunging Old Europe into war and catastrophe." (xi) Regarding Wilhelm and the Great War, Röhl implies that his influence was negligible. The Kaiser was never a "full-scale" autocrat, and while he perhaps "dreamed of establishing absolute rule for himself...it remained no more than a dream." Röhl contends that this was particularly true in terms of military power, of which the emperor had very little. (3) However, Röhl shows that the Kaiser was not uninvolved in Germany's diplomatic and military decision-making process, notably at the start of the war. He cites Wilhelm's influence in the rejection of Britain's generous peace proposal in 1912, a move supported by his chancellor, Bethmann Hollweg, and one which might have forestalled war altogether. (6)
For Röhl, the Kaiser's involvement in the Great War was heavily influenced by his personality. Wilhelm "never matured," and was seen as a child-like figure at army headquarters. This trait was coupled with a "notorious overestimation of his own abilities, and a refusal to accept constructive criticism. To emphasize the emperor's requirement that he be at center stage at all times, Röhl repeats the apposite bon mot that Wilhelm "insisted on being the stag at every hunt, the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral." (11-13) These qualities did little to endear himself to senior military officers and worked to push the Kaiser to the sidelines of decision making as the war intensified. Röhl holds that Wilhelm's public and private antics brought much scorn down upon himself and the German monarchy as a whole. He opines that
the history of the last hundred years," he opines, "has shown that a monarchy in a modern state can only hope to survive if it restricts itself firmly to its purely representational functions and avoids making any political comment and exerting any influence. That Wilhelm II did precisely the opposite is a matter of embarrassing record. (104)
Röhl concludes that Wilhelm's role in the formation of Germany policies was not insignificant before the war, particularly with regard to the turn-of-the-century naval armaments race with Great Britain, and in the domestic arena-though he was "vulnerable to manipulation by his generals and his military entourage." (166) By late 1914, Röhl declares, Wilhelm's influence began to wane, though the awareness by military leaders of which plans, people or policies the emperor would and would not support acted as "a blocking mechanism," a fact which indicates that the Kaiser could not be completely ignored. (116) Indeed, Röhl reminds his readers that "not a single appointment to an official position, and no political measure, could be undertaken without the express consent of the Kaiser." (117)
Misleading title.......2003-03-10
Do not expect to read much about Kaiser Wilhelm II in this book. The title is quite misleading---it is about the era of Wilhelm, but few details about him are included here, esp. his role in WWI.
provides insight into the government of Wilhelmine Germany.......2000-11-11
This book is a very interesting look into the theory and practice of government under Wilhelm II - particularly in those years of "personal rule" after the dismissal of Bismarck from the chancellorship. The book is essentially a collection of essays devoted to various issues involving the Kaiser and his government. So while it is not structured like a conventional history of this era, or a biography of the Kaiser, an abundance of historical and biographical information is presented.
I enjoyed this book very much - it is very well-written and was a pleasure to read. I think anyone interested in this period of German/European history will find reading this book well worth the effort.
Important Information.......2000-01-13
This book talks about Wilhem II, and his court in Germany. It also speaks about the hatred that he had toward Jewish People. The book is very interesting, and it sets the record straight on alot of things. This book is a must!
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Wilhelm II: The Kaiser's Personal Monarchy, 18881900
John C. G. Röhl
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0521819202 |
Book Description
Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941) was a key figure in German history as it followed its fatal course from Bismarck to Hitler, and this book presents a detailed account of the first half of his reign. Concerned primarily with the question of who controlled Germany's powerful machinery of government, the text focuses on how the country's domestic and foreign policy was decided upon, and the issue of the continuity (or inevitability) of German history from the foundation of the Second Reich by Bismarck to Hitler's Third Reich.
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Kaiser Wilhelm II New Interpretations: The Corfu Papers
John C. G. Röhl , and
Nicolaus Sombart
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0521019907 |
Book Description
Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859–1941) is one of the most fascinating figures in European history. Inheriting the 'mightiest throne on earth' in 1888, he played a central part in fashioning the policies which culminated in the catastrophe of 1914–18, the collapse of the Reich, and his own abdication. To an extraordinary extent he was also representative of his epoch: brilliant, bizarre, aggressive, insecure. Yet German historians have virtually ignored him. They have written the history of the Kaiserreich without the Kaiser, of Wilhelminism without Wilhelm, leaving the field to the amateurs. Recently, the conviction has been growing, in Germany as well as in American and Great Britain, that the huge advances achieved in the social and economic history of Imperial Germany must now be complemented by deeper research into the Kaiser's character, his role in decision-making, and his relationship to the social and cultural values of his era. In September 1979, a dozen historians met in the Kaiser's palace on Corfu to discuss these questions: this book contains their findings.
Product Description
Contains tissue-guarded frontispiece of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Chapters include: Von Gottes Gnaden / Frei von Fesseln / Der Kaiser in der Debatte / Reisen und Feste / Reden des Kaisers / Die Bismarcktragödie / Bundesfürsten, Kanzler und Minuster / Der vKaiser und die Parteien / Kaiser und Flotte / Kaiser und Heer / Weltpolitik / Religion, Wissenschaft und Kunst.
Typeface is fraktur (Old Gothic German).
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