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The Last Kaiser: The Life of Wilhelm II by Giles MacDonogh
Praised for a thoughtful reassessment of Frederick the Great in his previous book, Giles MacDonogh tackles another controversial figure in German history, Kaiser Wilhelm II. William (as his British biographer calls him throughout) has often been dismissed as an anti-Semite and a reactionary whose policies, particularly the buildup of the German navy, inevitably led to World War I. MacDonogh's readable and thorough synthesis of current scholarship depicts a more complex man with far more in common with his English mother, Queen Victoria's daughter Vicky, than is usually acknowledged. "He had inherited her memory, her lack of snobbery, openness, vivacity, moodiness, over-estimation of her own importance, her cleverness without wisdom," writes MacDonogh, characteristically listing both good and bad traits without moralizing. William's mixed feelings about his mother indelibly shaped his attitude toward Great he strove from the moment he became emperor in 1888 for an alliance with England, yet seemed compelled to undermine it due to "a combination of admiration and envy, animosity and affection." Born in 1859, his botched delivery resulted in a withered left arm, the first in a lifelong series of painful physical and mental ailments that may well have been responsible for the intemperate outbursts that have damaged his posthumous reputation. MacDonogh reminds us that William's worst threats--to tear up the German constitution, to have his enemies shot--were never carried out. After Germany's defeat in 1918, he abdicated and retired to a manor house in Holland; he may have disliked Jews, but he viewed the Nazis with distaste and until his death in 1941 gave no indication he supported the Third Reich. MacDonogh's detailed account of William's life and times doesn't so much revise the conventional portrait as add nuance, and it will be welcomed by aficionados of old-fashioned narrative biography. --Wendy Smith
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First published September 26, 2000
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About the author
Giles MacDonogh
26 books37 followersGiles MacDonogh (born 1955) is a British writer, historian and translator.
MacDonogh has worked as a journalist, most notably for the Financial Times (1988–2003), where he covered food, drink and a variety of other subjects. He has also contributed to most of the other important British newspapers, and is a regular contributor to the Times . As an historian, MacDonogh concentrates on central Europe, principally Germany.
He was educated at the City of London School and Balliol College, Oxford, where he read modern history. He later carried out historical research at the École pratique des hautes études in Paris.
MacDonogh is the author of fourteen books, chiefly about German history; he has also written about gastronomy and wine. In 1988 he won a Glenfiddich Special Award for his first book, A Palate in Revolution (Robin Clark) and was shortlisted for the André Simon Award. His books have been translated into French, Italian, Bulgarian, German, Chinese, Slovakian, Spanish, Russian and Polish.
Reviewing 1938: Hitler’s Gamble in Spectator Magazine , Graham Stewart said: "Giles MacDonogh has repeatedly shown himself to be in the front rank of British scholars of German history. The depth of his human understanding, the judiciousness of his pickings from source material and the quality of his writing make this book at once gripping and grave."
MacDonogh has worked as a journalist, most notably for the Financial Times (1988–2003), where he covered food, drink and a variety of other subjects. He has also contributed to most of the other important British newspapers, and is a regular contributor to the Times . As an historian, MacDonogh concentrates on central Europe, principally Germany.
He was educated at the City of London School and Balliol College, Oxford, where he read modern history. He later carried out historical research at the École pratique des hautes études in Paris.
MacDonogh is the author of fourteen books, chiefly about German history; he has also written about gastronomy and wine. In 1988 he won a Glenfiddich Special Award for his first book, A Palate in Revolution (Robin Clark) and was shortlisted for the André Simon Award. His books have been translated into French, Italian, Bulgarian, German, Chinese, Slovakian, Spanish, Russian and Polish.
Reviewing 1938: Hitler’s Gamble in Spectator Magazine , Graham Stewart said: "Giles MacDonogh has repeatedly shown himself to be in the front rank of British scholars of German history. The depth of his human understanding, the judiciousness of his pickings from source material and the quality of his writing make this book at once gripping and grave."
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September 28, 2024
“In some ways, William’s Empire was a very modern one. In technology, cultivating the sciences, reforming schools and universities and in the proper evaluation of the role that business and industry may play in the creation of prosperity and financing culture, William needed no encouragement. But that was just one face of Wilhelmine Germany. It had several others and in the long run they could not be reconciled. William failed and the Second Reich died of its own internal contradictions. Its ruler lost his crown because he was unable to tie up the two ends of the string…”
- Giles MacDonogh, The Last Kaiser: The Life of Wilhem II
Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert of House Hohenzollern – known as Wilhem II – was the last of Germany’s hereditary monarchs. He ruled for around thirty tumultuous years, which ended with the catastrophe of the First World War. For many, he shoulders a large measure of the blame for the war’s outbreak. Indeed, at its conclusion, the victorious Allies wanted to put him on trial. Whether this was reasonable or not is a hotly debated question. In any event, the Great War fixed Wilhelm’s place in history: a king who lost his crown, and almost his head.
In The Last Kaiser, Giles MacDonogh seeks to present a fuller picture of Germany’s last emperor, one that goes beyond the stereotype of the blustering, ridiculously-mustached Prussian. The portrait that emerges – of a man of average ability and below-average temperament – makes a strong statement as to the stupidity of choosing a ruler based on the accident of birth, and the fortune of an old last name.
***
The Last Kaiser is a solid biography, but nowhere near spectacular. It is no frills and unfussy, taking us from Wilhelm’s difficult breech birth in 1859 – in which hypoxia likely damaged his brain, and his left arm was permanently injured – to his death in exile in 1941, near the apogee of the Third Reich.
The thing that jumps out about MacDonogh’s approach is that it is very narrowly focused on Wilhem’s life, at the expense of his times. The narrative sometimes resembles a diary, with an endless list of things that happened, without any effort or time spent explaining how or why they occurred. This allows MacDonogh to cram in a lot of details – such as Wilhelm’s weird penchant for not paying prostitutes, despite his enormous wealth – and makes for a breathless pace. However, it also means that events that should have received more methodical attention, such as Wilhelm’s role in the July Crisis, are passed over quickly. Meanwhile, the other individuals in Wilhem’s orbit – such as Otto von Bismark – do not receive the rich characterizations they deserve. An exception is Wilhelm’s exceedingly strange relationship with his mother, which MacDonogh ruminates upon at length.
***
Because MacDonogh makes little attempt to build out the context for the big moments of Wilhelm’s reign – especially his blundering foreign policy – it is helpful to have a bit of knowledge of this time period before starting the book. For instance, if you do not already have a firm grasp of the Agadir Crisis, The Last Kaiser is not going to edify you.
Due to the The Last Kaiser’s constricted scope, it actually works best for the spans when Wilhem was not emperor. His early life of travel, playing soldier, and stiffing prostitutes provides some insights into his qualifications for rule, and the lack thereof. Even better is MacDonogh’s handling of the ex-emperor’s exile years in the Netherlands, whiling away the hours leveling forests with an axe. Of special note is Wilhelm’s complex relationship with the Nazis, who sought some measure of legitimacy through a relationship with him, but had no intention of putting him back on the throne.
***
MacDonogh does not set forth much of an argument regarding Wilhelm’s greatness, though he notes that far better leaders would have struggled with the obstacles he faced. He is rather sanguine about the domestic virtues of Wilhelmine Germany, but doesn’t make a meal out of it.
Overall, this is a pretty objective take on Wilhem, in the sense that nothing is hidden, and the bad is there, along with the good. For instance, MacDonogh notes that Wilhem’s somewhat childish obsession with building a powerful navy unnecessarily created friction with Great Britain, pushing them away from a potential alliance that – given the fact that Wilhem was Queen Victoria’s grandson – seemed natural. During the First World War, MacDonogh suggests that Wilhem was a retiring presence, especially as General Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff increasingly grasped the reins of power themselves.
This is perhaps not as lively a biography as I would’ve hoped, but it is fair. Despite his noxious anti-Semitism and his ultimate decision to go to war, Wilhelm was not quite the warmonger of Allied propaganda, and he was certainly not a proto-Hitler. Moreover, the idea that a single person – or even a single country – can be blamed for the First World War is ludicrous. It took a lot of people, in a lot of different nations, to screw up so badly.
***
There are figures in history who are hard to image as mere human beings, because their stature is just so massive. Kaiser Wilhelm is not one of those figures. He was emotionally labile, driven by whims, and besotted with pomp, uniforms, and meaningless honors. If he had just been a dude, forced to make his own way in the world, he would not have gotten far. It’s unlikely he would’ve been put in charge of a wiener schnitzel stand, much less any other position of importance. Still, there is something charming about this charmless, loudmouthed man, so out of his depth, and so unaware of it.
- Giles MacDonogh, The Last Kaiser: The Life of Wilhem II
Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert of House Hohenzollern – known as Wilhem II – was the last of Germany’s hereditary monarchs. He ruled for around thirty tumultuous years, which ended with the catastrophe of the First World War. For many, he shoulders a large measure of the blame for the war’s outbreak. Indeed, at its conclusion, the victorious Allies wanted to put him on trial. Whether this was reasonable or not is a hotly debated question. In any event, the Great War fixed Wilhelm’s place in history: a king who lost his crown, and almost his head.
In The Last Kaiser, Giles MacDonogh seeks to present a fuller picture of Germany’s last emperor, one that goes beyond the stereotype of the blustering, ridiculously-mustached Prussian. The portrait that emerges – of a man of average ability and below-average temperament – makes a strong statement as to the stupidity of choosing a ruler based on the accident of birth, and the fortune of an old last name.
***
The Last Kaiser is a solid biography, but nowhere near spectacular. It is no frills and unfussy, taking us from Wilhelm’s difficult breech birth in 1859 – in which hypoxia likely damaged his brain, and his left arm was permanently injured – to his death in exile in 1941, near the apogee of the Third Reich.
The thing that jumps out about MacDonogh’s approach is that it is very narrowly focused on Wilhem’s life, at the expense of his times. The narrative sometimes resembles a diary, with an endless list of things that happened, without any effort or time spent explaining how or why they occurred. This allows MacDonogh to cram in a lot of details – such as Wilhelm’s weird penchant for not paying prostitutes, despite his enormous wealth – and makes for a breathless pace. However, it also means that events that should have received more methodical attention, such as Wilhelm’s role in the July Crisis, are passed over quickly. Meanwhile, the other individuals in Wilhem’s orbit – such as Otto von Bismark – do not receive the rich characterizations they deserve. An exception is Wilhelm’s exceedingly strange relationship with his mother, which MacDonogh ruminates upon at length.
***
Because MacDonogh makes little attempt to build out the context for the big moments of Wilhelm’s reign – especially his blundering foreign policy – it is helpful to have a bit of knowledge of this time period before starting the book. For instance, if you do not already have a firm grasp of the Agadir Crisis, The Last Kaiser is not going to edify you.
Due to the The Last Kaiser’s constricted scope, it actually works best for the spans when Wilhem was not emperor. His early life of travel, playing soldier, and stiffing prostitutes provides some insights into his qualifications for rule, and the lack thereof. Even better is MacDonogh’s handling of the ex-emperor’s exile years in the Netherlands, whiling away the hours leveling forests with an axe. Of special note is Wilhelm’s complex relationship with the Nazis, who sought some measure of legitimacy through a relationship with him, but had no intention of putting him back on the throne.
***
MacDonogh does not set forth much of an argument regarding Wilhelm’s greatness, though he notes that far better leaders would have struggled with the obstacles he faced. He is rather sanguine about the domestic virtues of Wilhelmine Germany, but doesn’t make a meal out of it.
Overall, this is a pretty objective take on Wilhem, in the sense that nothing is hidden, and the bad is there, along with the good. For instance, MacDonogh notes that Wilhem’s somewhat childish obsession with building a powerful navy unnecessarily created friction with Great Britain, pushing them away from a potential alliance that – given the fact that Wilhem was Queen Victoria’s grandson – seemed natural. During the First World War, MacDonogh suggests that Wilhem was a retiring presence, especially as General Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff increasingly grasped the reins of power themselves.
This is perhaps not as lively a biography as I would’ve hoped, but it is fair. Despite his noxious anti-Semitism and his ultimate decision to go to war, Wilhelm was not quite the warmonger of Allied propaganda, and he was certainly not a proto-Hitler. Moreover, the idea that a single person – or even a single country – can be blamed for the First World War is ludicrous. It took a lot of people, in a lot of different nations, to screw up so badly.
***
There are figures in history who are hard to image as mere human beings, because their stature is just so massive. Kaiser Wilhelm is not one of those figures. He was emotionally labile, driven by whims, and besotted with pomp, uniforms, and meaningless honors. If he had just been a dude, forced to make his own way in the world, he would not have gotten far. It’s unlikely he would’ve been put in charge of a wiener schnitzel stand, much less any other position of importance. Still, there is something charming about this charmless, loudmouthed man, so out of his depth, and so unaware of it.
November 25, 2018
I would normally give a four-star rating to a book by an historian who has conducted the quantity of research that Giles MacDonogh has for "The Last Kaiser". The problem is that I have serious reservations about the quality. An example of the type of thing that concerns me is that there is only one mention in the book of Teddy Roosevelt (president of the United States from 1901 to 1909) who followed Kaiser Wilhelm like a hawk and met him on several occasions. MacDonogh simply notes that the Kaiser had a "chance" to meet Roosevelt at the funeral of King Edward VII in England without saying if in fact there was a meeting or what they discussed in if they did meet. The reality is that Roosevelt over several meetings formed a highly negative impression of the Kaiser and did much to create a negative opinion of him in the corridors of power in Washington. MacDonogh may have carefully reviewed the correspondence and memoires of the Kaiser, but he often misses key issues that were absent from these primary sources and for which he would have needed to have a better grasp of the secondary literature.
If MacDonogh gives an inexcusably brief treatment of the Kaiser's encounters with Roosevelt, the same cannot be said of the Kaiser's relations with prostitutes which receive excessive analyses.
Worse, MacDonogh's discussion of Kaiser Wilhelm's homoerotic tendencies is far too long.
MacDonogh's main thesis is that the Kaiser was fundamentally a non-entity. He lacked both the intelligence and the drive required for a man in his position. By MacDonogh's analysis of his agenda, he spent roughly as many days hunting in a year as he did working in his office. Kaiser Wilhelm began his reign by trying to make his empire more liberal but then shifted back towards autocracy. His only consistent focus as emperor was to increase the size of the German Navy. He did not have clear ideas however how large it was to be or what purpose it was to serve.
The Kaiser always felt that France would be Germany's enemy. He tried unsuccessfully in fits and starts throughout his career to form an alliance with either Russia where his third cousin sat on the throne or England where his first cousin was the monarch. Despite his bombastic and aggressive speeches, Wilhelm never wanted the war with England that he ultimately stumbled into.
MacDonogh devotes only 30 pages to WWI. His reason is that the politicians and generals who considered him to be an incompetent collaborated together to keep him out of the loop. What MacDonogh does do is write a very great book about the man who was Queen Victoria's grandson and his relations with the members of his family. Readers interested in the family history of the Windsor's (or the Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha's as they were known up until 1917) will love this book. Those looking for a history of the German Empire during the reign of Wilhelm II (1898-1918) will be greatly disappointed.
If MacDonogh gives an inexcusably brief treatment of the Kaiser's encounters with Roosevelt, the same cannot be said of the Kaiser's relations with prostitutes which receive excessive analyses.
Worse, MacDonogh's discussion of Kaiser Wilhelm's homoerotic tendencies is far too long.
MacDonogh's main thesis is that the Kaiser was fundamentally a non-entity. He lacked both the intelligence and the drive required for a man in his position. By MacDonogh's analysis of his agenda, he spent roughly as many days hunting in a year as he did working in his office. Kaiser Wilhelm began his reign by trying to make his empire more liberal but then shifted back towards autocracy. His only consistent focus as emperor was to increase the size of the German Navy. He did not have clear ideas however how large it was to be or what purpose it was to serve.
The Kaiser always felt that France would be Germany's enemy. He tried unsuccessfully in fits and starts throughout his career to form an alliance with either Russia where his third cousin sat on the throne or England where his first cousin was the monarch. Despite his bombastic and aggressive speeches, Wilhelm never wanted the war with England that he ultimately stumbled into.
MacDonogh devotes only 30 pages to WWI. His reason is that the politicians and generals who considered him to be an incompetent collaborated together to keep him out of the loop. What MacDonogh does do is write a very great book about the man who was Queen Victoria's grandson and his relations with the members of his family. Readers interested in the family history of the Windsor's (or the Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha's as they were known up until 1917) will love this book. Those looking for a history of the German Empire during the reign of Wilhelm II (1898-1918) will be greatly disappointed.
September 10, 2013
So many times when I read a biography, I turn the last page not at all convinced I could pick out the subject on the street. I would have nothing to say to them. In this case, I worry that if I ran into Kaiser Wilhelm II, I would come across as a crazed stalker who had been living in his bathroom for his entire life and destroy the tenuous hold this man had on sanity.
He once stated that given his circumstances, it's remarkable he was sane at all (I'm not quoting exactly, as I'm immensely lazy and don't feel like looking it up). After reading his biography, I find that statement to be eloquently self-aware and chock full of truth. It's really quite amazing he didn't attach doll parts to his head gear and dance the tango naked through the streets of Potsdam. Lesser mortals would have probably done so.
Born with a shortened and essentially useless of arm to a mother with all the maternal feeling of flocked wallpaper and a father who loved flocked wallpaper to distraction, Wilhelm was lucky to come out of that relationship with any synapses intact. Though this does not excuse the man from serious megalomania, a temper that was out of control (bad form for a ruler), and the inability to understand or even acknowledge the validity of any perspective but his own. Not to mention, possibly some mental deficiencies stemming from not breathing when he was born. At one point in later life, he had what MacDonogh called a "brainstorm" and couldn't use the letter "e" while writing.
This book is dense. I think the author had a target page count and kept shrinking the font to fit it. "No really, I think 8pt is fine." It's separated into long chapters defined often by Wilhelm's chancellors--and he didn't have that many. It's detailed to point of obsessive. I'm somewhat surprised the author didn't provide a discussion of Wilhelm's DNA--that may be the only thing missing.
This detail sometimes devolves into dryness (thus the missing star). At times I was wading through the morass of detail hoping that someone would start yelling at someone to break the tonal boredom. However, these sections proved extremely effective in lulling to sleep my 9-year-old. Probably a use MacDonogh never intended.
Despite the pages at times on ennui, Wilhelm's is a compelling story and this book tells it with passion and a thoroughness that is stunning. I've read many books that are shorter than the endnotes in this one. MacDonogh did his research. There might be a failing to sometimes put the events of Wilhelm's life in historical context, so if you don't know your European history, have wikipedia at the ready.
I can't imagine though a more comprehensive biography of this complex character and one so even-handed. In essence, the book effectively argues that although Wilhelm was flawed and in no way the right ruler for the time, it's questionable that, outside of a spectacularly rare person, anyone could have changed the outcome much and derailed the train that was Europe steaming headlong into WWI.
He once stated that given his circumstances, it's remarkable he was sane at all (I'm not quoting exactly, as I'm immensely lazy and don't feel like looking it up). After reading his biography, I find that statement to be eloquently self-aware and chock full of truth. It's really quite amazing he didn't attach doll parts to his head gear and dance the tango naked through the streets of Potsdam. Lesser mortals would have probably done so.
Born with a shortened and essentially useless of arm to a mother with all the maternal feeling of flocked wallpaper and a father who loved flocked wallpaper to distraction, Wilhelm was lucky to come out of that relationship with any synapses intact. Though this does not excuse the man from serious megalomania, a temper that was out of control (bad form for a ruler), and the inability to understand or even acknowledge the validity of any perspective but his own. Not to mention, possibly some mental deficiencies stemming from not breathing when he was born. At one point in later life, he had what MacDonogh called a "brainstorm" and couldn't use the letter "e" while writing.
This book is dense. I think the author had a target page count and kept shrinking the font to fit it. "No really, I think 8pt is fine." It's separated into long chapters defined often by Wilhelm's chancellors--and he didn't have that many. It's detailed to point of obsessive. I'm somewhat surprised the author didn't provide a discussion of Wilhelm's DNA--that may be the only thing missing.
This detail sometimes devolves into dryness (thus the missing star). At times I was wading through the morass of detail hoping that someone would start yelling at someone to break the tonal boredom. However, these sections proved extremely effective in lulling to sleep my 9-year-old. Probably a use MacDonogh never intended.
Despite the pages at times on ennui, Wilhelm's is a compelling story and this book tells it with passion and a thoroughness that is stunning. I've read many books that are shorter than the endnotes in this one. MacDonogh did his research. There might be a failing to sometimes put the events of Wilhelm's life in historical context, so if you don't know your European history, have wikipedia at the ready.
I can't imagine though a more comprehensive biography of this complex character and one so even-handed. In essence, the book effectively argues that although Wilhelm was flawed and in no way the right ruler for the time, it's questionable that, outside of a spectacularly rare person, anyone could have changed the outcome much and derailed the train that was Europe steaming headlong into WWI.
May 2, 2019
Read as research for a German history paper.
I read this for background into the life of Kaiser Wilhelm II. While I still feel that his issues with his extended family were part of the reason for World War I. I also think that too much was expected of him by both sets of grandparents and he was only able to make one happy, and that didn't happen often. It was a good book and I enjoyed it more than I expected. It's another one I'd like to read when I'm not so focused on research for a paper.
I read this for background into the life of Kaiser Wilhelm II. While I still feel that his issues with his extended family were part of the reason for World War I. I also think that too much was expected of him by both sets of grandparents and he was only able to make one happy, and that didn't happen often. It was a good book and I enjoyed it more than I expected. It's another one I'd like to read when I'm not so focused on research for a paper.
June 27, 2018
One of these days I hope to write a review worthy of this book, but my mind is just so busy with other things. So I have a very long and unorganized review in my laptop which is too large for here. (And it's not even half done!)
I can say that this book definitely enlightened me on the geopolitics of the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Perhaps I'll re-read it again, or at least refer back to the lessons in this book in any other writings I do on the subject. In any case, I bought this book maybe 10 years ago and read about 200 pages before growing restless and moving onto something else. I picked it up again in a library at Cypress College and started to read again from the beginning. Fast forward to today and I finally found enough time and solitude to get through the entire 462 pages.
So allow me to give my main thoughts here. Wilhelm II (William) was far ahead of his time. He wanted a unified Europe that would pull its powers together as separate nations in dominating the world scene, especially in terms of economics with Germany and Britain as the bloc's primary leaders (this is the European Union, folks; coincidentally, the Euro is dominated by the economic powerhouse of Germany). The last Kaiser also wasn't a war monger. The reactionaries/militarists of Germany were constantly angry at him for what they saw as a lack of fortitude (willingness to go to war) from the Kaiser. You had men like Waldersee, William's first military chief of staff, who wanted to go to war with Russia ASAP. Later on, when Britain got embroiled in the Boer war, you had the whole of Germany that wanted to attack British interests. When Russia got defeated by Japan in the early twentieth century, you had generals wanting to attack the bear to the east or her ally France while the dual alliance was weakened. All this while Williams was furiously doing diplomacy to try to make the peace.
Why didn't it work? The chief blame for all of this, in my opinion, is Britain. The British practice isolationism, allowing the continental nations to embroil themselves in conflicts with one another in order to focus on their overseas British empire. However, William wanted to raise a navy to protect the trade interests of the rapidly expanding German economy. The British were accustomed to having no serious threat on the high seas and Germany would put an end to all that. So starting in the early twentieth century, you had an arms race with dreadnoughts and a British refusal to have any reconciliation with Germany until she promised to give up her navy. In other words, the British price for peace would be for her to remain as the preeminent geopolitical power. Unlike Richard Nixon, who definitely was no war monger, she couldn't bring herself to detente that would prevent conflict.
The greatest sin of Britain is how she allied herself with Russia and France before WWI in what is known at the entente. By doing this, Britain completely encircled Germany with hostile nations, thus making Germany feel threatened. As a result, Germany felt like she had to strike first in any potential war between the big four (Russia, Germany, France and Britain) so she could knock out some of them in order to focus on defeating the rest. However Germany was not without fault. After the Austrian empire decided to invade Serbia for assassinating the heir to the throne (and MacDonogh makes it clear that the assassination was likely orchestrated by those inside the Serbian government), they come to William and he gives them a BLANK CHECK to go to war, promising to defend them against Russia no matter what. However, before invading, Serbia agrees to very conciliatory terms. Yet with the blank check promised by Germany, Austria is intent on invading Serbia and thus ensuring the worst war ever (up to that time) on the European continent.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about this book is how the militarists took over in Germany, thus sweeping William aside. The same occurred in Russia and Britain. It reminds me a lot of how the Illyrian officer corps overtook the Roman empire, starting with the reign of Gallienius, from the aristocratic elite (senators, etc.).
One thing I must note is that William dealt with a lot of problems on the domestic front. Due to the industrial revolution and the success of democracy in America and elsewhere, all of the West is enduring problems in regards to rule by monarchs. The commoners constantly want more rights and protections from their government, and the aristocrats don't wish to give them any seeing as how they would be the losers. Otto von Bismark, the esteemed German chancellor and architect of the empire that William inherited, tried to appease both sides via the carrot and the stick: alleviating the commoners' concerns but being willing to ruthlessly shut down protests and strikes when necessary. William refused to use the stick, thus empowering the liberals/socialists (Social Democrats in the parliament). He would rue this as he turns towards conservatism and Bismarkian harsh methods once he sees the failure of his liberal approach. Also, to build up his navy, William tries to establish free trade agreements with Russia (to win over Russia diplomatically into an alliance), which hurts the agricultural industry of Germany's farmers in Prussia (William's relatives) while helping manufacturers in Bavaria (a liberal-leaning region). This also helped to pay for William's navy since manufacturing resulted in higher tax revenue.
All that being said, one can come to the conclusion that had William been a stronger leader, he could've averted WWI and if not established an alliance with Russia or Britain, at least allowed the German economy to keep rapidly expanding. Such an approach would require extreme prudence, which Machiavelli acknowledges when detailing what makes a successful prince/leader. Yet as the author notes at the end of his work, "Such men are precious rare" (462).
I can say that this book definitely enlightened me on the geopolitics of the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Perhaps I'll re-read it again, or at least refer back to the lessons in this book in any other writings I do on the subject. In any case, I bought this book maybe 10 years ago and read about 200 pages before growing restless and moving onto something else. I picked it up again in a library at Cypress College and started to read again from the beginning. Fast forward to today and I finally found enough time and solitude to get through the entire 462 pages.
So allow me to give my main thoughts here. Wilhelm II (William) was far ahead of his time. He wanted a unified Europe that would pull its powers together as separate nations in dominating the world scene, especially in terms of economics with Germany and Britain as the bloc's primary leaders (this is the European Union, folks; coincidentally, the Euro is dominated by the economic powerhouse of Germany). The last Kaiser also wasn't a war monger. The reactionaries/militarists of Germany were constantly angry at him for what they saw as a lack of fortitude (willingness to go to war) from the Kaiser. You had men like Waldersee, William's first military chief of staff, who wanted to go to war with Russia ASAP. Later on, when Britain got embroiled in the Boer war, you had the whole of Germany that wanted to attack British interests. When Russia got defeated by Japan in the early twentieth century, you had generals wanting to attack the bear to the east or her ally France while the dual alliance was weakened. All this while Williams was furiously doing diplomacy to try to make the peace.
Why didn't it work? The chief blame for all of this, in my opinion, is Britain. The British practice isolationism, allowing the continental nations to embroil themselves in conflicts with one another in order to focus on their overseas British empire. However, William wanted to raise a navy to protect the trade interests of the rapidly expanding German economy. The British were accustomed to having no serious threat on the high seas and Germany would put an end to all that. So starting in the early twentieth century, you had an arms race with dreadnoughts and a British refusal to have any reconciliation with Germany until she promised to give up her navy. In other words, the British price for peace would be for her to remain as the preeminent geopolitical power. Unlike Richard Nixon, who definitely was no war monger, she couldn't bring herself to detente that would prevent conflict.
The greatest sin of Britain is how she allied herself with Russia and France before WWI in what is known at the entente. By doing this, Britain completely encircled Germany with hostile nations, thus making Germany feel threatened. As a result, Germany felt like she had to strike first in any potential war between the big four (Russia, Germany, France and Britain) so she could knock out some of them in order to focus on defeating the rest. However Germany was not without fault. After the Austrian empire decided to invade Serbia for assassinating the heir to the throne (and MacDonogh makes it clear that the assassination was likely orchestrated by those inside the Serbian government), they come to William and he gives them a BLANK CHECK to go to war, promising to defend them against Russia no matter what. However, before invading, Serbia agrees to very conciliatory terms. Yet with the blank check promised by Germany, Austria is intent on invading Serbia and thus ensuring the worst war ever (up to that time) on the European continent.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about this book is how the militarists took over in Germany, thus sweeping William aside. The same occurred in Russia and Britain. It reminds me a lot of how the Illyrian officer corps overtook the Roman empire, starting with the reign of Gallienius, from the aristocratic elite (senators, etc.).
One thing I must note is that William dealt with a lot of problems on the domestic front. Due to the industrial revolution and the success of democracy in America and elsewhere, all of the West is enduring problems in regards to rule by monarchs. The commoners constantly want more rights and protections from their government, and the aristocrats don't wish to give them any seeing as how they would be the losers. Otto von Bismark, the esteemed German chancellor and architect of the empire that William inherited, tried to appease both sides via the carrot and the stick: alleviating the commoners' concerns but being willing to ruthlessly shut down protests and strikes when necessary. William refused to use the stick, thus empowering the liberals/socialists (Social Democrats in the parliament). He would rue this as he turns towards conservatism and Bismarkian harsh methods once he sees the failure of his liberal approach. Also, to build up his navy, William tries to establish free trade agreements with Russia (to win over Russia diplomatically into an alliance), which hurts the agricultural industry of Germany's farmers in Prussia (William's relatives) while helping manufacturers in Bavaria (a liberal-leaning region). This also helped to pay for William's navy since manufacturing resulted in higher tax revenue.
All that being said, one can come to the conclusion that had William been a stronger leader, he could've averted WWI and if not established an alliance with Russia or Britain, at least allowed the German economy to keep rapidly expanding. Such an approach would require extreme prudence, which Machiavelli acknowledges when detailing what makes a successful prince/leader. Yet as the author notes at the end of his work, "Such men are precious rare" (462).
September 1, 2017
This book was jam packed with insights on Wilhelm II. One gets a different impression reading about his whole life rather than the more typical treatment of the run-up to WWI. Issues that ante-WWI books don't capture is his impulsive character where he says rash things without thinking and then later says the opposite. He wouldn't have done well in the Twitter world. The book also talks a lot about Wilhelm's first wife and oldest son who was often at odds with his father and subverted his efforts to make more rational decisions. Living until the 1940s, he embraced the Nazis as long as he thought they might restore his crown.
What strikes me as ironic is both Wilhelm and Nicholas II were raised to be autocrats, but lacked the spine. Both were mis-directed by their wives and surrounding relations. Had they been constitutional monarchs, they would have been better suited for it.
There were flaws in this book, however. There were many untranslated German terms and the book would have profited from photographs of key players to keep from getting confused between them. Also, too much space was devoted to the early years and not enough to the run-up to the war. Chronologies also went back and forth in that period and became confusing.
What strikes me as ironic is both Wilhelm and Nicholas II were raised to be autocrats, but lacked the spine. Both were mis-directed by their wives and surrounding relations. Had they been constitutional monarchs, they would have been better suited for it.
There were flaws in this book, however. There were many untranslated German terms and the book would have profited from photographs of key players to keep from getting confused between them. Also, too much space was devoted to the early years and not enough to the run-up to the war. Chronologies also went back and forth in that period and became confusing.
September 26, 2018
Докладна біографія останнього кайзера Німецького Райху Вільгельма ІІ Гогенцоллерна. Автор описує його молоді роки, відносини з батьками. Несподіване та передчасне сходження на престол у рік смерті діда Вільгельма І та батька Фрідріха ІІІ зіграло злий жарт. Прагнення Вільгельма ІІ перевершити своїх предків у військовій справі привело до краху Німецької імперії після Першої світової війни. Вільгельм ІІ, проте, досить довго і спокійно жив після зречення у Нідерландах.
March 26, 2022
The book starts out quite slowly, and the reader learns much about the dynastic ties which helped shape Kaiser Bill's life. It picks up but still the pacing is hardly exciting. The book is a nice look at the human side of Wilhelm, who was often derided in earlier histories. Still, it is a story I wish had been told by a writer the caliber of a Tuchman or Massie.
June 3, 2018
Книжка сподобалася. Кількість деталей про життя та риси характеру кайзера, дали чітку картину його особистості. В певній мірі здалося, що автор співчуває долі останнього імператора Німеччини.
December 27, 2022
It was enjoyable enough but felt it often skipped over key events and assumed the reader was aware of them.
June 3, 2016
Giles MacDonogh has tried to make his subject more interesting, but is not quite so bothered about evidence. For example:
The Kaiser says his childhood was happy, MacDonogh has decided it wasn't, William later fell out with his parents, sisters and some of his sons, MacDonogh has decided that he never got on with them. His mother is usually considered over-indulgent, MacDonogh has decided she was cold and critical, although the examples of criticism he gives could be better explained as pleas for tolerance of his behaviour.
MacDonogh also suggests that there was considerable anti-British feeling in Prussia from before William became Kaiser. His source for this is Waldersee's memoirs, which are very bitter towards William, both his parents and mostly towards Bismarck. There may have been some, but he has not established it. He also says Vicky was violently anti-German, although in the quotes he gives this only extends to table manners and dressing up in uniforms, and one where it is said she praises Britain when in Germany and Germany when in England (which might not be the tactful way of carrying out her father's mission to bring the countries together, but that was her most likely intention).
Obviously he is trying to be controversial and it makes for a different story, but he can't back it up and it is not good history.
It may not have been a good idea to read a dramatised book about the Kaiser so close to a very factual one. I keep wanting to put it down and read something else.
This assessment of the Kaiser he should have included in full:
[He was] talented, quick to understand, sometimes brilliant, with a predilection for the modern – technology, industry, science – but at the same time superficial, hasty , restless, uneasy, without any depth of gravity, without any will for hard work or determination to see things through, without any sense of sobriety, balance and boundaries, or even for reality and real problems, uncontrollable and barely capable of learning from experience, desperate for praise and success – as Bismarck said during his early life, he wanted every day to be his birthday – romantic, sentimental and theatrical, unsure and arrogant, with limitless exaggerated self-confidence and desire to show off, an immature cadet, who never took the tone of the officers’ mess out of his voice, and brashly wanted to play the part of the Supreme Military Commander.
Nipperdey, T., Deutsche Geschichte 1866–1918.
He could perhaps also have known about this:
Britain’s Director of Military Intelligence warned in 1887, “The countries with which 13 we are most likely to go to war are France and Russia and the worst combination which we have any reason to dread is an alliance of France and Russia.” In 1894, precisely such an alliance was signed and the dreaded became reality.
The Kaiser says his childhood was happy, MacDonogh has decided it wasn't, William later fell out with his parents, sisters and some of his sons, MacDonogh has decided that he never got on with them. His mother is usually considered over-indulgent, MacDonogh has decided she was cold and critical, although the examples of criticism he gives could be better explained as pleas for tolerance of his behaviour.
MacDonogh also suggests that there was considerable anti-British feeling in Prussia from before William became Kaiser. His source for this is Waldersee's memoirs, which are very bitter towards William, both his parents and mostly towards Bismarck. There may have been some, but he has not established it. He also says Vicky was violently anti-German, although in the quotes he gives this only extends to table manners and dressing up in uniforms, and one where it is said she praises Britain when in Germany and Germany when in England (which might not be the tactful way of carrying out her father's mission to bring the countries together, but that was her most likely intention).
Obviously he is trying to be controversial and it makes for a different story, but he can't back it up and it is not good history.
It may not have been a good idea to read a dramatised book about the Kaiser so close to a very factual one. I keep wanting to put it down and read something else.
This assessment of the Kaiser he should have included in full:
[He was] talented, quick to understand, sometimes brilliant, with a predilection for the modern – technology, industry, science – but at the same time superficial, hasty , restless, uneasy, without any depth of gravity, without any will for hard work or determination to see things through, without any sense of sobriety, balance and boundaries, or even for reality and real problems, uncontrollable and barely capable of learning from experience, desperate for praise and success – as Bismarck said during his early life, he wanted every day to be his birthday – romantic, sentimental and theatrical, unsure and arrogant, with limitless exaggerated self-confidence and desire to show off, an immature cadet, who never took the tone of the officers’ mess out of his voice, and brashly wanted to play the part of the Supreme Military Commander.
Nipperdey, T., Deutsche Geschichte 1866–1918.
He could perhaps also have known about this:
Britain’s Director of Military Intelligence warned in 1887, “The countries with which 13 we are most likely to go to war are France and Russia and the worst combination which we have any reason to dread is an alliance of France and Russia.” In 1894, precisely such an alliance was signed and the dreaded became reality.
December 11, 2014
I FINALLY finished this. It was interesting, but just too detailed for me. Several times I considered abandoning it, but I decided to keep reading. The other Last Kaiser book I read (by Tyler Whittle) was much more readable.
My favorite part of this book was toward the end, where Wilhelm's final years in exile were described. (Perhaps it was only my favorite because I finally saw that the end was near!) It was fascinating to see how someone who had always lived such a public life coped with a very shrunken world. He'd been called the "Reisekaiser" (traveling Kaiser) and for the last 22 years of his life he rarely went more than 15 kilometers from his home. He was required to get special permission to do so, and he felt it just wasn't worth it. He spent his time chopping down trees on his property (20,000 of them!!) and studying archaeology, among other things.
Like most of us, he was quite a complex character. He could be a saber-rattler one moment and a peaceful person who wanted diplomacy to work. He could be forceful at times, but was also often manipulated by his general staff. He loved poetry, music, and philosophy but also exulted in hunting and riding. I think he would have been a lot happier and effective if he'd been born into a more ordinary life, as a member of the minor nobility for example instead of the ruling house of Germany.
The final chapter about his relationship with Nazism was also quite interesting. For a while, he hoped that the Nazis would bring back the monarchy and he met with them in anticipation, but he soon realized that that would never happen. He wound up thinking of them as thugs and gangsters.
My favorite part of this book was toward the end, where Wilhelm's final years in exile were described. (Perhaps it was only my favorite because I finally saw that the end was near!) It was fascinating to see how someone who had always lived such a public life coped with a very shrunken world. He'd been called the "Reisekaiser" (traveling Kaiser) and for the last 22 years of his life he rarely went more than 15 kilometers from his home. He was required to get special permission to do so, and he felt it just wasn't worth it. He spent his time chopping down trees on his property (20,000 of them!!) and studying archaeology, among other things.
Like most of us, he was quite a complex character. He could be a saber-rattler one moment and a peaceful person who wanted diplomacy to work. He could be forceful at times, but was also often manipulated by his general staff. He loved poetry, music, and philosophy but also exulted in hunting and riding. I think he would have been a lot happier and effective if he'd been born into a more ordinary life, as a member of the minor nobility for example instead of the ruling house of Germany.
The final chapter about his relationship with Nazism was also quite interesting. For a while, he hoped that the Nazis would bring back the monarchy and he met with them in anticipation, but he soon realized that that would never happen. He wound up thinking of them as thugs and gangsters.
January 11, 2023
Kaiser Wilhelm II was a thoroughly disliked person, the oldest grandson of Queen Victoria and son of Crown Prince Fritz of Germany and Prussia and Crown Princess Victoria of England. He joined the Army at age ten and had Prussian grandparents and tutors who taught him to reject all his parents liberal (and English) ideas. Author Giles MacDonogh tries to shine a new and more positive light on the Kaiser but it is hard. I guess the most truthful description of him is that he was a "mass of contradictions". He is described as "he fired before he aimed". He built the German Navy from nothing to at least the second most powerful Navy in the world and his Army was considered perhaps the most powerful army in the world. Yet he was constantly putting his feet in his mouth. Born with a deformed arm and probably undiagnosed mental health problems, yet to be diagnosed at the time, he still did some good, reforming schools, and the economy was booming, but he is blamed for the Great War, despite wanting to be the prince of peace. Very interesting story about a smart but flawed man.
July 3, 2013
A very informative biography of the last Kaiser. It reminded me of course of the 1975 TV Series Edward the Seventh, which featured many wonderful British actors and actresses in the title roles. A very worthwhile read.
July 11, 2010
A superbly detailed, well-balanced account of the life of the infamous Kaiser.
July 17, 2011
Loathsome. The author manifests a strange agenda to slander the subject's mother.
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