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To What Extent Did Wilhelm Ii Have the Character to Be a Successful Kaiser?

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To what extent did Wilhelm II have the character to be a successful Kaiser?

Kaiser Wilhelm II was the head of state of the German Empire from 1888 to 1918. He was a staunch authoritarian and very militaristic in his outlook; this made him popular with the more conservative elements of German society, but set him against many German socialists and Marxists. However, it was his character rather than his personality which determined his suitability as a leader, which is what we shall discuss in this essay.
Wilhelm’s father, Frederick, became Kaiser in March 1888 but died from throat cancer after only a few months. Wilhelm succeeded his father at the age of 29 in June 1888. Upon first glance, Wilhelm appeared to posses qualities that would make him an ideal Kaiser. Having enjoyed the company of his grandfather and the Bismarcks from an early age, he had grown up to be a strong authoritarian and a firm believer in the divine right of kings. While many would claim these to be bad qualities for a leader to have, it could be argued that they would be essential for the ruler of the German Empire. German society at the time was very structured, and it would be quite plausible to say that it needed a dominant leader such as the Kaiser to look up to. Wilhelm’s authoritarian stance also secured the support of the ‘elites’, mainly the Junkers, military leaders and industrialists, as well as conservative politicians, who were keen to uphold the status quo. His authoritarianism went hand in hand with his militarism, another very Teutonic quality. The army was a great source of pride for many Germans, and many at the time saw it as the best land force in Europe if not the world, so a Kaiser in support of the military was sure to be popular. Despite Wilhelm’s authoritarian reign, he was in many ways a very caring figure, viewed as a sort of ‘Father’ of the nation. He took a

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