Today we’re looking at Wilhelm II of GermanyWilhelm II (1/27/1859 – 6/4/1941) was the third and last emperor of the German EmpireSome notable feats or facts include:>the grandson of Wilhelm I, Prussian king and first German emperor>had a difficult breech birth and nearly died>was left with a permanently withered left arm and may have experienced a degree of brain damage from hypoxia>although his parents Crown Prince Friedrich and Princess Victoria were liberal Anglophiles, Wilhelm admired the Prussian military and the cult of the strongman growing up>married and had seven children with his cousin Princess Augusta Victoria>Friedrich became emperor Friedrich III when Wilhelm I died in 1888 but was dying of cancer and lasted only 99 days before expiring>Wilhelm succeeded to the throne at 29 years old>fired the aged Bismarck as chancellor so he could run the state himself>began a bellicose style of rule, vowing to build a navy to rival Britain's and criticizing republican government>this resulted in Britain becoming increasingly hostile to Germany when the two nations had never had any prior enmity
>Germany nonetheless continued to flourish during Wilhelm's reign and became an industrial, scientific, and cultural powerhouse>when World War I erupted, Wilhelm was quickly reduced to an impotent figurehead in a military dictatorship run by his generals Paul von Hindenberg and Erich Ludendorff>nonetheless he was the subject of endless Entente propaganda cartoons depicting him as a bloodstained butcher and war criminal>Germany collapsed in late 1918, Wilhelm was persuaded to abdicate and flee to exile in the Netherlands>he lived in retirement there as a dignified country gentleman, criticizing the Nazi regime for being a cultureless abomination while also admiring it at times>Hitler did not admire Wilhelm very much and considered him an incompetent inbred royal whose mistakes had cost Germany the war>after the fall of France in 1940, Wilhelm sent his former corporal a telegram "congratulating you for avenging the previous war with my troops.">the Wehrmacht overran the Netherlands and a detachment of soldiers was sent to serve as bodyguards outside the former emperor's country manor>he passed away at age 82 in June 1941What do you think of the man who became a punchline in American wartime cartoons?Link to previous thread >>18724191
>>18725773absolute idiot. 2/10 leader. destroyed everything Bismarck had built in 20 years.
>>18725798/thread
>thread is up 11 hours and only two replies
>>18725798retards: the post
>>18725798His foreign policy was almost identical to Bismarck. He was an idiot in the sense he failed to adopt new strategies in changing times
>>18725798>Bismarck: Try to befriend Russia, oppose France, don't trust EnglandOMG le genius!>Wilhelm: Try to befriend Russia, oppose France, don't trust EnglandKek what a retard
>>18725798Yup, turns out that random colonies, naval expansion, and fucking around with France's influence over Morocco weren't worth the squeeze
>>18726467That's how shitty and pathetic of a historical figure Willy is. Only autistic chuds like him. It's a shame his father died too soon.
germs always get raped by Slavs
why did he lose?
>>18727718Simped for Russia and they blew him off. Then was too prideful to suck England's cock
>>18725773The npc
Bismarck's greatest PR achievement is convincing the Nachwelt that Wilhelm was in the wrong for dismissing him.Then you read up on it and find out that Wilhelm II was being the reasonable party there and that Bismarck really was losing the plot.
>>18727990Bismarck was old as fuck, he needed to go. I absolutely would have fired him too if I was in Willy's shoes.
>>18727726>>18727718That be the French government
>>18727608>t. faggot
>>18727636>germs always get r-ACK!!
>>18728045He based boomers toohttps://youtu.be/r2YouAuNGJs?t=723&si=BLzz6HQ1xTLmDMqX
>>18725773>Alienate the UK by starting a "naval arms race" with them when your country had absolutely no use for it and also and by calling the British "Mad March Hares" in a speech that was supposed to gain their trust>Alienate France by meddling in their sphere of influence (Morocco) for the chance of gaining a colony when you had absolutely zero claims about it>Alienate Bulgaria, one of the major powers in the Balkans, when Wilhelm gave a "friendly" slap in the ass to Ferdinand in a family gathering and then refused to apologize>Alienate Russia by siding with the British side in all their conflicts while also fucking up to please Britain at the same time>Give Franz Joseph a diplomaitc "blank check" to help him in whatever the fuck he wanted despite him being one of the most retarded european rulers, probably worse than Wilhelm himselfFucking hell, Wilhelm II had to be one of the worst diplomatic rulers ever, and even I agree with these anons >>18727990 >>18728045 about Bismarck having to go, but I swear even a fucking rock would have been better than Wilhelm because at least a rock wouldn't have cut the alliance Germany already had.Oh, and I also forgot:>Alienate the US by the whole Zimmermann Telegram fiasco, then admitting it when you got caught as if it was nothing, making Americans become hardcore germanophobes despite America being like 50% German at the time
>>18728643Nope, he took Russia's side in Russo-Japan. Japan was England's ally
>>18725773I have slowly become a Wilhelm apologist as I got older.
>>18728643>most retarded postFranz Joseph wasn't bad
>>18725773Literally an aura farming retard
>>18725773Style over substanceThe german way
