| The Prussian Machine - Generals |
Kaiser Wilhelm II.
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Kaiser Wilhelm Viktor Albert von Preußen (27.1.1859 - 4.6.1941) place of birth: Potsdam (Brandenburg) Queen Victoria's eldest grandchild who at the age of 29 became the last King of Prussia and German Emperor. A birth defect rendered his left arm embarrassingly withered and useless. He became obsessed with mysticism and thoroughly believed in rule by divine right. Wilhelm, also referred to as William, did not like Bismarck (main conflict was over social policy) and thus dismissed him in 1890. His loathing of England was due to an extreme inferiority complex and was fueled by the hatred of his English mother, whom he placed under house arrest upon his father's death. Kaiser Wilhelm II gloried in the Prussian Army's militaristic traditions, and his policies of German aggrandizement paved the way to war in 1914. During the war, his influence declined and once Hindenburg & Ludendorff had come into full power, he had lost most of his effective power. He was forced to abdicate in November 1918 and was exiled to the Netherlands. Wilhelm II was described by his uncle, King Edward VII, as the 'most brilliant failure in history'. The Kaiser died on 4 June 1941 in exile in Doorn, Netherlands.
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