Who started the First World War: Crash Course World History 210
Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm was the last German Emperor Kaiser and King of Prussia, whose belligerent policies helped cause World War.
Wilhelm was born January 27, 1859 in Berlin, the eldest child of Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia and Victoria, daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom A difficult birth left Wilhelm with a withered arm, which he always tried to hide in 1881, after a period of military service, Wilhelm wife Augusta Victoria, Princess of Schleswig-Holstein, and they had seven children.
In 1888, Wilhelm's father succeeded as Frederick III, he died shortly after, making Wilhelm kaiser at the age of 29 when he had admired the great German statesman Otto von Bismarck, within two years Wilhelm had forced his resignation, he was a strong believer increasing the strength of the German armed forces, especially the navy its policies towards Britain were contradictory, he alienates Britain with its naval expansion and German colonial expansion policy aggressive, and also supported the Boers in their fight against the British, but it was also closely linked to the British royal family and was particularly fond of his grandmother, Queen Victoria.
Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914, Wilhelm urged Austrians to adopt an uncompromising line against Serbia, effectively writing a blank check for German support in case of war, it seemed not realize the chain reaction would trigger Russia and its allies France and Britain entered the war against Germany and Austria Wilhelm tried to reduce the mobilization of the armed forces of Germany, but was prevented by the army in Germany while in theory the supreme commander, Wilhelm found himself excluded from military decisions, but cripples chances of a compromise peace by encouraging the great war aims of some generals and politicians.
In 1918, the entrance large scale in the United States in the war, combined with severe shortages of German men and material for years of the war of attrition based trenches led to the military collapse of the Germany Wilhelm was forced to abdicate and went into exile in attempts Netherlands by the victorious allies to extradite and try him for war crimes came to nothing with Adolf Hitler came to power after 1933, Wilhelm was hope to be restored, but they came to nothing and died June 4, 1941.
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At Dulce et decorum est affected our vision of WW1.
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BBC History Historical Characters Wilhelm II (1859, wilhelm, 1859.