Changes

[[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 was a son of Emperor Frederick III and Victoria, the eldest child of Britain's Queen Victoria. 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 Frederick III and Victoria, the eldest child of Britain's Queen Victoria.

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.

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.

In 1914, Wilhelm ordered a German invasion of France, triggering [[World War I]]. The Allied Powers of France, Russia, and Britain opposed this aggression. For several years, fighting remained deadlocked as trench warfare continued across northern France. Control of German policy passed to General Ludendorff in August 1916. When German submarines blockaded Britain and attacked neutral shipping in 1917, the United States declared war on Germany as well. In November 1918, the war ended in a catastrophic defeat for Germany. By that time, over 4.2 million Germans had been killed. Wilhelm fled to the Netherlands and lived in exile until 1941.

===Personality and policies===

===Personality and policies===