Kaiser Wilhelm II [Paperback]

Christopher Clark (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0582245591 | ISBN-13: 978-0582245594 | Publication Date: September 21, 2000 | Edition: 1

The latest book in the popular Profiles in Power Series, Kaiser Wilhelm provides a concise and analytical examination which covers the entire span of the Kaiser's life, including his years in exile. Wilhelm was one of the key figures in the history of twentieth century Europe as King of Prussia and German Emperor from 1888 to the collapse of Germany in 1918. . Offers an analytical study of the nature and extent of Wilhelm's political power, examines his political goals and success in achieving them, as well as, his failings as a ruler, and explores the collapse of Prussia's monarchy. Of interest to readers of German history or World War I. Hardcover 0-582-24560-5 $ 69.95

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Christopher Clark has done the impossible, namely, produce a new biography of Wilhelm II that makes a fresh and enlightening contribution to German political history...brings the Kaiser's life into critical and illuminating review' German History

From the Back Cover

Kaiser Wilhelm II is one of the key figures in the history of twentieth-century Europe: King of Prussia and German Emperor from 1888 to the collapse of Germany in 1918 and a crucial player in the events that led to the outbreak of World War I. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including unpublished archival material, this study focuses on:

* the character and extent of his power
* his political goals
* his success in achieving them
* the mechanisms by which he projected authority and exercised influence.
* his role in the formation of foreign policy and his impact on the events of July 1914

Following Kaiser Wilhelm's political career from his youth at the Hohenzollern court through the turbulent peacetime decades of the Wilhelmine era into global war and exile, the book presents a new interpretation of this controversial monarch and assesses the impact on Germany of his forty-year reign.

Christopher Clark is a Lecturer in Modern European History at St Catharine's College, Cambridge University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Longman; 1 edition (September 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0582245591
• ISBN-13: 978-0582245594
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #600,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent political science & history, less so biography, November 10, 2003

By 

Richard E. Hegner (Columbia, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kaiser Wilhelm II (Paperback)

Christopher Clark's remarkably concise biography of Wilhelm II, one of the more controversial figures of German history, very ably presents the last Kaiser in the context of his times and his political position. It is a well written work of political science and history, with incisive analysis of how the Kaiser operated within the constraints of the powers he enjoyed as emperor.

Since this is a volume in a series entitled "Profiles in Power," it is perhaps not surprising that its focus is primarily the 30 years in which Wilhelm reigned: 1888-1918. Because of this, as a biography, the book is somewhat less satisfying, in that it gives relatively limited attention to the first 29 years of his life and to the last 23 years of his life (a chapter each for these two periods as compared to 6 chapters for the period of his reign and a summary chapter). The book presents a relatively limited portrait of Wilhelm as an individual, except insofar as his personal strengths and weaknesses affected his role as monarch. Because his personality affected his rule so greatly, this seems a greater deficit here than in other political biographies.

Nonetheless, the book presents a great deal of information in a relatively short scope-261 pages, including footnotes. Among the topics the book explores: Wilhelm's difficult relations with his father and his closer relationship to his grandfather, Wilhelm I; the challenges posed by his dual role as German Kaiser and King of Prussia; his difficult position between the Reichstag and Cabinet, on one hand, and the German military, on the other; the divide between the early years of his reign, when he chose to intervene more often in politics and governance of Germany, and the latter years, when a combination of World War I and his seeming reduced interest seemed to lessen his interventions; his role as Commander in Chief of the German army; and, of course, the question of his culpability for the First World War, which Clark handles especially well. He also addresses the issue of whether Wilhelm's reign was, as many historians claim, largely a personalized exercise of power. Many of these topics are presented with alternate interpretations by other historians, and the author's synthesis or conclusions. This is certainly one of the most balanced portrayals of Wilhelm I have read.

This biography is bound to appeal to aficionados of German and modern European history as well as those interested in the causes of World War I. It both was quite informative and held my interest throughout.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great!, March 9, 2003

By 

Scholar "18th century student" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kaiser Wilhelm II (Paperback)

Cambridge historian Christopher Clarks 2000 study of the Kaiser is, despite its brevity, a concise and balanced account of Wilhelms life into which he incorporates much recent historiography of Wilhelmine Germany. Clark paints a picture of an emperor whose power and influence gradually weakened over time. By the late 1890s, he argues, Wilhelm had emerged as a significant factor in high politics, launching ambitious (if often doomed) legislative schemes, intriguing with individual ministers, and gradually hollowing out the authority of the chancellor. (117) In the realm of foreign policy, however, Clark argues that Wilhelm became increasingly marginalto the real centers of policy making, particularly after several notable blunders including the Zabern incident and the Daily Telegraph affair, both of which witnessed his impetuous and undiplomatic style, to the horror of professional diplomats.
With regard to the outbreak of war in 1914, however, Clark argues that while Helmuth von Moltke, chief of the German General Staff, pressed his sovereignat crucial moments in the months leading to war, at no point did the monarch surrender the power of decision to the military. (215) Far from being a warmonger, Clark asserts, Wilhelm was reluctant to entangle Germany in a continental war, (214) and maintained his own outlook on policy [that] differed in crucial ways from that of the military leadership. (216) He never supported the preventive war strategy espoused by top army officials, nor did he regard mobilization as irreversible. Clark points to Wilhelms attempts to mediate between Serbia and Austria-Hungary as evidence of his reluctance to allow Germany to be sucked into a Balkan engagement in 1914. (218) This initiative was overridden by the chancellor, Clark notes, which provides further proof of the Kaisers declining stature in affairs of the stateaffairs he could influencebut did not control. (218)
What of Wilhelms involvement in the prosecution of and involvement in the Great War? Clark concludes that the Kaisers capacity to exercise a command function was narrowly circumscribed, which considerably diluted his influence among Germanys military leaders. Furthermore, he lacked an overview of strategic planning leading up to and including the early stages of the war because, Clark maintains, the general staff regarded him as a security risk and refused to take him in to their confidence. As a result, he was displaced from the center of military affairs, shielded from much bad news from the front, and was excluded from the sphere of operational command of the land forcesthough he did exercise a more directinfluence on the wartime operations of the German navy. (227) Clark warns that one should not push the argument that the Kaiser was marginal too far. By virtue of his position, he writes, Wilhelm was a figure of crucial importance, namely for his authority to appoint and dismiss his officers and officials. (228) He concludes that although he was not vital militarily to the day to day running of the war, the emperor was a central figure in the processes by which some of the most central policy issues of the war years were resolved. (244)

This is a great, short study for the student and buff.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for what it attempts to do, July 2, 2001

By A Customer

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This review is from: Kaiser Wilhelm II (Paperback)

I just finished this book, and found it very interesting and useful. It is not intended as a "life" of the Kaiser, but only as an analysis of his rule. I was looking for this kind of focus, so was happy with the book. The author's main thesis is that under the German constitution in effect at the time, the Kaiser had little actual power. While able to influence events, he could not control them. Only in the German shipbuilding plan did the Kaiser play a leading role. The author feels that Wilhelm sincerely wanted to avoid war in 1914. Actually, most of the book is not about the war years, giving the reader a more balanced overview of the reign. It is suggested that Wilhelm was one of the first "media" personalities, partly because of his penchant of making off-the-cuff remarks that continually got him bad publicity. The author discusses these various remarks based on the context in which they were made and the audience they were intended for, in a partially sucessful attempt to show they were not so outrageous as usually presented. While the book is not a whitewash of the Kaiser, the author does try to show he was not the arch-fiend of Allied propaganda. Since this is my personal view, I was in sympathy with the author's approach.