German Memories in Asia - Kaiser William II and His Diplomatic Chaos

While I was continuing my talk with Marita on various issues, I asked her how she felt about the massacre of Jews by Adolf Hitler. She paused for a while and burst out at one point by saying that the act of one person for his political gain had damaged their entire image.

I placated her saying the act of one person does not necessarily tarnish all Germans. I said not only in Germany but even in other countries because of the act of some of the reckless leaders, their nation and people have become villains for other communities and nationalities.

But for Marita's frustration, it was not only Adolf Hitler but also the last German Emperor and the King of Prussia Kaiser William II too contributed a lot.

He ruled both the German Empire and Prussia since 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918 and was viewed as the main personality in German history to determine the First World War. Though later on there was a confusion of his real influence on German policy, which led to the war. But his recklessness undoubtedly contributed a lot for the subsequent downfall of Imperial Germany. His premature attempt to rule the German Empire and Prussia at the age of 29 cost a lot to both nations.

The new Emperor opposed Bismarck's careful foreign policy, preferring vigorous and rapid expansion to protect Germany's "place in the sun." Although in his youth he had been a great admirer of Otto von Bismarck, William's characteristic impatience soon brought him into conflict with the "Iron Chancellor", the dominant figure in the foundation of his empire.

Furthermore, the young emperor had come to the throne with the determination that he was going to rule as well as reign, unlike his grandfather, who had largely been content to leave day-to-day administration to the brilliant Bismarck. Early conflicts between William II and his chancellor soon poisoned the relationship between the two men. When Bismarck, gained a favorable absolute majority toward his policies over the anti-socialist laws their relationship worsened. Finally Emperor William II forced the Iron Chancellor to resign when the amalgamated Conservative Party and the National Liberal Party was favorable to make the anti-socialist laws permanent in the Reichstag.

Emperor William II thereafter promoted chancellors who were senior civil servants and not seasoned politician-statesmen like Bismarck to preclude the emergence of another Iron Chancellor. But what something Bismarck created as a "Myth" by his careful diplomacy and statesmanship, William II's new chancellors failed to create.

After the dismissal of the Iron Chancellor, William II effectively destroyed any chance Germany had of stable and effective government. William's own way of governance put the German ship of state going out of control and eventually led to a series of crises.

William's impatient nature further aggravated German foreign policy and led to much chaos. His reactions were characterised by sentiment and impulse and not by any rational means. While the Bismarck articulated things on his own in the international sphere, William depended on the German foreign policy elite to undertake decisions.

Sometimes he made a mess in the international sphere by his chaotic statements and messages, especially the famous Kruger telegram of 1896 where William went to congratulate President Kruger of the Transvaal on the suppression of the Jameson Raid, and aggravated British public opinion and Germany felt its full impact many years later on.

His impolitic public utterance on 27 July 1900 exhorting German troops to quell the Boxer Rebellion to emulate the ancient Huns caused the origin of the usage of the word Hun in the English-speaking world to tarnish the image of the German soldier.

His emotional weakness also made him vulnerable to manipulation by interests within the German foreign policy elite and he became too vulnerable to the interests of those elites. He blundered by not renewing the secret Reinsurance Treaty with the Russian empire, which Bismarck had concluded in 1887 in association with his new chancellor Caprivi and made the worst offense in the sphere of international foreign policy issues. The agreement guaranteed Russian neutrality in the event of an attack by France.