Wilhelm II: The Kaiser's Personal Monarchy, 1888}}}1900 [Paperback]

The most detailed account ever written of the first half of Kaiser Wilhelm II's reign.Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859 1941) was a key figure in German history as it followed its fatal course from Bismarck to Hitler. This book provides the most detailed account ever written of the first half of his reign. It is concerned primarily with the question of who controlled Germany's powerful machinery of government, with how its domestic and foreign policy was decided upon, and with the question of the continuity- or inevitability--of German history from the foundation of the Second Reich by Bismarck to Hitler's Third Reich.Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859 1941) was a key figure in German history as it followed its fatal course from Bismarck to Hitler. This book provides the most detailed account ever written of the first half of his reign. It is concerned primarily with the question of who controlled Germany's powerful machinery of government, with how its domestic and foreign policy was decided upon, and with the question of the continuity- or inevitability--of German history from the foundation of the Second Reich by Bismarck to Hitler's Third Reich.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.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 l"