Kaiser wilhelm 2nd biography of christopher clark

And how did his people really view him? Through original research, Clark presents a fresh new interpretation of this contentious figure, focusing on how his thirty-year reign from to affected Germany, and the rest of Europe, for years to come. Christopher Clark. In he was knighted for his services to Anglo-German relations. He tried to be, but was never at ease and the soldiers looked on him with contempt.

And, as the war approached, he was, as often as not, a moderating influence on German policy. As Clark makes clear, there were many individuals and institutions pushing Germany to war prior to , not least of which was the army. Wilhelm was certainly an incompetent monarch, but the constitutional of the newly formed German Empire would have put any monarch in a difficult position.

It placed both great responsibility and little real power in the hands of one man. The Kaiser was not up to this challenge, but it is doubtful that anyone else would have been. I have enormous respect for Christopher Clark since he not only writes clearly but demonstrates in his books that he has consulted as many sources as he can and makes use of the evidence.

Sometimes this leads him to draw conclusions that are at odds with the popular view of certain characters in history, or indeed events, but also incurs some obloquy from fellow historians who have taken a different and usually less nuanced approach. This book is a good example. Most people who know Kaiser Wilhelm II from their history lessons and books think he was a loose cannon in Germany in the run-up to the First World War and indeed was a prime reason the war occurred in the first place.

Not so, according to Christopher Clark. Yes, he could be unstable and veer from pessimism to optimism in a worryingly short period, but often this did not matter because he did not exercise absolute power in the German Reich. Clark demonstrates that several forces had a hand on the tiller in governing Germany at this period and various characters influenced Wilhelm one way or the other.

The trouble was the Reich as set up by Bismarck was sometimes unclear and at times downright contradictory over the powers ascribed to the position of emperor, and this left Wilhelm both frustrated and sometimes completely powerless. Life is always more nuanced than we like to think! An excellent read. A very well researched and balanced book on the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

It centers around the question of how much power the last monarch really had and how big his influence on german politics between and was. Don't go into this expecting a biography. It is an essay about the german monarchy and constitution of and how Wilhelm shaped the role of the German Kaiser. Clark paints a well balanced picture of Wilhelm II.

I especially liked the part about Wilhelm's foreign politics and his part in the outbreak of WWI - while Clark is far from taking the blame away from Wilhelm altogether, he suceeds in painting a larger picture that cannot just be seen in black and white. It's always easy to measure history by its outcomes. Clark takes the more difficult route by trying to shift contemporary statements into a broader context and not taking a few ill-considered declarations which, to be fair, Wilhelm made very easy to reinforce an already set view on the matter.

Luis Sanz. El libro merece cuatro estrellas por el contenido, Clark escribe de forma clara y entendible, haciendo amena la lectura. Where Kaiser Wilhelm II had influence and the power to make decisions and where he didn't, for a variety of reasons, lacked real power. Clark pretty strongly argues that for a mix of reasons that Wilhelm didn't really have much power, especially after , or that much influence over events.

The basic narrative is of the Kaiser having some influence over domestic policy and an ambition to change it in the s as he could manipulate the chancellors of the period fairly well, but after Bulow became chancellor Wilhelm's domestic policy influence collapsed. In foreign policy Clark basically says the Kaiser had very little influence because his advisors effectively 'managed' him, sometimes even witholding information from him, and also because Wilhelm couldn't commit to anything, one week he hated the Tsar next week he loved the Tsar also that the dynastic connections didn't mean that much so that area didn't really matter.

There was sort of a revival of the Kaiser's power in the first half of the First World War, in particular his ability to appoint key officials kept Falkenhayn in the job as Chief of the German General Staff for quite a while despite him having lots of rivals. And in the Kaiser's opposition to unrestricted submarine warfare which delayed its implementation to early rather than despite public and military opinion.

But that's before his final loss of power to Hindenburg and Ludendorff. A big theme is that in theory Wilhelm had a lot of power, but he failed to use it effectively. He could appoint key figures like chancellors, but once they were in office they went in their own direction. He had the potential to influence foreign policy, but couldn't commit to anything.

Kaiser wilhelm 2nd biography of christopher clark

He had the potential to positively influence public opinion but couldnt control how he was depicted which Clark attributes to there being so many distinct groups, parties, regions etc in Imperial Germany that anything the Kaiser said could be interpreted in dozens of ways. There is also quite a bit on the historiographic side of things, the views of various other historians and whether Clark agrees with them or not.

Because it is not a biography I'd say a little bit of knowledge of the time period or of Imperial Germany in general would be a help but not essential. In this historical analysis, or investigation, if you will not a biography! This is not a biography, but an interesting and well-reasoned essay on Kaiser Wilhelm's often fraught relationship with political power.

I agree with most of the reasoning and conclusions, but I think some emphasis should also have been placed on his chronic laziness. He would only work at anything if it enthused him, and his enthusiasms never lasted long. He wanted especially in the s to take up the reins of power and become the actual ruler of the German Empire, but he was entirely unwilling to put in the time or the effort to achieve his aim.

This, plus his inability to stick to any sort of consistent view or programme, pretty much excluded him from the exercise of real power; he was unable to steer the ship of state. If he we add in Wilhelm's bluster, bragging, insecurity, cowardice, indiscreet relations with the media and peculiar grooming habits - the famous moustache - it does remind me very much of a more recent statesman This is not a biography of the Kaiser and avoids to a large extent the personal and psychological aspects that often attract interest in this character.

Instead Clark provides a relatively short piece which concentrates on Wilhelm's role in politics and government and the extent to which he made or influenced key decisions. The case is well argued and one gets a clear sense of the Kaiser's limited authority, in spite of the bombast and posturing. One major complaint from me is the lack of a bibliography to accompany the endnotes.

At one point in this book, the author questions whether Kaiser Wilhelm II merits a place in the series "Profiles in Power". Despite his starring role in Allied propaganda, Wilhelm comes off as an erratic and fairly powerless monarch, a picker of generals rather than a military leader himself. Thanks Bismarck's handiwork, the Kaiser's role was largely limited to the military.

What was the nature and extent of his control? What were his political goals and his success in achieving them? How did he project authority and exercise influence? And how did his people really view him? Through original research, Clark presents a fresh new interpretation of this contentious figure, focusing on how his thirty-year reign from to affected Germany, and the rest of Europe, for years to come.

About the author About the author. He was knighted in