Wilhelm II
The Kaiser's Personal Monarchy, 1888–1900

The most detailed account ever written of the first half of Kaiser Wilhelm II's reign.

John C. G. Röhl (Author), Sheila de Bellaigue (Translated by)

9781107565951, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 30 March 2017

1306 pages, 55 b/w illus. 1 map
24.7 x 17.3 x 5.3 cm, 2.26 kg

Review of the hardback: 'This biography is definitive by being exhaustive. … This is a wonderful example of scholarship and hard work'. Contemporary Reviews

Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859–1941) ruled Imperial Germany from his accession in 1888 to his enforced abdication in 1918 at the end of the First World War. This book, based on a wealth of previously unpublished archival material, provides the most detailed account ever written of the first half of his reign. Following on from the author's highly acclaimed Young Wilhelm (1998), the volume demonstrates the monarch's dynastic arrogance and the wounding abuse he showered on his own people as, step by step, he built up his personal power. His thirst for glory, his overweening nationalism and militarism, and his passion for the navy provided the impetus for a breathtaking long-term goal: the transformation of the German Reich into the foremost power in the world. Soon the predictable consequences - constitutional crisis at home and diplomatic isolation abroad - began to make their alarming appearance.

Preface to the English edition
Preface to the German edition
1. The accession
2. The first state visits
3. The Kaiser and his mother
4. An ominous family quarrel
5. The young Kaiser: a sketch drawn from nature
6. First steps in foreign affairs
7. The pillars of imperial power
8. The domination of the Bismarcks
9. The Bismarck crisis begins
10. The Kaiser, the Chancellor and the Kartell
11. Constitutional conflicts
12. Bismarck's fall from power
13. The haphazard transition: from the Bismarcks to the New Course
14. In Bismarck's footsteps: the conduct of foreign policy under the New Course
15. The dualism of power
16. The fall of the Court Generals
17. The School Bill crisis and the fragmentation of power
18. Dynastic diplomacy
19. The rude awakening
20. The predictable disaster: Wilhelm II and the 'public soul' of Germany
21. Caprivi's dismissal
22. Head of the family
23. The Kaiser and the 'Newest Course'
24. An enemy of the people
25. Wilhelm and world politics
26. Great Britain and the spectre of encirclement
27. Endgame: the breakthrough to decisive personal power
28. Personal Monarchy: Wilhelm II at the summit of power
29. The Kaiser, art and architecture
30. The challenge: from continental policy to Weltpolitik
31. The Kaiser and England
32. Wilhelm and the birth of the German battle fleet
33. 'Young Germany, your Kaiser!' or what was wrong with Wilhelm II?
List of archival sources
Select bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], European history [HBJD], General & world history [HBG], Biography: historical, political & military [BGH]