A personal and political analysis of the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II using new archival sources.

This incredible work presents the memoirs of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. Despite maintaining the German Empire's status as a great power by building a solid navy, his brash public statements and inconsistent foreign policy significantly antagonized the international community and are considered by many to be one of the underlying causes of World War I. When the German war effort tumbled after a string of devastating defeats on the Western Front in 1918, he was forced to resign, marking the end of the German Empire.

John C. G. Röhl's acclaimed life of Kaiser Wilhelm II, from his birth in 1859 to his accession to the throne in 1888.

Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859–1941) is one of the most fascinating figures in European history, ruling Imperial Germany from his accession in 1888 to his enforced abdication in 1918 at the end of the First World War. In one slim volume, John Röhl offers readers a concise and accessible survey of his monumental three-volume biography of the Kaiser and his reign. The book sheds new light on Wilhelm's troubled youth, his involvement in social and political scandals, and his growing thirst for glory, which, combined with his overwhelming nationalism and passion for the navy provided the impetus for a breathtaking long-term goal: the transformation of the German Reich into one of the foremost powers in the world. The volume examines the crucial role played by Wilhelm as Germany's Supreme War Lord in the policies that led to war in 1914. It concludes by describing the rabid anti-Semitism he developed in exile and his efforts to persuade Hitler to restore him to the throne.

This is a concise edition of John Röhl's prize-winning three-volume biography of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. It sheds new light on the Kaiser's troubled youth, his involvement in social and political scandals, and his role in foreign policy decisions that led to the outbreak of the First World War.