Page 37 - All About History - Issue 54-17

Why Blame the Kaiser?

UNHAPPY FAMILIES Wilhelm’s twisted family tree
sowed the seeds of conflict

EDWARD VII OF BRITAIN NICHOLAS II OF RUSSIA GEORGE V OF BRITAIN QUEEN ALEXANDRA
Wilhelm’s uncle — ‘Fat Old Wales’, While ‘Nicky’ had all the power Wilhelm was glad when his cousin OF DENMARK
as the kaiser liked to called him in Russia that Wilhelm so George succeeded ‘Fat Old Wales’ Edward VII’s Danish wife, Alexandra,
— was his biggest rival at Cowes. craved — ‘autocrat’ was not so to the British throne — not because had her own axe to grind with
Wilhelm once remarked that he much an aspiration but an official he had much respect for him, but Germany. In 1864, Prussian forces
and Edward were so diametrically part of his title as ‘Emperor and because he no doubt considered captured and annexed the duchies
opposed that “it was scarcely to Autocrat of all Russians’ — the two him a pushover, a “homebody” of Schleswig and Holstein, resulting
be expected that anything like were very different people. Nicholas as he once said, somebody who in the loss of 40 per cent of Danish
a cordial friendship would exist adored his family and, although he was unadventurous. Indeed, George territory. There was a suggestion
between us.” Edward’s accession could be tetchy, usually resorted was an avid stamp collector and that had Kaiser Frederick III lived
to the British throne in 1901 to reason. On the eve of war, the found grand occasions like the state longer, he would have given Alsace-
significantly soured relations cousins exchanged telegrams and opening of Parliament a “terrible Lorraine, captured during the
between England and Germany Nicholas pleaded with Wilhelm to ordeal”. George also did what Franco-Prussian War, back to France
as Queen Victoria had always acknowledge the gravitas of the Wilhelm considered unthinkable: and perhaps even Schleswig and
managed to mediate Wilhelm. situation and reconsider his decision he allowed the powers of the Holstein to Denmark as well. At
The animosity that the kaiser felt to support Austria-Hungary, knowing monarchy and the Lords to be Frederick’s funeral Edward asked
for his uncle seems to stem from the casualties it would cause and gradually conceded to the House Wilhelm, on his wife’s behalf, about
his anger and feelings of foreseeing that soon he may be of Commons as the Liberals whether this was true and the kaiser
abandonment felt towards his “overwhelmed by the pressure continued with a radical social and took great offence. It cemented
mother, Vicky, who was Edward’s forced upon me and be forced to constitutional reform agenda under his view that Britain should be
elder sister and close confidante. take extreme measures.” Prime Minister Asquith. considered the enemy.

With Eulenburg’s demise, Wilhelm had to find The leaders of the four central powers in 1916: Wilhelm,
others to rely on and began to favour his military Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, Sultan Mehmed V of the
entourage, which consisted of chiefs of staff and Ottoman Empire and Emperor Charles I of Austria-Hungary
the military cabinet chiefs. The relative power
of each position depended on how much the
incumbent was favoured by the kaiser, and in
the 1880s it was Chief of Staff General Alfred von
Waldersee who was the firm favourite. However,
his successor, General Alfred von Schlieffen,
was sidelined for the cabinet chief Wilhelm von
Hahnke in the 1890s.
Both Eulenburg and Wilhelm’s army chiefs did
little to stop the besieged monarch in his tracks,
encouraging his warmongering and expansionist
policies that would come to have devastating
and far-reaching consequences just a few years
later in 1914.
VERDICT: GUILTY

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