William II's full name is Friedrich Wilhelm Victor Albert von hohenzollern. (1859 65438+1October 27th-19465438+June 4th), the last emperor of the second Reich of Germany, king of Prussia, reigned from 1888 to19/kloc.
1, early life
1859 Born in Berlin, the eldest son of Frederick III and Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria is the aunt of Queen Alexandra (Tsar Nicholas II's wife) and the sister of Edward VII of England. Due to breech delivery at birth, he suffered from Erb paralysis and even left arm atrophy. In the picture above, he covers his left hand with a sound right hand. In many photos, William often holds a pair of gloves in his left hand to make it look longer. He also likes to lean on a sword or crutch with his left hand to achieve decent results.
After William I died on March 9, 1988, his father was crowned Emperor Frederick III, but he soon died of laryngeal cancer. In June of the same year, William II succeeded to the throne and became emperor.
Recently, the court records of his birth pointed out that William's brain may have been ill, which led to brain damage. His health problems may have cultivated his ambitious, impulsive and reckless personality, as well as his arrogant attitude towards problems or others. Whether this virtue influenced his personal and political life is inconclusive by historians. If this statement is true, William's personality will certainly cause his administrative ills, such as Bismarck's retirement. His mother is cold to her son. Based on the guilt of her son's defect, the mother tried to force her son to step up exercise and try to cure that defect. So the relationship between William and his mother is not very good. In addition, because Queen Victoria was born in the British aristocracy, she often instilled the concept of British supremacy in her son. She insists on calling her son only by his English name: William is called "William" in German, but she calls him "William"; Her second son's name is Heinrich and her name is Henry. William, the future emperor, had complex feelings for Britain and the British since he was a child, which may have influenced his later attitude towards Britain.
2. Prewar rules
(1) Social and economic policies
Although William admired Bismarck before he ascended the throne, he immediately clashed with the iron-blooded prime minister after he ascended the throne. In fact, the young emperor did not want to be controlled by others, but wanted to master the supreme power of ruling the empire. So Bismarck was forced to leave at 1890. Later, he appointed Count Caprivi, Hornlowe and Bernhardt von Billow as his successors. 1909, Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg became prime minister. William especially respected Bateman Holwig's opinions and affirmed his great ideas about internal affairs, such as his Prussian electoral law reform. William reluctantly parted ways with him in 19 17.
It is worth noting that these prime ministers are senior civil servants, not political veterans like Bismarck. In fact, William wanted to avoid the second Bismarck, because he thought Bismarck was too bossy-all officials could only meet the emperor with him. On the other hand, after being forced to retire, Bismarck has been fiercely criticizing William's policies.
On social policy, the opinions of the Emperor and the Prime Minister are also full of differences. At least, in the early days of his rule, William's tolerance for socialist organizations won positive comments from the public.
(2) foreign policy and gradual war
William II was impulsive and reckless by nature, so he failed to adopt a rational plan in German foreign policy. A good example is his love-hate relationship with his cousin who ruled Britain and England. For him, an armed conflict with Britain is "the most unimaginable thing"; However, with the beginning of his plan to greatly expand the navy, the rise of Germany made Britain very worried. 19 14, when the war broke out, he thought that he was involved in the war because of the diplomatic trap set by his uncle. In fact, William didn't realize that his reckless behavior had damaged the image of his emperor. 1896, President Kruger of Transvaal successfully suppressed the Zhan Sen expedition, and the Kaiser even sent a telegram to congratulate him. At that time, the relationship between Boers and Britain was tense, so Britain was very angry with this Kruger telegram. During the Eight-Nation Alliance incident, he gave a speech and encouraged the Germans who participated in the campaign to attack China like Huns. This made the Germans nicknamed "Huns" in later wars.
Unfortunately, he tried to defend his foreign policy with good intentions, but he repeatedly made serious mistakes, which worsened diplomatic relations. The most famous example is his interview with the British newspaper Daily Telegraph on 1908. He used this to promote the friendly relations between Germany and Britain. But on impulse, he offended Britain, France, Russia and Japan. He pointed out that the Germans didn't like the British (but he didn't), France and Russia incited Germany to intervene in the second Boer War, and Germany's naval expansion was aimed at Japan, not Britain. One of his famous sayings is: "You British people are crazy, crazy." Because of his fierce words, even his subordinates were silent. And he himself kept a low profile for several months after this incident. Bilo was fired by William because he didn't edit the interview record of that day correctly.
Nevertheless, the royal families of Germany and Britain still maintain good relations. William ranked first on the list of attendees at Edward VII's funeral.
However, the events in the newspaper caused a serious psychological blow to William. In fact, in the last ten years of his administration, he reduced his participation in government affairs, which was unexpected by the general comments at that time.
Before the war, William once again failed to follow Bismarck's policy of isolating France. Even if he lacked sincerity, he tried to make peace with France-but based on France's unyielding revenge (the failure of the Franco-Prussian War) and resentment against Germany, these attempts had limited effect.
William tried to moderate the French revenge, but he failed ignominiously because he didn't know how to improvise. 1906, it happened for the first time in moroccan crises-when he visited Tangier, he inadvertently expressed his support for Moroccan independence, which angered the French who wanted to expand their sphere of influence there. Due to the outstanding performance of his diplomatic officials, he successfully avoided the confrontation between Germany and France and their allies at the Algeciras meeting.
After Bismarck abdicated, the Kaiser allowed the reinsurance treaty signed before he ascended the throne to expire in 1890. This makes Germany lose the support of Russia, and there is no guarantee that she will remain neutral in the event of a conflict between Germany and France. William's character and thought make Germany's policy towards Britain, France and Russia waver. On the one hand, he was loyal to supporting the alliance with Austria-Hungary-he even told the Austrian emperor in 1889 that as long as Austria sent troops for any reason, the Germans would fully support it; On the other hand, Germany is willing to cooperate with Britain, and even thought of forming a strong European Union with France and Russia-William believes that after meeting with Tsar Nicholas II in 1905, it has won the support of Russia.
③ The road of imperialism
William II practiced imperialism to show its growing national strength. He actively promoted the famous world policy (German: Weltpolitik), with a strong militaristic color.
He wanted to seek "a place under the sun" for Germany through colonial expansion and change Bismarck's Eurocentrism with Germany as the core.
Through the new naval schemes of 1897 and 1900, he implemented the Tirpitz Plan to speed up the expansion of the imperial navy and catch up with the British naval forces. This runs counter to Bismarck's policy of trying to maintain good relations with Britain. As a result, during naval exercises from 65438 to 0889, the British Navy invited William II and Tirpitz to show their military strength in Linxi. Germany has always been unwilling to lag behind Britain in the navy and actively strives for maritime hegemony.
3. Sarajevo incident
1965438+On June 28th, 2004, Austrian Crown Prince Archduke Franz Ferdinand, a friend of the Kaiser, was assassinated in Sarajevo. William was shocked when he learned of the death of his best friend. Therefore, he provided assistance to Austria-Hungary, supported the latter to suppress the secret organization that planned the assassination, and even allowed Austria to use force against Serbia, which was suspected to be behind the organization. William wanted to stay in Berlin until the incident subsided, but his subordinates suggested that he sail to Beihai on July 6th according to the annual custom. This suggestion may be because some people in the German government think that the emperor will intervene in the incident, hoping to distract the emperor and use the incident to enhance the prestige of the country, even at the expense of World War I. Although William is arrogant, he is very sensitive to this.
The Kaiser responded to the incident by telegram in a strange way. After Austria issued an "ultimatum" to Serbia, Serbia accepted all the provisions except Article 6 on July 26th:
"With the assistance and instructions of the relevant departments of the Austrian government, Serbia must take legal action to punish those who planned or carried out the assassination on June 28 and are currently in Serbia."
Serbia believes that the above article 6 violates her constitutional provisions and will damage her sovereignty and independence, so it refuses to accept this article. William returned to Berlin on July 28th. After reading Serbia's response, his response is:
"Very good plan. And within 48 hours! This is better than ideal. Austria won a moral victory, but since it won, there is no reason to go to war. Giesl should actually stay in Belgrade with peace of mind. I really shouldn't have made a general mobilization order on this document. " [emil ludwig, William hohenzollern: The Last Emperor, son of G.P. Putnam, New York, 1927 (translated. Author Ethel Colborn Main), p. 444]
At the last moment before the war, William actually wanted to persuade Austria to solve the incident peacefully. However, before the Austrian government knew the opinion of the Kaiser, the ministers and generals in the government had persuaded the 84-year-old Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I to declare war on Serbia on July 28th. The first world war broke out.
4. War
Although William II is full of expansionist ambitions, it is hard to say whether he started the war. He really wanted to make Germany strong, but he never thought of using such a large-scale conflict to achieve this goal. From the assassination of Sarajevo to Germany's declaration of war on Russia, the Kaiser understood that the war was about to break out, so he tried his best to fight for peace. William wrote to Tsar Nicholas II on July 29th 19 14, trying to avoid war. He optimistically interpreted the ultimatum of Austria-Hungary to Serbia and thought that the Austrian army would only limit the war to that place. However, William's efforts were too late. At the suggestion of his subordinates, the Kaiser ordered a general mobilization and began to implement the Schrieffen plan.
At that time, Britain generally believed that World War I was the "Battle of the Kaiser" (just as it asserted that World War II was the Battle of Hitler). This view is now considered unfair because it asserts that William II is personally responsible for it. But in fact, William strongly advocated militarism, supported German military expansion, and supported the development of military industry (especially Krupp), which has plunged his country into a military competition. When this competition becomes out of control, war is inevitable.
When signing the general mobilization order, William was thought to have said "you will regret it" to his subordinates. On the other hand, he encouraged Austria to adopt a tough policy towards Serbia. During the war, William himself became a German marshal.
As the final decision-maker of state affairs in wartime, William had to bear too heavy a burden. As the war continued, he became more and more dependent on the opinions of his subordinates, so that the empire after 19 16 became a military dictatorship, controlled by Hindenburg and ludendorff. During the war, William's strategy wavered under the influence of frustration and fantasy of victory. Even so, the German emperor is still an important symbol of the country. He can still supervise military production, award medals and give speeches to encourage soldiers.
In addition, the Kaiser also has the right to freely appoint officials and master important military instructions. 19 15 years, eric feng Fajinhan replaced Chief of Staff Xiao Mochi. Similarly, after 19 16 Jutland naval battle, William ordered the navy to reduce its confrontation with the British.
19 18, the German army failed in its final offensive and was besieged on all sides. Obviously, it is wise to end the war. By that time, William had lost all power. He tried to win the initiative in the crisis at the end of the war because he was dissatisfied with his subordinates' overhead power. Knowing that the general trend of the German army was over, he supported the German army to surrender to the allied forces, so as to prevent Germany from being destroyed and continue the war.
Step 5 abdicate
When the German Revolution broke out in Berlin, William was at Wolfenstein Castle, a hot spring resort in Belgium. The mutiny surprised him, and he didn't know whether he should abdicate. Before that, he thought that even if he was forced to cancel the title of German emperor, he could still retain the status of king of Prussia. However, on19181.9, in order to achieve political reunification, Prime Minister maximilian, Prince of Baden, suddenly announced that the above two titles were also abolished. William's dream of the emperor is gone. The prince learned that only friedrich ebert, leader of the German Social Democratic Party, could control the situation in Germany, and he himself resigned after the emperor abdicated.
Then, at Wolfenstein Castle, ludendorff, the chief of staff, resigned and was replaced by William Gronert. Grenert assured the Kaiser that under the command of Marshal Hindenburg, the Germans would retreat to Germany without suppressing the revolution. Therefore, the Kaiser had to abdicate. The empire lost its last support. Even Hindenburg, a general who supported the emperor all his life, could only persuade William to abdicate.
165438+ 10/0, William went into exile in the Netherlands, a country that remained neutral in the war. Article 227 of the Treaty of Versailles clearly defines William as a war criminal, which means that his crimes violate international morality and the sanctity of the treaty (such as Germany's invasion of permanently neutral Belgium). However, Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard Wilhelmina refused to extradite him for trial, ignoring the appeal of the Allies. By virtue of his relationship with the Queen, William got a small castle in Dorne, Huis Doorn, and spent the rest of his life. He was released from the official-servant relationship, but never gave up his title.
6. Life after the war
1922, William published his memoirs, insisting that he did not commit war crimes. He always invites distinguished guests to his home and pays great attention to European affairs. He had hoped that Hitler could help him restore the dynasty, but the Nazi party never got what he wanted. But he deeply appreciated Hitler's successful solution to Germany's political and economic difficulties. 1940 After Germany occupied the Netherlands, William officially retired from politics.
1941On June 5th, William died in Dorn, Holland and was buried in Hausdorn. Hitler held a small military funeral for him. He hoped that there would be no Nazi symbol at the funeral, but the Nazi party ignored it.
7. Marriage and family
On February 27th, William II married Augusta Victoria. They have seven children:
Prince William (1882- 195 1).
Prince aitel Friedrich (1883- 1942)
Prince Adal Burt (1884- 1948)
Prince Augustus William (1887- 1949)
Prince Oscar (1888- 1958)
Prince Joachim (1890- 1920)
Princess Viktoria Luise von puressen (1892- 1980)
William and his wife have always had a good relationship, and his wife died on April 2 192 1, which made him very sad. After William was forced into exile in Holland, his youngest son, Prince Joachim, shot himself in 1920 because of depression and marriage failure after joining the army.
1922 65438+1October 27th, Prince Johann Georg of Sch? The son of Nigel Carlos congratulated William on his birthday. William invited him and his mother to his home. William found her attractive and decided to marry her. William was opposed by his supporters and children, but he married Hermina on165438+1October 9. Hermina's daughter Henrietta (William's stepdaughter) and Prince Joachim's son Karl Franz Joseph got married on June 5th, 1940, but divorced on June 5th, 1946. Before William's death, Hermina had a good relationship with her husband.
Before William got married, he was deeply in love with the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fedorov (later the daughter-in-law of czar Alexander II, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and William's cousin) and wrote several love poems for her. Elizabeth was initially attracted to him, but later rejected William's pursuit. During World War I, William tried many times to help her escape from Russia, but she was unmoved. Finally, Elizabeth was killed by the Bolsheviks in 19 18. William never pursued her, but when he was old, William admitted that he had never forgotten her.
During William's reign, there were rumors that he was having an affair with his good friend Philip Fü rszu Euler-Hoertfield. At that time, German law did not allow such homosexual acts (see article 175 for laws prohibiting homosexual acts among men). Rumors led to 1907 Harden-Ullenburg incident. Bismarck once pointed out that there was "no proper relationship" between William and Ullenburg, but this may only be pure speculation.
8. trivia
William Jr. and his father Prince Frederick (1863) William is the first grandson of Queen Victoria. At the last moment of the Queen's life, William held her hand until her death. At that time, the British people were deeply moved by this. Unfortunately, William's image was destroyed in 19 14.
William has been to Corfu, Greece, and has been interested in archaeology since then. He also likes to paint magnificent buildings and warships in his spare time, but experts think his ideas are too grandiose and unrealistic. William also likes hunting and cutting down trees. During his exile, he cut down many trees in his villa. The forests in this area have only recently been restored.
William has a large collection of uniforms and clothes, and often changes clothes, up to four times a day.
William has a palace in Stuttgart. When he was in the palace, he would cruise at noon every Sunday. He and his cavalry put on military uniforms and patrolled the streets to attract nearby residents to watch.
Many of William II's relatives are European royal leaders based on their relationship with her grandmother, Queen Victoria. Germany later went to war with Britain and Russia, when King George V was William's cousin. Tsar Nicholas II's wife, Alexandra, is the sister of Elizabeth Fedorov mentioned above, so Nikolai is the husband of her cousin William. All three emperors spoke fluent English and called each other brothers (Willie, George and Nicky respectively).
To this day, a small group of Germans who supported the monarchy still gather in Hausdorn every year on the anniversary of William's death to show their loyalty to the last German emperor.
9. Literature
In historical research, the role of William II in German history is controversial. Before the 1950' s, he was initially regarded as an important figure who shamed German history. However, it was generally believed that his role was not very important, and even had no influence on the outbreak of the world war. However, in the1970s, Professor John ·c·g· Rolle and others disagreed with this argument. Anyway, there have been many biographies about William II, among which emil ludwig is the most famous.