What did Kaiser Wilhelm II do in ww1?

With World War I under way, the kaiser, as commander in chief of the German armed forces, retained the power to make upper-level changes in military command. Nonetheless, he was largely a shadow monarch during the war, useful to his generals as a public-relations figure who toured the front lines and handed out medals.

What did Kaiser Wilhelm want for Germany?

Utterly convinced of his right to rule, Wilhelm always overestimated his capacity for wise political judgment. His dismissal of Chancellor Bismarck in 1890 and ambitious aim to make Germany a world power served to disrupt the established balance of the European order.

What did Kaiser Wilhelm II do for Germany?

William II, German Wilhelm II, in full Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert, (born January 27, 1859, Potsdam, near Berlin [Germany]—died June 4, 1941, Doorn, Netherlands), German emperor (kaiser) and king of Prussia from 1888 to the end of World War I in 1918, known for his frequently militaristic manner as well as for his …

What did Kaiser Wilhelm mean by a place in the sun?

Wilhelm II wanted Germany to look internationally and should seek ‘a place in the sun’. He wanted Germany to have a work policy or weltpolitik. The Kaiser looked longingly at the empires of France and Britain in Africa and the Far East, and believed that Germany should have the same.

What happened to William the 2nd?

On 2 August 1100, William died when he was shot by an arrow while out hunting. It was accepted as an accident, but could have been an assassination. It has been suggested that his alleged slayer, Walter Tirel, was acting under orders from William’s younger brother, Henry, who promptly seized the throne as Henry I.

How did King Wilhelm II become king of Germany?

With the death of Wilhelm’s grandfather in March 1888, his father became German Emperor and King of Prussia as Frederick III. Frederick himself died in June of that year, and Wilhelm II ascended the throne. In March 1890, he dismissed the German Empire’s powerful longtime chancellor, Otto von Bismarck .

What did Bismarck predict about Wilhelm II?

Bismarck bitterly predicted that Wilhelm would lead Germany to ruin. Wilhelm damaged his political position in a number of ways. He meddled in German foreign policy on the basis of his emotions, resulting in incoherence and inconsistency in German relations with other nations.

What problems did Germany face in foreign policy under Wilhelm II?

German foreign policy under Wilhelm II was faced with a number of significant problems. Perhaps the most apparent was that Wilhelm was an impatient man, subjective in his reactions and affected strongly by sentiment and impulse.

What happened to Kaiser Wilhelm’s father?

Wilhelm’s father became Kaiser Frederick III of Germany in March 1888. Already ill with terminal throat cancer, he died after a reign of only several months.