The Kaiser and his Court: Wilhelm II and the Government of Germany [Paperback]

John C. G. Röhl (Author), Terence F. Cole (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 13, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0521565049 | ISBN-13: 978-0521565042

Within a couple of decades Kaiser Wilhelm II had led the German Reich into World War and collapse. How did the Kaiser come to have so much power? Using new archival sources, this book analyzes the Kaiser and the nature of his rule. After an original character sketch of the Kaiser, the book then examines the Kaiser's friends and favorites, the neo-absolutist culture of the court and of Berlin society, and the nature of his relationship with the court and with the administrative corps in Prussia and the Reich. A final chapter reveals for the first time the extent of the exiled Kaiser's anti-Semitism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"John Röhl has written a masterly series of essays on the Kaiser, as William II came to be called throughout the West....his documentation is impressive." New York Review of Books

"John Röhl has written a startling, even a sensational book....John Röhl's brilliant study chillingly reveals Kaiser Wilhelm II as a grandparent of the great horrors of the 20th century." Evening Standard

"Mr. Rohl writes with the concision and delight in language of a poet and with the rigor and infectious love of documents of the true historian. The style and structure of his book increase its accessibility to general readers....The Kaiser and His Court is solid and speculative; it is cautious and provocative. It is brilliant history." Washington Times

"Rohl has established himself as one of the leading kaiser experts." Raffael Scheck, Central European History

"Years of imaginative spadework in private archives and in former East Germany have unearthed new sources, chief among them the staggeringly detailed correspondence of Wilhelm's parents...It is unlikely that another biography of Wilhelm will ever surpass the level of detail or the depth of archival knowledge Röhl has achieved." Isabel V. Hull, Journal of Modern History

"...gracefully-written, compulsively readable." James J. Sheehan, The Times Literary Supplement

"John Röhl's account of the early years of the late German Kaiser Wilhelm II contains...some of the most monstrous material of modern history; and since the details of this material are for the most part new, brought to light after years of research in previously closed archives, its publication must be regarded as an important event in historical scholarship." Gustav Seibt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

"The morbid charm of Europe's high noblility has evidently cast its spell over the author. Not only their love affairs but also their illnesses exert a quite irresistable attraction....His account of the Crown Prince's fatal illness with cancer of the larynx which dominates the last 200 pages...must be the most exact medical record ever written by an historican." Volker Ullrich, Die Zeit

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (July 13, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521565049
• ISBN-13: 978-0521565042
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,133,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Full of strong insights, September 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Kaiser and his Court: Wilhelm II and the Government of Germany (Paperback)

This is a solid, commendable introduction to the strange personality and courtly world of Germany's last emperor. It has much to say about the physical and psychological deformities that may explain why Kaiser Wilhelm behaved as he did. It is also extremely revealing about the depths of his vicious anti-Semitism. The book makes good use of rarely mined source material and is written in a pleasingly forceful style that commands the reader's attention.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars provides insight into the government of Wilhelmine Germany, November 10, 2000

By 

J. W. Johnson (Wisconsin USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kaiser and his Court: Wilhelm II and the Government of Germany (Paperback)

This book is a very interesting look into the theory and practice of government under Wilhelm II - particularly in those years of "personal rule" after the dismissal of Bismarck from the chancellorship. The book is essentially a collection of essays devoted to various issues involving the Kaiser and his government. So while it is not structured like a conventional history of this era, or a biography of the Kaiser, an abundance of historical and biographical information is presented.

I enjoyed this book very much - it is very well-written and was a pleasure to read. I think anyone interested in this period of German/European history will find reading this book well worth the effort.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Misleading title, March 9, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: The Kaiser and his Court: Wilhelm II and the Government of Germany (Paperback)

Do not expect to read much about Kaiser Wilhelm II in this book. The title is quite misleading---it is about the era of Wilhelm, but few details about him are included here, esp. his role in WWI.