The Entourage of Kaiser Wilhelm II, 1888–1918

Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859–1941) is one of the most fascinating figures in modern European history. Inheriting ‘the mightiest throne on earth’ in 1888, he played a central part in fashioning the policies which culminated in the catastrophe of 1914–18, the collapse of the Reich, and his own abdication. To an extraordinary degree he was also representative of his epoch: brilliant, bizarre, aggressive, insecure. Yet German historians have virtually ignored him. In September 1979 a dozen historians met in the Kaiser’s palace in Corfu to discuss the character and role of Wilhelm II. This book contains their findings. The early chapters examine the Kaiser’s psychological disturbance which, hidden from the public, often caused those who closely worked with him to doubt his sanity. Next, it is revealed how by virtue of the Bismarckian constitution, and with the aid of a small circle of friends, he was able to translate private neurosis into public policy. The later chapters analyse the ideology and image of Kaiserism, discovering mentalities and attitudes which were to survive the collapse of the monarchy in 1918 and play an incalculable part in the undermining of Weimar democracy and the rise of Nazism. The views in this book are fresh and exciting, suggesting new ways in which the interrelationship between individuals and society, between personalities and structures, might be interpreted.