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Wilhelm II: The Kaiser's Personal Monarchy, 1888-1900

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This book is an absolute stunning achievement of scholarship that minutely details the crucial decade when Kaiser Wilhelm 11 with the willing assistance of opportunistic conservative monarchist politicians and his military entourage step by step enabled this intelligent,highly strung and physically disabled neurotic to become a near absolute emperor of the most highly educated, modern industrial and military state in Europe.It details a "will to power" that the Kaiser relentlessly pursued that the parlimentary system set up by the "iron chancellor " Otto von Bismark after the close of the Franco-Prussian war without his guiding hand was completely unable to cope with. The chapters on the Bismark family dynasty, their relationship with the kaiser and his supporters and Bismarks ultimate fall are brillantly detailed by Mr.Rohl.The book highlights the spread of the Wilhelmian "court culture" in its crucial beginning phases with the Kaiser as a very willing "front man" delivering {mostly} effective speechs all over the Kaiserreich and posing as the unceasing workaholic {untrue} which allied with his youth and effective public relations system allowed him to bypass consitutional controls and gradually and steadily increase his power. However it is also shown that while the Kaiser was able to accumulate and consolidate power ,the wisdom and vision to use it in a wise and constuctive manner was beyond his abilities and those of his advisors. The many goverment officials and military entourage that supported the kaisers plan towards his centrallizing of power do it for a mixture of motives , not always venal. However as the decade progressed and the Kaisers flaws of character and increasing mental instability became more and more apparent, Mr.Rohl chronicles the widespread and not so muted underground disquiet that many early boosters of the Kaiser now were feeling on his ability to rule without bringing down the whole system crashing down around them - and yet paridoxicaly their fear of the spread of democracy and socalilism in the reich meant that they had almost no choice but to support him to protect their political and social power within the existing goverance system.The chapters on the kaisers various familly relationships and their effect on him and the German empires foreign policy are at one level seem totally ludicrous to us in 2010 in that personal dislikes and piques could be so crucial in diplomatic relations espically with Great Britian AND YET they realy did affect the power politics of the handfull of great powers that dominated the planent. Mr.Rohl's meticulous research on the Kaisers far reaching influence and critical descision-making within all areas of the imperial goverment gives lie to those past historians that have claimed that the Kaiser was a marginal historical figure. As you get deeper into the narative,one thing is clear- the kaiser REALLY mattered and was/is a critical world historical figure in the 26 years prior to the 1st World War. Can one imagine how European History would have been different if the Kaisers father not died in 1888 and with the Empress Victoria, both sympathetic to a more consitutional and liberal type of goverment - How would history have been different if they had reigned say until 1912. Would - WW 1 had occured in 1914 if a 53 year old Wilhelm had ascended the throne in 1912 -it is very very doubtfull !!! The book's narative is 1067 pages with notes to pages and a bibliography that add another 200 pages. It is densely written but the prose is clear and not dreary or boring.The page type/print is very small so be prepared to experience some eye strain !!! This book is definitely not for the casual reader - some prior knowledge of the creation of the German Empire by Prince Bismark and his system of goverance, economic foreign and social policies , the social, colonial and economic policies of Britian, Russia, Austria - Hungary and France from 1850 to 1900 will, be usefull if not essential for its full enjoyment and understanding.Knowledge of some of the major political figures of the era - Queen Victoria, Lord Salisbury, Francis Joseph ,PM Gladstone, Czars Alexander and Nicholas and German political figures such as Frederick von Holstein and Admiral von Tirpiz would also be useful. The book is divided into 35 chapters that clearly define the narative and smoothly move it along. There are 55 pictures individually placed thru-out the book most of which I had never seen before.I've read many books about this era and can say without hesitation that this one is a classic work that will probaly never to be surpassed inits scope and breathe. Despite the hefty price tag, if you are interested in late 19th century European history,the German Empire and a multi faceted paradox and portrait of Wilhelm 11, his good points as well as the "warts and all" painstakenly researched and written by the pre-eminent scholar, writer and historian of this era about Imperial Germany ,then this book is a MUST for your library. It is a 5 star book - now I have to save up for Mr.Rohl's prior book - Young Wilhelm, 1859 to 1888 Bravo Mr.Rohl. Highly recommened.