Synopses & Reviews
Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941) was a key figure in German history as it followed its fatal course from Bismarck to Hitler, and this book presents a detailed account of the first half of his reign. Concerned primarily with the question of who controlled Germany's powerful machinery of government, the text focuses on how the country's domestic and foreign policy was decided upon, and the issue of the continuity (or inevitability) of German history from the foundation of the Second Reich by Bismarck to Hitler's Third Reich.
Review
"[Röhl's] scholarship is profound and beyond reproach."
- Times Literary Supplement"...This authoritative tome based on more than 20 years of scholarly research represents the second installment of Röhl's meticulously detailed biography of Germanyas Kaiser Wilhelm II. Highly recommended."
- Choice, June 2005"...truly an extraordinary accomplishment, one representing the capstone of a lifetime of research and thinking about Wilhelm II and Germany."
- H-German, Kelly McFall, Newman University
About the Author
JOHN C. G. ROHL is Research Professor of German History, University of Sussex
Table of Contents
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.