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[[File:Kaiser Wilhelm by Strassberger.jpg|right|thumb|Kaiser Wilhelm II]]

[[File:Kaiser Wilhelm by Strassberger.jpg|right|thumb|Kaiser Wilhelm II]]

'''Kaiser Wilhelm II''' (27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was king of [[Prussia]] and  [[Germany|German]] emperor from June 1888 to November 1918. He fled to the Netherlands at the end of [[World War I]].

'''Kaiser Wilhelm II''' (27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was king of [[Prussia]] and  [[Germany|German]] emperor from June 1888 to November 1918. He was a son of Emperor Wilhelm I and Victoria, the eldest child of Britain's Queen Victoria. He fled to the Netherlands at the end of [[World War I]].

Wilhelm was a constitutional monarch and shared power with an elected parliament, or Reichstag. However, the Kaiser had the final say on all significant matters, including appointments.<ref name=rohl18>Röhl, John C. G., [https://books.google.com/books?id=FN9GAgAAQBAJ&dq= Wilhelm II: Into the Abyss of War and Exile, 1900–1941] (2014), p. xxviii.</ref> His supporters boasted that he was the "mightiest ruler on earth."<ref name=rohl17>Röhl, p. xxvii.</ref> His views were particularly influential in foreign affairs and on matters of war and peace.

Wilhelm was a constitutional monarch and shared power with an elected parliament, or Reichstag. However, the Kaiser had the final say on all significant matters, including appointments.<ref name=rohl18>Röhl, John C. G., [https://books.google.com/books?id=FN9GAgAAQBAJ&dq= Wilhelm II: Into the Abyss of War and Exile, 1900–1941] (2014), p. xxviii.</ref> His supporters boasted that he was the "mightiest ruler on earth."<ref name=rohl17>Röhl, p. xxvii.</ref> His views were particularly influential in foreign affairs and on matters of war and peace.

Victoria, the Kaiser's mother and the eldest child of Britain's Queen Victoria, was a dominating figure in his early life. She attempted to indoctrinate him with the values of Britain's nineteenth century Liberal Party. As as result, Wilhelm had conflicted feelings regarding Britain. He respected British values, but felt the need to use militarism to compensate for his mother's un-Germanic influence. He was also a manic depressive, which resulted in inconsistent and erratic decision making. His withered left arm, a congenital defect, led to an inferiority complex.<ref name=stemple>Lewis-Stempel, John, "[http://www.express.co.uk/news/world-war-1/471409/When-Kaiser-Wilhelm-II-ruled-Germany Lunatic in charge of an asylum: When Kaiser Wilhelm II ruled Germany]", ''Sunday Express'', Apr 20, 2014</ref> Wilhelm was easily entranced by conspiracy theories and was libel to blame foreign policy setbacks on the machinations of his uncle, King Edward VII of Britain.

World War I was fought between Germany and the Allied Powers of France, Russia, and Britain and lasted from 1914 to 1918. When German submarines blockaded Britain and attacked neutral shipping in 1917, the United States declared war as well. The war was the most significant event of Wilhelm's reign. It ended in a catastrophic defeat for Germany, and over 4.2 million Germans were killed. Wilhelm's role in launching the war is much debated.

World War I was fought between Germany and the Allied Powers of France, Russia, and Britain and lasted from 1914 to 1918. When German submarines blockaded Britain and attacked neutral shipping in 1917, the United States declared war as well. The war was the most significant event of Wilhelm's reign. It ended in a catastrophic defeat for Germany, and over 4.2 million Germans were killed. Wilhelm's role in launching the war is much debated.

Victoria was a dominating figure in the Kaiser's early life. She attempted to indoctrinate him with the values of Britain's nineteenth century Liberal Party. As as result, Wilhelm had conflicted feelings regarding Britain. He respected British values, but felt the need to use militarism to compensate for his mother's un-Germanic influence. He was also a manic depressive, which resulted in inconsistent and erratic decision making. His withered left arm, a congenital defect, led to an inferiority complex.<ref name=stemple>Lewis-Stempel, John, "[http://www.express.co.uk/news/world-war-1/471409/When-Kaiser-Wilhelm-II-ruled-Germany Lunatic in charge of an asylum: When Kaiser Wilhelm II ruled Germany]", ''Sunday Express'', Apr 20, 2014</ref> Wilhelm was easily entranced by conspiracy theories and was libel to blame foreign policy setbacks on the machinations of his uncle, King Edward VII of Britain.

Wilhelm pursued an aggressive foreign policy known as ''Weltpolitik,'' literally "world policy." This strategy is to be distinguished from Bismark's ''Realpolitik'', which emphasized the "balance of power" concept. Wilhelm hoped to persuade Britain to withdraw from European affairs. If he could accomplish this, he imagined that Germany's economic and military power would dominate both France and Russia, allowing him to emerge with a "Napoleanic supremacy."<ref name=rohl18 /> Mindful of the role the British played in Napolean's downfall, he built up the German navy hoping that this would intimidate Britain. The British countered with a naval buildup of their own and by forming a "Triple Entente" (1907) with France and Russia. Thus the German buildup had an effect opposite to what was intended.

Wilhelm pursued an aggressive foreign policy known as ''Weltpolitik,'' literally "world policy." This strategy is to be distinguished from Bismark's ''Realpolitik'', which emphasized the "balance of power" concept. Wilhelm hoped to persuade Britain to withdraw from European affairs. If he could accomplish this, he imagined that Germany's economic and military power would dominate both France and Russia, allowing him to emerge with a "Napoleanic supremacy."<ref name=rohl18 /> Mindful of the role the British played in Napolean's downfall, he built up the German navy hoping that this would intimidate Britain. The British countered with a naval buildup of their own and by forming a "Triple Entente" (1907) with France and Russia. Thus the German buildup had an effect opposite to what was intended.