Wilhelm II. Life after exile. The last German emperor

The November Revolution in Berlin and other German cities took the Emperor by surprise while at the headquarters of the Imperial Army in Spa, Belgium. His beloved Kaiserliche Marine's defection to the rebel side shocked him deeply. After the start of the November Revolution, the emperor could not understand whether he should abdicate. At that time, he was convinced that even if he left the imperial crown, he would be able to retain the title of King of Prussia. The unreality of this idea was confirmed when, in the conditions of maintaining any power in conditions of complete anarchy, Chancellor Max of Baden suddenly announced the abdication of Wilhelm from both thrones, although Wilhelm himself did not yet dare to abdicate. It was November 9th.
The former Imperial Chancellor, Prince Max of Baden, announces in the Reichstag the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Germany, Berlin, November 9, 1918

Prince Max of Baden himself was forced to resign a few hours later when he realized that only the leader of the SPD, Friedrich Ebert, could exercise real control over the situation. Wilhelm agreed to abdicate only after General Ludendorff was removed from his post. His place was taken by Wilhelm Gröner, who informed the emperor that the soldiers could return to the control of the authorities only under the command of Paul von Hindenburg. But they will definitely be opposed to returning the throne to Wilhelm. The monarchy has lost its last and most reliable support. And even such a convinced monarchist as Hindenburg was forced to advise the emperor to abandon the crown. After that, the German conservatives could not forgive Groener.
The next day, the former emperor crossed the border of the Netherlands, where he found his last refuge in exile. On November 28, Wilhelm signed the official act of abdication from both thrones.
Former Emperor Wilhelm II and his entourage on the day after his abdication on the platform of the Eisden station, from where he was soon set off for his place of exile, Amerongen Castle, 1918.

After the development and approval of the text of the Treaty of Versailles in early 1919, Article 227 directly provided for the extradition of Wilhelm II as the main war criminal to be convicted of violating peace and tranquility in Europe. But Queen Wilhelmina refused to comply with the Allied demands for the extradition of the former German emperor.
Arrival of a train with the former German Emperor Wilhelm II at Maarn station in 1918.

Wilhelm first settled in Amerongen.
After his departure from Germany, the former emperor and his wife stayed for a short time at Amerongen Castle. They settled in the converted stables of this castle. Photo from 1918

German officers with drawn swords threaten reporters filming the arrival of the former emperor and his wife at Amerongen Castle. 1918

The photo shows German officers accompanied by the mayor of Amerongen. 1918

The great flood of 1919. Amerongen Castle, home to the deposed emperor's family, is in danger of flooding

Ruben Velleman, who was the first to take photographs of the exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II at Amerongen Castle in 1919. Photographer hiding in a haystack

Kaiser Wilhelm II in the garden of Amerongen Castle. The photograph was taken by Velleman in 1919.

Ex-Empress Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein brings a telegram to her husband. This photograph was taken from the wall of Amerongen Castle by Ruben Velleman in 1919

On August 16, 1919, he acquired a small castle in Doorn. It is this castle that will become the last shelter of William. In this house, Wilhelm released his officers from the obligation to fulfill the oath given to him once. However, he himself never gave up his title and still hoped to return to Germany in the future. The government of the Weimar Republic allowed the ex-emperor to take 23 wagons of furniture to Holland, as well as 27 different containers with things, including a car and a boat from the New Palace in Potsdam.

In 1919, this estate was bought by the former German Emperor Wilhelm II. The house was originally a castle from the 14th century, but at the end of the 18th century it was converted into an elegant country house. The garden of 35 hectares was laid out in the English style.

Greenhouse in the estate.1919

Garden. 1919

Dovecote. 1919

Dense bushes surround the estate. 1919

Manor kitchen. The cook prepares food for the guests. Photo taken in 1933.

Crown Prince Wilhelm, son of former Emperor Wilhelm II, living in exile in the Netherlands, on a motorcycle in his father's castle, 1920.

Augusta Victoria.1920

Augusta Victoria with Karl Franz Josef. (1920)

On April 11, 1921, Wilhelm II's wife Augusta Victoria dies.
The bed on which the former Kaiser Wilhelm II's first wife, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, died. This bed has fresh flowers every day. Photo taken in 1933.

Funeral of Augusta Victoria. Sanssouci, Potsdam.1921

Tomb of Augusta Victoria. 1921

During the funeral, an incident occurred that caused a big scandal. French photojournalist Bouvard was brutally beaten by a police captain. The journalist died from his injuries.
Victim of police brutality

Photographic plates deliberately destroyed by police officers

Albert Moreau, a colleague of the photographer from the French newspaper Le Matin, witnessed the incident.

The police captain, the perpetrator of the incident.

A year later, Wilhelm married Princess Hermine von Reuss. Princess Hermine Reuss zu Köstritz was the daughter of Heinrich XXII, Prince Reuss zu Köstritz (March 28, 1846 – April 19, 1902) and Princess Ida Mathilde Schaumburg-Lippe (July 28, 1852 – September 28, 1891). Her father was the ruler of the senior line of the Principality of Reiss. Henry XXII was an implacable enemy of Prince Bismarck. Princess Hermine's brother later became Henry XXIV, Prince of Reiss zu Köstritz. In January 1922, Princess Hermine's son sent a birthday card wishing the former Kaiser a happy birthday, who then invited the boy and his mother to come and visit him in Dorne. Wilhelm found Hermina a very attractive person, and was very fond of her company. Both of them have recently been widowed: Hermine lost her husband a little over a year and a half ago, and Wilhelm his wife just nine months ago. Such a premature new marriage was assessed very negatively by the Prussian aristocracy and relatives of the former emperor.
Departure of Princess Hermine from Silesia to the Netherlands, where she married the former Emperor Wilhelm II. 1922

Princess Hermione. The portrait was taken the day before the wedding. Netherlands, 1922

Prince Eitel von Furstenberg (right), Prince of Prussia - the second child of the former Emperor Wilhelm II (from his first marriage) at the station in the city of Utrecht goes to his father's wedding. 1922

Prince von Furstenberg, one of the guests at the wedding, in full Prussian full dress with a pickelhaub (pointed hat). 1922

One of the most notable guests at the wedding, Dr. Schmidt from Berlin. He is an assistant to the Viennese professor Eugene Steinakh, the inventor of the elixir of rejuvenation. 1922

Priest Vogel, participant in the wedding ceremony. 1922

Wedding car with tinted windows of ex-Kaiser Wilhelm II and Princess Hermine in Doorn. 1922

Crowds of curious citizens are watching the wedding procession. 1922

Until the end of his days, Wilhelm will live in the Netherlands without a break. During this time, he created a number of historical and cultural works, and a theological research club was founded at his estate. In the 1920s, he actively corresponded with Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, with whom he had friendly relations. He welcomed the field marshal's rise to power (in 1925 Hindenburg was elected president of the Weimar Republic). Already in 1926, the Prussian Landtag returned to Wilhelm his land possessions, which he had lost during the November Revolution of 1918.
Wilhelm II with his wife and her children walking in the estate.1927

Wilhelm II with his son and grandson. 1927

Former Emperor Wilhelm II with two of seven children: Princes Wilhelm and Adalbert Ferdinand. Front row: Second wife of the Emperor Hermine and Princess Cecilia, wife of Prince Wilhelm. 1928

Friedrich Wilhelm Victor Albert von Hohenzollern, former emperor of Germany. Official photograph of 1928.

Princess Hermine with her daughters Caroline and Henrietta. In the background is Princess Hildegard of Bavaria. Photo from 1928

Portrait of the former Kaiser Wilhelm II in military uniform during a trip. Photo taken in 1928.

In 1928, ex-Kaiser Wilhelm II (second from left) was visited on his estate in Dorn by three German pilots who made the first Germany-US flight.

In 1931/32 he received H. Goering on his estate. Invested in German heavy industry. During the stay of the Hohenzollern dynasty in exile, their fortunes doubled thanks to these investments. According to official data, the fortune of the Hohenzollerns in 1933 was 18 million, in 1939 - 28 million and in 1942 - 37 million marks.
Wilhelm II feeds the birds. January 1931

Wilhelm II and his second wife Hermine visited Zandvoort beach in the summer of 1932

Wilhelm II and his gardener are walking through the woods around the house in Doorn. Photo taken in 1932.

Wilhelm II and his second wife Hermine during a walk. The princess wears an astrakhan fur coat trimmed with fox fur. Photo taken in 1932.

Wilhelm II, Hermine and her daughter Princess Henrietta during a walk. Photo taken in 1932.

Former Emperor Wilhelm II spends time in the company of his dog, a German Shepherd, strolling through the garden of Doorn Manor. Photo taken in 1933.

Lieutenant Walter of Brunswick at the residence of Emperor Wilhelm II. 1940

He died on June 4, 1941, in the German-occupied Netherlands, due to a complication of a pulmonary embolism. By order of Hitler, he was buried in Doorn with military honors.

Name Wilhelm II associated with the decline of the German Empire. The last Kaiser fought all his life not only with ill-wishers, but also with himself. Along with selfishness and arrogance, Wilhelm II had many oddities and complexes. About some of them - further in the review.

1. Difficult delivery

Wilhelm II was born on January 27, 1859. During childbirth, the doctor made several mistakes and injured the baby's neck and head, which led to paralysis of the left arm. Wilhelm II had to hide this shortcoming ( left hand was shorter than the right by 15 cm). In photographs and portraits, he always sat or stood from the same angle.
Since childhood, doctors have tried to align and stretch the arm. The boy was forced to take a shower from sea water subjected him to electroconvulsive therapy. For many years, Wilhelm II was forced to wear a "head support apparatus" because of the torticollis received at birth. All these torments brought up steel willpower in the boy, but made him very withdrawn and unsure of himself.

2. Excessive attachment to the mother

Wilhelm II had a strong attachment to his mother. And the correspondence with her can be called slightly erotic. In his letters, the Kaiser often described her hands: “I dreamed of you again. We were in the library when you held out your hands to me. Then you carefully removed your gloves and placed your hands on my lips. I want you to do the same when we get to Berlin." Modern sexologists claim that Wilhelm projected his sexual feelings onto his mother. Throughout his life he had a strong fetish for women's hands. Often he would ask his lovers to remove their gloves so that he could kiss their hands from fingertips to elbows.

3. Hate all things English

It is worth noting that his mother Victoria of Great Britain (the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria) did not approve of her son's excessive adoration for her person. This later culminated in William II's paranoid hatred of everything English.

4. Life in the saddle

Wilhelm II spent an incredible amount of time in the saddle. And it's not just when riding a horse. He often spent 5-6 hours in the saddle. Even at the dining and work table, instead of a chair, the Kaiser had a saddle so that he could "feel like a warrior all day long."

5. Passion for uniforms

In the wardrobe of Wilhelm II, there were more than 400 military uniforms. Sometimes in one evening the emperor of Germany could change his form 5 or 6 times. He also had a helmet of pure gold, which Wilhelm II sported at meetings with heads of other states.

In addition, the Kaiser tried several times to develop military uniform gray for the soldiers of their army. But his designs were very impractical in terms of comfort and warmth.

6. Politically incorrect

Wilhelm II was considered the most politically incorrect ruler of his time. It was he who came up with anti-Asian statements like the "yellow threat". During bouts of paranoid fear, the German emperor declared that a racial war "Yellow against White" would soon begin. On July 27, 1900, while sending troops to China, the Kaiser delivered a fiery speech: “Just as the Huns, under the leadership of Attila, once acquired an unforgettable reputation in history, so let Germany become known to China so that no Chinese will henceforth dare to look askance at a German” .

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph in 1908, Wilhelm II managed to offend the representatives of the four nations, saying that the Germans equally hate the Russians, the British, the French, and the Japanese.

7. Exile

When it became clear that Germany was losing the war, the November Revolution broke out in the country. Dissatisfied with the Kaiser regime, people demanded the resignation of Wilhelm II. On November 10, 1918, the emperor left for the Netherlands and abdicated on November 28. The government of the newly minted Weimar Republic allowed the former monarch to take his belongings. As a result, 50 wagons with furniture and utensils, as well as a car and a boat were brought to his castle Dorne. Some boxes with personal belongings of the ex-Kaiser were opened only in 1992. Even being in exile for the rest of his life, Wilhelm II allowed himself to openly blame almost all the heads of European states for his mistakes.

Many blame Wilhelm II for aggravating the conflicts that led to the war. However, the official cause of the outbreak of the First World War is called

Successor title abolished Heir Wilhelm of Prussia

	3rd German Emperor
June 15, 1888 - November 9, 1918

Predecessor Friedrich III Successor title abolished Religion Lutheranism Birth January 27(1859-01-27 ) […]

Palace of the Crown Princes, Mitte, Berlin, German Confederation

Death June 4(1941-06-04 ) […] (82 years old)
Dorne Manor, Reichskommissariat Netherlands Burial place Mausoleum in Dorne Genus Hohenzollerns Father Friedrich III Mother Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Spouse Augusta Victoria and Hermine of Reiss-Greitz Children Wilhelm of Prussia, Eitel Friedrich of Prussia, Adalbert Ferdinand of Prussia, August Wilhelm of Prussia, Oscar, Prince of Prussia, Joachim of Prussia and Victoria Louise of Prussia Education

University of Bonn

Autograph

Awards Rank general William II at Wikimedia Commons

Wilhelm's reign was marked by the rise of Germany's role as a world industrial, military, and colonial power, and by the conclusion of World War I, the defeat of which led to the overthrow of the monarchy in the November Revolution. The era of the reign of William II is called Wilhelm's.

Childhood and youth

Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Victor Albert of Prussia(German Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert von Preussen listen)) was born on 27 January 1859 in Berlin's Crown Prince's Palace. He was the eldest of eight children of Frederick William of Prussia and Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter of the namesake queen. He was a cousin of the British King George V (George's father was the brother of William's mother), as well as Russian empress Alexandra Fedorovna (their mothers were also sisters).

The birth turned out to be very difficult - the prince was born with many physical disabilities, which at an early age almost cost him his life. He was born with a damaged left arm (shorter than the right by 15 cm); in the future, Wilhelm was forced to hide this handicap by placing one hand over the other or sitting at an angle to the camera. Trying to correct this congenital defect, the life doctors believed that there was a temporary paralysis of the hand due to mechanical compression during childbirth. Therefore, a daily shower of sea water and regular electroconvulsive therapy of the injured limb was prescribed. The arm was straightened and stretched with the help of a “hand-straightening machine” specially designed for this purpose, a healthy right hand tied to the body in the hope that the boy willy-nilly begin to use the left. In addition, for a number of years he was forced to wear "head upright machine"(due to congenital torticollis), until finally the parents and doctors decided on an operation to dissect the cervical sternocleidomastoid muscle. All these actions, of course, caused a lot of pain to a small child, besides, the effectiveness of treatment was low.

However, from childhood, Wilhelm stubbornly struggled with his congenital physical disabilities, and by the age of 18 he managed to overcome the consequences of a rupture of the brachial nerve (another birth injury). Thanks to the constant struggle with his innate shortcomings, he managed to cultivate tremendous willpower in himself. At the same time, the boy grew up closed, internally insecure. Parents were very sad about the physical inferiority of their son. They decided to compensate for her excessive education.

He ascended the throne at the age of 29, when his grandfather Wilhelm I and father Frederick III died in the year of the three emperors.

Accession to the throne

After the death of his father, who reigned for only three months, Wilhelm came to the throne on June 15, 1888. His first manifesto was an ardent appeal to the army and navy, in which he pointed out his close inseparable connection with the army, military glory his ancestors, the unforgettable image of his grandfather as a commander and his determination to uphold the honor and glory of the army.

As if an addition to this manifesto was the imperialist speech delivered by him on August 16 of the same year at the opening of the monument to Prince Friedrich-Karl in Frankfurt an der Oder, in which he stated that “it is better to put all 18 buildings in place german army and 42 million German people than to give up any part of Germany's territorial acquisitions".

The attention of the young emperor was attracted primarily by external affairs. In order to strengthen ties with friendly and allied powers, he began to travel around European courts and enter into personal relations with the monarchs of great and small states. He repeatedly visited Russia (in July and August of the year), Sweden, Austria, Italy and England, where he was elevated to the rank of honorary admiral of the English fleet by Queen Victoria, whom he was very proud of. Wilhelm also traveled to Denmark, Holland, Constantinople, and finally to Athens, where he attended the marriage of his sister to the Greek crown prince.

Foreign policy

Wilhelm II is best known for Germany's active foreign policy. German foreign policy in the first two years of the emperor's reign was heavily limited by the personal influence of Bismarck. This was most clearly expressed in the so-called Wolgemut affair, a conflict that arose in April 1889 in connection with the arrest of a German police official in Switzerland. Bismarck was ready to start revising the issue of Switzerland's position among the European powers, however, on the personal initiative of Wilhelm, the conflict was settled, and soon a new treaty between Germany and Switzerland was concluded, in which all Swiss demands were satisfied. The dispute between Germany, England and the United States over the protectorate over the islands of Samoa in the Pacific was equally successfully resolved.

Due to aggravated contradictions with the chancellor, on March 20, 1890, Wilhelm accepted Bismarck's resignation.

Narcissistic, fussy, lover of theatrical poses and pompous speeches, always striving to play a spectacular role, the young Kaiser soon quarreled with the imperious old chancellor, who did not tolerate interference in his politics. There were serious disagreements between the Chancellor and the Kaiser on the question of their attitude towards Russia.<…>Bismarck, as always, considered the war against Russia disastrous.

The Kaiser appointed General Caprivi as the new chancellor, after which foreign policy Germany became more restrained, the Kaiser began to pay more attention to internal issues. A direct agreement with England eliminated the cause of the squabbles aroused by the colonial policy of Prince Bismarck. In 1890 there was significant event- The island of Heligoland, which had belonged to the British since 1807, was returned to Germany. The island was exchanged by Germany for Zanzibar, and Heligoland became German again. However, the new acquisition was negatively assessed in the Bismarckian press, so the German people could not adequately appreciate the Kaiser's act. Thus, the new emperor demonstrated his diplomatic abilities, briefly defused tensions around colonial issues.

Following the centuries-old traditions of the Hohenzollerns, Wilhelm was especially concerned with the questions and problems of the German army. Wilhelm demanded from the Reichstag an increase in the composition of the army by 18,000 people and an increase in the military budget by 18 million marks. It was under Wilhelm II that the German army came out on top in Europe both in terms of numbers and level of training.

At the same time, the emperor was preparing the ground for peaceful relations with France in the field of scientific, social and artistic interests. In early 1891, the emperor's mother and sister traveled to Paris to invite French painters to participate in an upcoming art exhibition in Berlin. This was the first visit to France by members of the Hohenzollern family since the events of 1870-1871. However, this gesture was ignored by the French, and the relations of these countries remained in the same impasse in which they were.

German foreign policy was based on the same foundations that were laid by Wilhelm I and Bismarck, namely the Triple Alliance. The emperor seeks to strengthen this political union with economic ties, for which in November 1891 trade agreements were concluded between Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. Switzerland and Belgium are involved in the same customs union. based on mutual concessions in the field of international tariff policy, these treaties were intended to ensure, for at least 12 years, correct and stable relations in international trade. It was at this time that German industry received its greatest development.

Germany was forced to wage war on two fronts, as a result of which the economic situation in the rear deteriorated sharply, which contributed to the growth of revolutionary sentiment and unrest among the lower classes. The defeat in the war (November 1918) was synchronous with the revolution in Germany, after which Wilhelm abdicated and left the country, settling in the neutral Netherlands.

Domestic politics

Having ascended the throne, the Kaiser first of all drew attention to the fact that Bismarck's regime, which had practically unlimited power, gradually became reactionary. The ban on the Social Democratic Party, the bribery of newspapers, the fight against the Catholic Church - all this and much more began to negatively affect the state of society in Germany. The prince openly offered to suppress the riots among the miners that broke out in 1889 with the help of troops. In addition, Wilhelm was very hampered in his decisions by the imperious nature of the chancellor. These disagreements led Bismarck to resign his post.

Over the long years (from 1862 to 1890) of being Chancellor, Bismarck created a bureaucratic apparatus subject only to him. To enter this circle, one had to be either a relative of the prince, or his old acquaintances, and at the same time show constant loyalty and support to the chancellor. It turned out that this bureaucratic apparatus, after the departure of Bismarck (his son Herbert resigned from the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs on the same day), turned out to be practically uncontrollable. For officials, Prince Bismarck was an indisputable authority. As soon as an "alien" was in power, they began to put up all sorts of obstacles in the way of the new chancellor.

In his memoirs, the Kaiser wrote that "... successor ... from the very beginning, heavy sacrifices were expected without the hope of recognition. He would be considered a usurper in an improper place which he is incapable of filling. Criticism, criticism, and once again criticism, as well as enmity from all the adherents of the prince - that's what the new chancellor could count on. A strong current must have counteracted him; no less opposition was to be expected from the oldest prince himself. ».

On March 29, 1890, the Caprivi repealed the anti-social democracy law. On the one hand, the interests of the bourgeoisie were satisfied, and on the other hand, a “thirty-year war” began between the Social Democrats and conservative parties, which served as a hotbed of instability in the Reichstag, while the Kaiser was forced to mediate in their relations. In the early days of Caprivi's appointment, a series of laws and political decisions were passed that were very controversial, and briefly put Germany in an uncomfortable economic and political position (which subsequently caused polar assessments in society).

These are decisions such as the abolition of the Bismarckian Welf Fund (although from the point of view of morality the decision to abolish the fund created to bribe the press was correct), the abolition of passport restrictions on the border with France (which opened up an operational field of activity for French intelligence, but which greatly contributed to the penetration of German goods into the French market), a 30% reduction in trade duties on imported grain (which greatly affected the state of the German Agriculture, but allowed to significantly reduce the price of bread).

Social politics

Already in his first two throne speeches, namely in an address to the Imperial Diet on June 25, 1888 and to the Prussian chambers on June 27, he outlined his political program. In an address to the Prussian chambers, the emperor promised "to faithfully and conscientiously respect the laws and rights of popular representation", protect all religious denominations and remember the words of Frederick the Great, in Prussia "The king is the first servant of the state". In a speech to the Imperial Diet, the emperor declared that, with the help of imperial legislation, he would try to "to deliver to the working population the protection that can be provided, according to the teachings of Christian morality, to the weak and needy in the struggle for existence" and this way "get closer to resolving unhealthy social contrasts". On May 24, 1889, the Reichstag passed a law on the insurance of workers against the need for old age and during incapacity for work, although during the discussion of this law it was sharply attacked as insufficiently fulfilling its purpose. By publishing it, the program of social reform in the sense that Prince Bismarck understood it was almost exhausted, for whom the labor question was, in essence, only a means to attach the working class to the government through insurance and other institutions concentrated in the hands of the administration. Such thoughts were not visible in the actions of the Kaiser, which are imprinted with something fresh and new, namely, a simple human attitude towards the working masses of the people. This was especially evident in two famous rescripts of February 4, 1890. Based on one of them, the Prussian state council under the personal chairmanship of the king and with the participation of specially appointed experts from among the big industrialists and representatives of the working classes, in a number of meetings, he was engaged (in February 1890) in developing material for bills aimed at "to protect workers from arbitrary and unrestricted exploitation of labor forces".

In the reign of Wilhelm II, the Bismarck line for the suppression of socialism was abandoned; Bismarck's laws against the socialists (-, Sozialistengesetz) ceased to be implemented, there has been some rapprochement between the authorities and the moderate social democrats.

By another rescript, the issue of labor protection for workers is placed on the basis of international agreements (the first official step in this direction was taken by Switzerland, which willingly conceded to Germany the honor of implementing its project).; in this way, the unity of labor legislation in the main industrial states should be achieved Western Europe so that measures taken in one country for the protection of workers do not diminish its resources in the struggle for dominance in the world market. Representatives of England, France, Italy and Switzerland were invited to Berlin for a conference, which took place in March 1890, under the chairmanship of the Prussian Minister of Trade von Berlepsch. At this conference, in which the representative of France, Jules Simon, sees "beginning of a new social era", questions were considered about the work of women, children and adolescents, about night and Sunday work, about limiting the working day for adults, about preventing married women from working before the expiration of a certain time after the release from the burden, about preventing children from entering the factory until they have passed schools, on the obligation of initial education. The conference left the implementation of its resolutions to the legislation of each state separately and at the same time expressed the wish that international conferences would continue to be convened in the form of unity of these legislations. In pursuance of the resolutions of the conference, the German government submitted to the Reichstag a law on the protection of workers in the form of a change in certain articles of the industrial regulations.

Other branches of internal management draw Wilhelm's attention. Thus, under him significant steps have already been taken towards the reorganization of the Prussian tax system, drawing the wealthy and wealthy classes into a more serious participation in the payment of state taxes and reducing the tax burden on the lower strata of the population. Kaiser said: "Je veux etre un roi des gueux" ("I want to be the king of the poor"). Thus, a progressive income tax was adopted (the interest rate increases with income growth), which contributed to the enrichment of a certain segment of the population. In Prussia, a new organization of rural self-government was carried out, and the privileges of large landowners were abolished and a free elective principle was introduced into the local economic life of the peasantry. Finally, the German emperor raised the question of a radical transformation of the school business. The emperor demanded from the school that it should be a continuation of the family, that it meant not only education, but also the upbringing of the child, and, moreover, in all respects: physical, moral and mental. The pedagogical views of the German emperor were set forth by him in a speech delivered on December 2, and developed in more detail in the work of a person close to him, Güssfeldt (P. Güssfeldt, “Die Erziehung der deutschen Jugend”, Berlin, 1890). This book was subsequently translated into French: A. Herzen, "Vellé ités pédagogiques d'un empereur" (Lausanne, 1890).

World War I

Wilhelm II was a strong supporter of the military policy pursued in -1918. After the assassination attempt on Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914, he guaranteed Austria all kinds of assistance from Germany in the fight against "Serbian barbarism." During a famous speech in the Reichstag in August 1914, he asserted: "From now on I do not know the political parties, I only know the citizens of Germany." The policy of the Kaiser was supported by all the parliamentary factions of the Reichstag. Including the SPD and the Center Party, who were critical of the war up to this point.

During the war, most of which he spent at the High Headquarters of the German troops in Pleso (Silesia), Wilhelm began to gradually lose control over military operations, the actual decisions on all the most important operations were made by Generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff. Since 1915, Wilhelm was actually removed from the military command.

Nevertheless, he tried to produce an appearance of influence. On July 29, 1917, Wilhelm visited the theater of military operations near the city of Smorgon on his own train to express gratitude to the soldiers and officers who took part in defensive battles from July 19 to 26 at the positions of Smorgon-Krevo and repulsed Russian troops during the Kreva operation.

Wilhelm II as a person

Personal qualities

One of the most striking features of the character of the German emperor was his passion for impromptu speeches. He spoke concisely, abruptly, definitely, caring more about what to say than about how it would be said. Sometimes, due to haste, his speeches could take on an ambiguous character, and this should be considered the main drawback of Wilhelm as a speaker. Impatient and energetic, he is rather indifferent to the opinions of the "crowd". Firmly convinced of his divine calling, he was determined to carry out his will, crushing all resistance, no matter where it came from. In private life he was distinguished by simplicity and moderation, but on solemn occasions he showed a love of luxury and splendor, completely inconsistent with the traditions of his ancestors, who were always distinguished by thrift, reaching almost to avarice.

Interests

In his youth, until his accession to the throne, he did not show much interest in any serious work. Most of all he was fond of hunting, his favorite hunting dogs were short-haired dachshunds. At the turn of the century, he began to show great interest in ancient culture, excavations, and all kinds of historical research. Wilhelm was known for his love of the sea and sea travel. His annual sea voyages to the coast of Norway became one of the traditions of the House of Hohenzollern. In exile, his love for cutting trees was also revealed. In just one week in December 1926, 67-year-old Wilhelm destroyed 2590 trees according to his own calculations.

Renunciation and flight

Death and funeral

Wilhelm II died at 12:30 on June 4, 1941 at the manor of Dorne, (Reichskommissariat Netherlands, Third Reich) at the age of 82 from pulmonary embolism.

When this was reported to Hitler, he, despite his personal dislike for the former emperor, ordered a state funeral with military honors, as he sought to demonstrate to the Germans that the Third Reich was the successor to the German Empire. The funeral was held in the Netherlands with the participation of a number of former officers of the imperial army, including Field Marshal August von Mackensen. Hitler himself did not attend the funeral. The delegation of official German authorities, on behalf of the Führer, was led by Wilhelm Canaris and Arthur Seyss-Inquart. The former emperor was buried in a small mausoleum in the garden of his last residence. His wish that the swastika not be used at the funeral was not heard.

The last German emperor - Wilhelm II. Hohenzollerns

Wilhelm II (German: Wilhelm II.; January 27, 1859, Berlin - June 4, 1941, Dorne estate, Utrecht province, Netherlands) - the last German emperor and king of Prussia from June 15, 1888 to November 9, 1918. Son of Prince and later Emperor of Germany Frederick of Prussia and Victoria of Great Britain.

The reign of Wilhelm was marked by the strengthening of the role of Germany as a world industrial, military and colonial power and ended with the First World War, the defeat in which led to the overthrow of the monarchy during the November Revolution.

Father - Frederick III (Emperor of Germany)

Mother - Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Empress of Germany)

Friedrich III. von Preussen mit Kaiserin Friedrich, Wilhelm II. and Princessin Charlotte

Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Victor Albert of Prussia was born on 27 January 1859 at the Berlin Crown Prince's Palace. He was the eldest of eight children of Frederick William of Prussia and Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter of the namesake queen. He was a cousin of the British King George V and the Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, as well as a cousin of Nicholas II.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, (nee Princess Victoria Alice Elena Louise Beatrice of Hesse-Darmstadt)

Emperor Nicholas II

The birth turned out to be very difficult - the prince was born with many physical disabilities, which at an early age almost cost him his life. He was born with a damaged left arm (shorter than the right by 15 cm); in the future, Wilhelm was forced to hide this handicap by placing one hand on the other or sitting at an angle to the camera. Trying to correct this congenital defect, the life doctors believed that there was a temporary paralysis of the hand due to mechanical compression during childbirth. Therefore, a daily shower of sea water and regular electroconvulsive therapy of the injured limb was prescribed. The arm was straightened and stretched with the help of a “hand-straightening machine” specially designed for this purpose, a healthy right arm was tied to the body in the hope that the boy would involuntarily begin to use the left. In addition, for a number of years he had to wear " head straightening machine(due to congenital torticollis), until finally the parents and doctors decided on the operation of dissection of the cervical sternocleidomastoid muscle. All these actions, of course, caused a lot of pain to a small child, besides, the effectiveness of treatment was low.

Wilhelm with his father in 1862

Prince Wilhelm

Beginning in 1866, he was under the care of the educator Dr. Georg Hinzpeter, a Calvinist by religion. According to him, the young prince was “an unusually strong and developed individuality, which did not succumb to the strongest external influences, which no authorities acted on. Only thanks to the sense of duty developed in him, it was possible to subordinate him to discipline.

In 1869, the prince received the rank of lieutenant of the 1st Guards. infantry regiment, in the same year he participated in his first parade. When Wilhelm was 15 years old, Victoria, on the advice of Hinzpeter, placed over her son "an unparalleled experiment t ”, giving the heir to the Prussian throne to an open gymnasium.

Fifteen-year-old Wilhelm in the uniform of a lieutenant of the 1st Guards Infantry Regiment.

In 1874-1877, the future emperor studied at the Kassel gymnasium side by side with people from burgher and peasant families. Giving their son to this gymnasium, Wilhelm's parents proceeded from the principle that for the future sovereign, nothing could be more detrimental than artificial alienation from the people. Parents, on the advice of teachers, decided to increase the teaching load for the prince. The future emperor could hardly cope with the huge number of lessons and homework. The prince got up at five in the morning, and before classes at the gymnasium, which began at seven, he had to study for an hour with Hinzpeter. Along with homework, Wilhelm received riding, fencing and drawing lessons. A hard day, scheduled by the minute, ended only at ten in the evening. In January 1877, the prince endured final exam, having received a certificate with grades " Good».

Prince Wilhelm

In January 1873 he was enrolled in the second Guards Landwehr Regiment. Since 1876 - Lieutenant. Upon reaching the 18th birthday, Wilhelm was called (02/19/1877) to a valid military service in his guards regiment, where he was in the 6th company under the command of Captain von Petersdorf (von Petersdorff). In October of the same year, the military service that fell in love with Wilhelm was interrupted, and he was sent back to school at the University of Bonn. However, the prince soon discovered a chronic infectious disease of the right ear, which was soon cured, and Wilhelm was able to return to his studies.

Eighteen-year-old Wilhelm II.

At the university he studied public and international law, economics, philosophy, art history, Germanic studies, archaeology, general history, physics and chemistry. The load here was significantly lower. The Kaiser recalled his student years as "the happiest years of his life." Here his true freedom-loving character manifested itself. Parents in one of their letters wrote to him: "... We hope you don't hang out in pubs very often and don't smoke too much.... ”, thus reminding him of his vocation and duties. Wilhelm the student was one of those to whom an idle youth was a reward for a difficult and joyless childhood.

After graduating from the University of Bonn in 1879, Wilhelm returned to military service, which he did in Potsdam. March 22, 1880 received the rank of captain.

Wilhelm II.

In 1879, Wilhelm became involved in an intrigue that his mistress Emily Klopp started against him (she was 15 years older than Wilhelm). The prince gave his mistress a photo of himself with a signature, and wrote her several notes compromising him. In turn, Klopp threatened Wilhelm with the publication of these letters, if she was not paid a certain amount of money. This publication could seriously undermine the authority of the Prussian crown, therefore, through the mediation of Wilhelm and Herbert Bismarck, she was paid 25 thousand marks. However, Klopp continued to blackmail the court until her death in 1893.

Augusta Victoria

Augusta Victoria with her mother Adelheide of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Augusta's father - Frederick VIII (Duke of Schleswig-Holstein)

In 1881, he married Augusta Victoria, the daughter of the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, exiled to Prussia, whose rights to possession of Schleswig were defended by German diplomacy. In June 1885, Wilhelm became colonel of the hussars, and 3 years later he was promoted to brigade major general. In 1886 he made his first trip to Russia, during which he presented the Order of the Black Eagle to the future Emperor Nicholas II.

He ascended the throne at the age of 29 year three emperors, his grandfather Wilhelm I and father Frederick III died.

The Kaiser shortly after his accession to the throne, 1888

Augusta Victoria and Wilhelm II

Accession to the throne

After the death of his father, who reigned only three months, Wilhelm ascended the throne on June 15, 1888. His first manifesto was an ardent appeal to the army and navy, in which he pointed out his close inseparable connection with the army, the military glory of his ancestors, the unforgettable the image of his grandfather as a commander and his determination to uphold the honor and glory of the army.

It was as if an addition to this manifesto was the imperialist speech delivered by him on August 16 of the same year at the opening of the monument to Prince Friedrich-Karl in Frankfurt an der Oder, in which he stated that “it is better to put all 18 corps of the German army and 42 million of the German people than to renounce any part of Germany's territorial acquisitions."

External affairs attracted the attention of the young emperor above all. In order to strengthen ties with friendly and allied powers, he began to travel around European courts and enter into personal relations with the monarchs of great and small states. He repeatedly visited Russia (in July 1888 and in August 1890), Sweden, Austria, Italy and England, where he was elevated by Queen Victoria to the rank of honorary admiral of the English fleet, which he was very proud of. Wilhelm also traveled to Denmark, Holland, Constantinople, and finally to Athens, where he attended the marriage of his sister to the Greek crown prince.

Photograph of Wilhelm II and Russian Emperor Nicholas II who exchanged military uniforms

Wilhelm II is best known for Germany's active foreign policy. German foreign policy in the first two years of the emperor's reign was severely limited by Bismarck's personal influence. This was most clearly expressed in the so-called Wolgemut affair, a conflict that arose in April 1889 in connection with the arrest of a German police official in Switzerland. Bismarck was ready to start revising the issue of Switzerland's position among the European powers, however, on the personal initiative of Wilhelm, the conflict was settled, and soon a new treaty between Germany and Switzerland was concluded, in which all Swiss demands were satisfied. The dispute between Germany, England and the United States over the protectorate over the islands of Samoa in the Pacific was equally successfully resolved.

Wilhelm II and Prince Bismarck.

Due to aggravated contradictions with the chancellor, on March 20, 1890, Wilhelm accepted Bismarck's resignation.

Narcissistic, fussy, lover of theatrical poses and pompous speeches, always striving to play a spectacular role, the young Kaiser soon quarreled with the imperious old chancellor, who did not tolerate interference in his politics. There were serious disagreements between the Chancellor and the Kaiser on the question of their attitude towards Russia.<…>Bismarck, as always, considered the war against Russia disastrous.

— History of diplomacy, Bismarck's resignation

The Kaiser appointed General Caprivi as the new chancellor, after which Germany's foreign policy became more restrained, the Kaiser began to pay more attention to domestic issues. A direct agreement with England eliminated the cause of the squabbles aroused by the colonial policy of Prince Bismarck. In 1890, an important event took place - the island of Heligoland, which had previously belonged to the British, was returned to Germany. The island was exchanged by Germany for Zanzibar, and Heligoland again belonged to Germany. However, the new acquisition was negatively assessed in the Bismarckian press, so the German people could not adequately appreciate the Kaiser's act. Thus, the new emperor demonstrated his diplomatic abilities, briefly defused tensions around colonial issues.

German foreign policy was based on the same foundations that were laid by Wilhelm I and Bismarck, namely the Triple Alliance. The emperor seeks to strengthen this political union with economic ties, for which in November 1891 trade agreements were concluded between Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. Switzerland and Belgium are involved in the same customs union. Based on mutual concessions in the field of international tariff policy, these treaties were intended to ensure, at least for 12 years, correct and stable relations in international trade. It was at this time that German industry received its greatest development.

At the very beginning of the 20th century, the urgent need for maritime protection of the colonies was recognized. The construction of the German fleet, which was not inferior in power to the English, was extremely painfully perceived in London and led to the naval arms race that unfolded at the beginning of the 20th century. The first maritime law of 28 March 1898, not immediately, but gradually, was recognized as a challenge thrown by William to English domination of the seas. The Kaiser's desire to create Navy for a long time it was also considered one of the causes of the world war, but this is not true.

The growing contradictions between the European powers led, despite Wilhelm's warm personal and family relations with the monarchs of Great Britain and Russia, to the First World War.

When the Kaiser ascended the throne, he first of all drew attention to the fact that the Bismarck regime, which had almost unlimited power, little by little began to turn into a reaction. The ban on the Social Democratic Party, the bribery of newspapers, the fight against the Catholic Church - all this and much more began to negatively affect the state of society in Germany. The riots that broke out among the miners in 1889, the prince openly proposed to suppress with the help of troops. In addition, Wilhelm was very hampered in his decisions by the imperious nature of the chancellor. These disagreements led Bismarck to resign his post.

Over the long years (from 1862 to 1890) of being Chancellor, Bismarck created a bureaucratic apparatus subject only to him. To enter this circle, one had to be either a relative of the prince, or his old acquaintances, and at the same time show constant loyalty and support to the chancellor. It turned out that this bureaucratic apparatus, after the departure of Bismarck (his son Herbert resigned from the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs on the same day), turned out to be practically uncontrollable. For officials, Prince Bismarck was an indisputable authority. Once in power, stranger”, they began to put all sorts of obstacles in the way of the new chancellor.

In his memoirs, the Kaiser wrote that “... a successor ... from the very beginning, heavy sacrifices were expected without the hope of recognition. He would be considered a usurper in an improper place which he is incapable of filling. Criticism, criticism, and once again criticism, as well as enmity from all the adherents of the prince - that's what the new chancellor could count on. A strong current must have counteracted him; no less opposition was to be expected from the oldest prince himself.

Resignation of Bismarck. Bismarck descends from the ship "Germany" under the supervision of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Cartoon from Punch magazine

On March 29, 1890, the Caprivi repealed the anti-social democracy law. On the one hand, the interests of the bourgeoisie were satisfied, and on the other hand, the thirty years' war"between the Social Democrats and the conservative parties, which served as a hotbed of instability in the Reichstag, while the Kaiser was forced to mediate in their relations. In the early days of Caprivi's appointment, a series of laws and political decisions were passed that were very controversial, and briefly put Germany in an uncomfortable economic and political position (which subsequently caused polar assessments in society).

These are decisions such as the abolition of the Bismarckian Welf Fund (although from the point of view of morality the decision to abolish the fund created to bribe the press was correct), the abolition of passport restrictions on the border with France (which opened up an operational field of activity for French intelligence, but which greatly contributed to the penetration of German goods into the French market), a 30% reduction in trade duties on imported grain (which greatly affected the state of agriculture, but made it possible to significantly reduce the price of bread).

Such thoughts were not visible in the actions of the Kaiser, which are imprinted with something fresh and new, namely, a simple human attitude towards the working masses of the people. This was particularly evident in two famous rescripts of February 4, 1890. On the basis of one of them, the Prussian Council of State, under the personal chairmanship of the king and with the participation of specially appointed experts from among the major industrialists and representatives of the working classes, in a number of meetings (in February 1890) was engaged in developing material for bills aimed at " to the protection of workers from arbitrary and unrestricted exploitation of labor forces».

In the reign of Wilhelm II there was a rejection of the Bismarck line for the suppression of socialism; Bismarck's laws against the socialists (1878-1890, Sozialistengesetz) ceased to be implemented, there was some rapprochement between the authorities and the moderate Social Democrats.

By another rescript, the question of the protection of workers was placed on the basis of international agreements (the first official step in this direction was taken by Switzerland, which willingly conceded to Germany the honor of implementing its project).; in this way a unity of legislation must be achieved in the main industrial states of Western Europe, so that the measures for the protection of workers adopted in one state do not diminish its resources in the struggle for dominance in the world market. Representatives of England, France, Italy and Switzerland were invited to Berlin for a conference, which took place in March 1890, under the chairmanship of the Prussian Minister of Trade von Berlepsch.

At this conference, in which the representative of France Jules Simon sees "the beginning of a new social era", questions were considered about the work of women, children and adolescents, about night and Sunday work, about limiting the working day for adults, about preventing married women from working before the expiration of a certain time after the release from the burden, on the exclusion of children from the factory until they have completed school, on the obligation of initial education. The conference left the implementation of its resolutions to the legislation of each state separately and at the same time expressed the wish that international conferences would continue to be convened in the form of unity of these legislations. In pursuance of the resolutions of the conference, the German government submitted to the Reichstag a law on the protection of workers in the form of a change in certain articles of the industrial regulations.

Other branches of internal management draw Wilhelm's attention. Thus, under him significant steps have already been taken towards the reorganization of the Prussian tax system, drawing the wealthy and wealthy classes into a more serious participation in the payment of state taxes and reducing the tax burden on the lower strata of the population. Kaiser said: "J e veux etre un roi des gueux" ("I want to be king of the poor"). Thus, a progressive income tax was adopted (the interest rate increases with income growth), which contributed to the enrichment of a certain segment of the population. In Prussia, a new organization of rural self-government was carried out, and the privileges of large landowners were abolished and a free elective principle was introduced into the local economic life of the peasantry. Finally, the German emperor raised the question of a radical transformation of the school business. The emperor demanded from the school that it should be a continuation of the family, that it meant not only education, but also the upbringing of the child, and, moreover, in all respects: physical, moral and mental. The pedagogical views of the German emperor were set forth by him in a speech delivered on December 2, 1890, and developed in more detail in the work of a person close to him, Güssfeldt (P. Güssfeldt, “Die Erziehung der deutschen Jugend”, Berlin, 1890). This book was subsequently translated into French: A. Herzen, "Vellé ités pédagogiques d'un empereur" (Lausanne, 1890).

First World War

Wilhelm II was a strong supporter of the military policy pursued in 1914-1918. After the assassination attempt on Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914, he guaranteed Austria all kinds of assistance from Germany in the fight against "Serbian barbarism". During a famous speech in the Reichstag in August 1914, he stated: From today I don't know political parties, I only know German citizens". The policy of the Kaiser was supported by all the parliamentary factions of the Reichstag. Including those critical of the war up to this point, the SPD and the Center Party

Nevertheless, he tried to produce an appearance of influence. On July 29, 1917, Wilhelm visited the theater of operations near the city of Smorgon on his own train to express gratitude to the soldiers and officers who took part in defensive battles from July 19 to 26 at the positions of Smorgon-Krevo and repulsed Russian troops during the Kreva operation.

Personal qualities

One of the most striking features of the character of the German emperor is his passion for impromptu speeches. He spoke concisely, abruptly, definitely, caring more about what to say than about how it would be said. Sometimes, due to haste, his speeches could take on an ambiguous character, and this should be considered the main drawback of Wilhelm as a speaker. Impatient and energetic, he is rather indifferent to the opinions of the "crowd". Firmly convinced of his divine calling, he was determined to carry out his will, crushing all resistance, no matter where it came from. In private life, he is distinguished by simplicity and moderation, but on solemn occasions he shows a love of luxury and splendor, completely inconsistent with the traditions of his ancestors, who were always distinguished by thrift, reaching almost to avarice.

Interests

In his youth, until his accession to the throne, he did not show much interest in any serious work. Most of all he was fond of hunting, his favorite hunting dogs were short-haired dachshunds. At the turn of the century, he began to show great interest in ancient culture, excavations, and all kinds of historical research. Wilhelm was known for his love of the sea and sea travel. His annual sea voyages to the coast of Norway became one of the traditions of the House of Hohenzollern. In exile, his love for cutting trees was also revealed. In just one week in December 1926, 67-year-old Wilhelm, according to his own calculations, destroyed 2,590 trees.

Kaiser Wilhelm and Emperor Nicholas II hunting

Renunciation and flight

The November Revolution in Berlin and other cities in Germany took the emperor by surprise while at the headquarters of the imperial army in Spa, Belgium. His beloved Kaiserliche Marine's defection to the rebel side shocked him deeply. After the beginning of the November Revolution, the emperor tried to organize an armed suppression of unrest by the forces of the army. At that time, he was convinced that even if he left the imperial crown, he would be able to retain the title of King of Prussia. But on November 9, in the context of impending revolutionary anarchy, in order to preserve at least some order, Chancellor Max Badensky, without warning the Kaiser and without obtaining his consent, announced the abdication of Wilhelm II from both thrones. A few hours later, Max Badensky himself was forced to resign, realizing that only the leader of the SPD, Friedrich Ebert, could exercise real control over the situation. Wilhelm agreed to the abdication only after the quartermaster general Wilhelm Gröner informed the emperor that the soldiers would return to the control of the authorities only under the command of Paul von Hindenburg, but they would definitely be opposed to returning the throne to Wilhelm. The monarchy has lost its last and most reliable support - the army. And even such a convinced monarchist as Hindenburg was forced to advise the emperor to abandon the crown.

General Paul von Hindenburg, Kaiser Wilhelm II and General Erich Ludendorff in January 1917

The next day, November 10, the former emperor crossed the border of the Netherlands, where he found his last refuge in exile. On November 28, Wilhelm signed the official act of abdication from both thrones, declaring: "I renounce forever the rights to the crown of Prussia and with it the right to the German imperial crown." At the same time, Wilhelm released his officers from the obligation to fulfill the oath given to him once.

After the development and approval of the text of the Treaty of Versailles in early 1919, Article 227 directly provided for the extradition of Wilhelm II as the main war criminal to be convicted of violating peace and tranquility in Europe. But Queen Wilhelmina refused to comply with the demands of the allies for the extradition of the former German emperor.

Wilhelm first settled in Amerongen, then on August 16, 1919 he acquired a small castle in Dorne. It was this castle that became the last shelter of William.

Dorne Palace - the residence of Wilhelm II in exile (1918-1941)

The government of the Weimar Republic allowed the ex-emperor to take 23 wagons of furniture to Holland, as well as 27 different containers with things, including a car and a boat from the New Palace in Potsdam.

Tomb of Wilhelm II in Dorne. Netherlands

After abdication

According to the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919, Wilhelm was declared a war criminal and the main culprit of the world war, so he had to be held accountable before the court of an international tribunal. But the government of the Netherlands refused to extradite him, and the Entente powers, although they did not insist on extradition, accused the former German Kaiser, as stated in the text of the treaty, "of the highest insult to international morality and the sacred power of treaties."

In April 1921 his wife, Augusta Victoria, died. In the same year, Wilhelm married Princess Hermine of Reiss-Greitz. Such a premature new marriage was assessed very negatively by the Prussian aristocracy and relatives of the former emperor.

Wilhelm with his second wife, Hermine von Reuss

Until the end of his days, Wilhelm lived without a break in the Netherlands. During this time, he created a number of historical and cultural works, and a theological research club was founded at his estate. In the 1920s, he actively corresponded with Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, with whom he had friendly relations. He welcomed the field marshal's rise to power (in 1925 Hindenburg was elected president of the Weimar Republic). Already in 1926, the Prussian Landtag returned to Wilhelm his land possessions, which he had lost during the November Revolution of 1918. In 1931/1932 he received H. Goering on his estate. Invested in German heavy industry. During the stay of the Hohenzollern dynasty in exile, their fortunes doubled thanks to these investments. According to official data, the fortune of the Hohenzollerns was 18 million marks in 1933, 28 million marks in 1939, and 37 million marks in 1942.

In 1940, after the capture of Paris by German troops, Wilhelm sent a welcome telegram to Adolf Hitler.

He died on June 4, 1941 in the German-occupied Netherlands due to a complication of a pulmonary embolism. By order of Hitler, he was buried in Dorne with military honors.

Wilhelm II - chief of Russian regiments

Regimental badge

A few years before the outbreak of the First World War, Wilhelm, who was the chief of the Russian 13th Narva Hussar Regiment, visited the regiment under his patronage. Going around the hussars, the German emperor asked why the St. George standard was granted to the regiment. There was a clear answer: "For the capture of Berlin, Your Majesty." The Kaiser replied, "That's very good, but it's better never to do it again!"

The 85th Vyborg Infantry Regiment of His Imperial and Royal Majesty the German Emperor, King of Prussia Wilhelm II also had 2 silver trumpets with the inscription "For the capture of Berlin, 1760"[

A family

In 1881 Wilhelm II married Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (1858-1921).

Wilhelm II

The future German Emperor Wilhelm was born in January 1859 in the Berlin Palace of the Crown Prince. His parents were Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia and 18-year-old Princess Victoria. The birth turned out to be very difficult, and the initiates seriously said that the prince had miraculously survived. He was born with numerous birth injuries, the consequences of which then affected for many years. In the left arm, there was a rupture of the nerves that connected the brachial plexus with the spinal cord.

She was much shorter than the right, atrophied and did not work. In addition, for several years, due to a congenital curvature of the cervical vertebrae, Wilhelm had to wear a “head support machine”, until his parents and doctors decided on an operation that corrected this defect. It can be assumed that the newborn also received a slight brain injury. It is noted that such pathologies usually lead to irritability, impulsivity, inability to concentrate and unstable behavior. All these shortcomings manifested themselves in Wilhelm already in early childhood.

The proud Princess Victoria suffered greatly because of the physical and spiritual inferiority of her son. She dreamed of growing a wonderful man out of him. statesman“second Frederick the Great” and was terribly annoyed because Wilhelm was having difficulty mastering even the usual school curriculum. His mother complained about his superficiality and laziness in studies, spiritual coldness and arrogance. This generally very smart woman was simply not able to come to terms with the fact that the goal she set did not really correspond to the capabilities of her son. The prince constantly saw his mother's disappointment and, in response, tried to assert his own "I" through rebellion. His childhood and youth were marked by constant quarrels with his parents.

He was indignant at their coldness, injustice, undeserved reproaches and paid with the same coin - he did not love them and despised them. Wilhelm's character from the very beginning was very uneven. Physically weak and clumsy, the prince constantly tried to show his strength. Internally timid and unsure of himself, he carried himself defiantly and self-confidently. From this came his love for posture, his obvious bragging, his uncontrollable idle talk, which so irritated all sane and ordinary people. The mentor of the future emperor, Hinzpeter, constantly complained about the inattention, laziness and "pharisaic" nature of his ward, as well as his "selfishness, which has reached almost crystalline hardness."

By all accounts, Wilhelm was a "difficult, very difficult" child. At the age of 15, Victoria, on the advice of Hinzpeter, set up an “unparalleled experiment” with her son, sending the heir to the Prussian throne to an open gymnasium in Kassel, where he studied with the sons of ordinary burghers. The prince got up at five in the morning, and before classes at the gymnasium, which began at seven, he had to study for an hour with Hinzpeter. Along with homework, with which he barely coped, Wilhelm received lessons in riding, fencing and drawing.

In addition, the teachers of the gymnasium in the evenings conducted additional classes with him in their subjects. A hard day, painted literally by the minute, ended at ten in the evening, when the prince, completely exhausted, fell into bed. He graduated from the gymnasium with a "good" mark, but his laziness in his studies continued to lead his parents to despair. “He is by nature a terrible loafer and parasite, he does not read anything, except perhaps idiotic stories ... - his mother complained in 1877, “I am afraid that his heart is completely ill-mannered.”

She wrote that Wilhelm did not have “modesty, kindness, benevolence, respect for other people, the ability to forget about oneself, humility,” and wished that she could “break his egoism and his spiritual coldness.” Wilhelm made a complex, ambiguous impression on other people. Loquacious, pompous and vain, he was naturally rude and tactless, but if desired he could be very amiable and benevolent.

In the autumn of the same year, the prince began his studies at the University of Bonn, and from 1879 he began military service in Potsdam. At that time, everyone still remembered the wonderful victories won at Sadovaya and Sedan. Like all Prussians, Wilhelm was proud of the Prussian army and Prussian military training. First and foremost, he wanted to be a brilliant Prussian officer, and only then to everyone else. Despite the fact that he could not use his left hand, Wilhelm, after stubborn and courageous exercises, overcame this shortcoming and became an agile cavalryman. In 1885 he received the rank of colonel, in 1888 he was promoted to general, and in the same year he inherited the German throne after the sudden death of his father.

Shortly after Wilhelm's coronation, his mother, the Empress Dowager, wrote: “I mourn Germany, now it will be different. Our son is young, blinded, possessed. He will choose the wrong path and let bad people incline him into bad deeds.” Better than anyone else, she knew that Wilhelm had neither the knowledge nor the personality to be the ruler of such a great and powerful country as Germany. But for others, this flaw did not remain a secret for long. Hinzpeter remarked in 1889 about the emperor: “He is completely unaccustomed to work. All kinds of entertainment in the society of the military, travel and hunting are above all for him. He reads little... He writes almost nothing, except for notes in the margins of reports. The inexperience of the new sovereign constantly made itself felt in actions, deeds and speeches, but he compensated for it with self-confidence and indestructible aplomb. Like no other monarch of that time, Wilhelm believed that he was a sovereign by the grace of God, and behaved accordingly. At one of the banquets in May 1891, he declared: "There is only one master in the country - this is me, and I will not tolerate another." He made similar remarks often and on various occasions. No wonder that with such views, he could not "work well" with the old chancellor Otto Bismarck, accustomed under his grandfather to almost unlimited power. Wilhelm treated him with outward respect, but the friction between the emperor and his chancellor was constantly intensifying. Finally, in 1890, the old man asked for his resignation and received it immediately. From that time on, Wilhelm began to decisively intervene in all areas of government. “He doesn’t let anyone speak,” wrote Walderze, Chief of the General Staff, “he expresses his own opinion and does not tolerate any objections.” The emperor was generally pissed off by any opposition to his will. In 1891, speaking to recruits, Wilhelm attacked the labor movement. At the same time, he announced that the soldiers should, without hesitation, "kill their fathers and brothers" if they receive such an order from the emperor. In the same spirit was his speech in Konigsberg in 1894, when the emperor called for a struggle "for religion, morality and order" against subversive parties. After the bill on subversive elements failed in the Reichstag, Wilhelm exclaimed: “Now we have nothing left but rifle fire in the first instance and buckshot in the second!” And indeed, during the strike of trams, a telegram came from the emperor: “I expect that at least 500 people will be killed with the intervention of the troops.” Wilhelm demonstrated cruel aggressiveness in his other speeches. So, in the famous “Hunnic” speech, which the emperor delivered to the German expeditionary force, which was leaving for China in 1900, he ordered the soldiers to behave “like the Huns”: “If you meet the enemy, then in order to fight. Give no mercy, take no prisoners. Whoever falls into your hands is in your power." All these speeches, which scandalized public opinion in Germany and Europe, were the cause of many resignations and constitutional crises. However, people close to the emperor soon realized that behind these thunderous speeches, in essence, there was neither a well-thought-out policy, nor even a definite political intention. They were, above all, a warlike posture that Wilhelm considered it necessary to adopt in front of the whole world. Back in 1890, Walderse wrote: “His actions are determined solely by the desire for popularity ... He literally chases applause and nothing gives him such pleasure as the“ cheers ”of the roaring crowd. Count Zeidlitz-Trützschler, in turn, wrote about the emperor:“ He child and will remain a child forever". So it was in fact. Everyone who knew Wilhelm well, unanimously claimed that he never became a mature person. He constantly fantasized, confused dreams and reality, was carried away by one idea Politics was a game for him, which he indulged in with passion and pleasure, but without giving an account of the consequences of his actions.

If inside Germany Wilhelm was to some extent restrained by the Reichstag, then foreign policy was entirely within his sphere of competence. Wilhelm responded vividly to all world conflicts, at whatever point the globe they never arose, constantly falling into a prophetic and pathetic tone. He either warned the “peoples of Europe” against the “yellow danger”, then he appropriated the title of “Admiral of the Atlantic”, then arrogantly pointed out to the Russian Tsar that the mission of Russia is not in Europe, but in East Asia. In 1894 he demanded the annexation of Mozambique, in 1896 he wanted to send troops to South Africa, even if this would lead to a "land war" with England. In 1898, during a visit to Palestine, Wilhelm declared himself the patron saint of all Muslims in the world. In 1899, he sent the British operational plans for the war against the Boers, prepared by the German operational headquarters on his order. He dreamed of creating a German colonial empire in South America, and the United States promised that in the event of a war with Japan, Prussian troops would take over the defense of California. It would be in vain to look for a well-thought-out program of action in all these zigzags of the course. They were also the result of impromptu, momentary infatuation or a bad state of mind. But there was one fixed idea around which all the other thoughts of the emperor revolved: Germany should rule the world! As a result, any neighbor of Germany was both a potential adversary and a potential ally. Numerous combinations formed in Wilhelm's head, only to be replaced by others a short time later. Holstein, who was in charge of the foreign policy department, once admitted that for six months he had to change his course three times, obeying the will of the emperor. At first, Wilhelm demanded rapprochement with Russia and France in order to protect the German colonies from England. Then he wanted an alliance with England, even at the cost of concessions to the colonies. Finally, he became suspicious of England and Russia and tried to seek support from France.

But with this or that ally, against this or that enemy, Germany had to fight, and Wilhelm was actively preparing for war. The central point of his military program was the creation of a powerful navy. According to the plans of the emperor, Germany by 1920 was supposed to have colossal naval forces. It was planned to build only 60 battleships! He reveled in this idea throughout his reign. As early as 1895, Secretary of State Marshall wrote that Wilhelm had "only the Navy" in his head. Visiting his mother in Kronberg in 1896, the emperor confessed to her that he intended to "squeeze all the veins out of Germany" in order to deprive England of the dominant position that she occupies in the world. In 1900, he already openly announced to the whole world: "The ocean is necessary for the greatness of Germany." At the same time, he naively tried more than once to assure the British that the growth of Germany's naval power was not at all dangerous for them. But England took this threat very seriously. It was announced that the British would build two warships for each built in Germany. This "dreadnought fever" was in no small part the cause of the final deterioration of relations between the two countries. In 1912, the British Ministry directly announced that in the event of a European war, England would take the side of France and Russia. This was the result of the imperial policy: constantly threatening all its neighbors, Germany only achieved that all of them, forgetting about their contradictions, united against her. When World War I broke out in 1914, Wilhelm had to rely on just one ally - a weak Austria-Hungary. Romania, Greece and Italy, instead of joining Germany, declared their neutrality. "Allies are falling away like rotten apples!" Wilhelm wrote. He did not want to admit that the loneliness and isolation in which the Germans found themselves was largely the result of the imbalance of his character and inept personal politics.

At first, Wilhelm tried to personally direct the actions of the army, but after six months he completely retired from military affairs, shifting them all to Hindenburg and Ludendorff. Despite all his military hobbies, Wilhelm remained a profoundly civilian in spirit, always vacillating between fear and self-confidence, and terribly afraid of responsibility. For example, he did not dare to start a naval battle against the Entente. All four years of the war, the German fleet stood in their ports. Thus, the naval arms race, which was one of the causes of the world war, turned out to be completely meaningless - the German fleet played almost no role in it.

In August 1918, when it became finally clear that Germany was not in a position to win, Wilhelm began to look for ways to an honorable peace. But the Entente countries, confident in their triumph, did not go towards him. In autumn, a strong revolutionary ferment began in the military units and in the navy. In November, revolutionary influence swept over Berlin. Wilhelm was at this time at his headquarters in Spa. On the evening of November 8, Chancellor Max of Baden telephoned the emperor and said that his abdication was necessary to prevent civil war. Wilhelm angrily rejected this proposal and ordered the generals to prepare for a campaign against Berlin. But at a meeting on November 9, Hindenburg objected that "after sound reflection" he considered such a campaign impossible. General Gröner was even more specific: "The army will not obey such an order." At the same time, news came that the Berlin garrison had gone over to the side of the rebels. Wilhelm was deeply shocked by this turn of events; he hesitated, decided to renounce the imperial crown, but still hoped to keep the Prussian. Without waiting for a formal act, Max of Baden announced in Berlin that Wilhelm had abdicated in favor of his son. But he was too late, since Scheidemann had already announced the establishment of a republican form of government. On November 19, Wilhelm fled to Holland.

This country became his last refuge. The Emperor went abroad empty handed and soon acquired the ownership of an ancient castle with a park, which previously belonged to the Bishop of Utrecht. Here he lived without a break until his death, watching the events in Germany. He sympathized with Hitler and invested his money very profitably in German industry. According to official data, in ten years the personal wealth of the Hohenzollerns doubled and in 1942 amounted to 37 million marks. The former emperor died in June 1941.