Kaiser on the front
When World War I began, Kaiser Wilhelm II’s rule in Germany was nearing its end. At the beginning of the war on the front the Kaiser was shown great respect by the soldiers fighting in World War I. “Shortly before the show, the following flash signal was circulated: ‘His Majesty the Kaiser and Hindenburg on the scene of the operations.’ It was greeted with applause[1]. ” When he was on the battlefield, the soldiers praised their ruler. They could not see that Wilhelm’s power was being stripped from him. Wilhelm was the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces during World War I, but the real power was now in the hands of the military commanders[2]. The two commanders led their country during the war by making all the decisions on the front. The Eastern front was commanded by Ludendorff. He lacked nobility and therefore he could not command the troops on the front alone[3]. With the help of the retired Hindenburg, these two men took over the eastern front in August 1916, and from then on they dominated the military. They became known as national heroes and became more important than the Kaiser himself[4]. They became the joint heads of all land forces[5]. They planned together to remove from their path any military or political leader who disagreed with their plans, which included renewed, unrestricted submarine warfare. After they forced out Wilhelm’s chancellor, who went against their plans and wanted peace, the two generals were essentially in charge of the country, The Kaiser was beginning to lose power in Germany,which was now a military dictatorship with a figurehead Kaiser[6]. This figure head’s two sons, Frederick William Victor Augustus Ernest and Prince August Wilhelm, contributed in the war. Like his father the Crown Prince was very popular in Germany before the war. The crown prince had a dark shadow in his background, which was his love for war. He was head of the war party, and took on the role of the chief of the militarists. Unlike his brother, Prince August Wilhelm was of different character because he did not like war. He wore the uniform of an officer, but entered the civil service of the government[7].
Kaiser on the home front
On the home front the British navy was beginning to take over the North Sea. The North Sea became a British ‘military area’. British naval ships spent most of their time patrolling the North Sea and intercepting cargo that came their way. The British Navy allowed neutral countries to let their cargo go if it was not bound for Germany. The blockade had a huge effect on Germany. Germany was beginning to see its food supply rapidly decreasing. Wilhelm believed in “total war,” which meant that supplies had to be redirected towards armed forces. The British government succeeded, they had deprived Germany of their raw materials and the hunger blockade began in Germany. Because of the British naval blockade, German civilians on the home front were forced to live in meager conditions. Meanwhile, in the midst of the war, the Kaiser was hunting and having extravagant house parties. Rather than the Kaiser stepping up, Hindenburg and Ludendorff did. They tried releasing submarines in order to stop the British Navy’s blockade, which was very risky. Whereas, in Germany’s time of need the Kaiser was selfishly enjoying himself, while other leaders had to pick up for his slack. As the war progressed the German people saw his authority in Germany being stripped from him. The Kaiser lost all his popularity when many people realized that the Kaiser was not at all involved in the war and that he was a figure head.
THE KAISER FOLDING UNDER PRESSURE
The role of the ultimate ruler for Wilhelm was too much to handle. Wilhelm was reaching his breaking point as ruler. As a ruler during the war, Wilhelm was eager to make decisions with the little power he had. Those decisions did not always turn out to be the best. As America became less neutral, the British government intercepted a message from the German ambassador to the Mexican government. This message is known as the “Zimmerman Telegram”. This message asked Mexico to attack the United States, if America joined the war. Ludendorff then made a foolish decision that would ultimately ensure that Germany was going to lose the war. This decision was that Germany was going to violate their pledge and practice unrestricted submarine warfare[1]. As a result, America decided to join World War I. If the Kaiser could have stopped Ludendorff from making that decision then perhaps Germany would not have lost the war. However, after America joined the war, Germany fell apart.
[1] Jünger, Ernst, and Michael Hofmann. "The Great Battle." In Storm of steel. New York: Penguin Books, 2004. 228. Jünger, Ernst, and Michael Hofmann. "The Great Battle." In Storm of steel. New York: Penguin Books, 2004. 228.
[2] Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition, s.v. "William II," accessed November 5, 2012,http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-7948.
[3] Gale Virtual Reference Library. "World War I (1914-1919)." Gale Encyclopedia of World History: War Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2008.. go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCount&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=lom_liggett&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultList&contentSegment=&search¤tPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CCX304870005 (accessed November 5, 2012).
[4] PBS. "The Great War episode 6 Collapse - YouTube." YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KnONdlDU1c&list=PLCB7075019AA728FC&index=6&feature=plpp_video (accessed November 5, 2012).
[5] Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition, s.v. "Germany," accessed November 5, 2012,http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-58199.
[6] Gale Virtual Reference Library. "World War I (1914-1919)." Gale Encyclopedia of World History: War Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2008.. go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCount&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=lom_liggett&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultList&contentSegment=&search¤tPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CCX304870005 (accessed November 5, 2012).
[7] Gerard, James W.. "Little Kaisers." InFace to face with kaiserism,. New York: George H. Doran Company, 1918. N/A.
[1] Gale Virtual Reference Library. "World War I (1914-1919)." Gale Encyclopedia of World History: War Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2008.. go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCount&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=lom_liggett&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultList&contentSegment=&search¤tPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CCX304870005 (accessed November 5, 2012).
http://www.mrdowling.com/images/706unclesam.jpg
http://www.worldology.com/Europe/images/wwi_1914_uk.jpg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljhsjbteUC1qc0pn9o1_500.jpg
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/firstworldwar/ger-kaiser-review.jpg
[2] Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition, s.v. "William II," accessed November 5, 2012,http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-7948.
[3] Gale Virtual Reference Library. "World War I (1914-1919)." Gale Encyclopedia of World History: War Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2008.. go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCount&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=lom_liggett&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultList&contentSegment=&search¤tPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CCX304870005 (accessed November 5, 2012).
[4] PBS. "The Great War episode 6 Collapse - YouTube." YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KnONdlDU1c&list=PLCB7075019AA728FC&index=6&feature=plpp_video (accessed November 5, 2012).
[5] Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition, s.v. "Germany," accessed November 5, 2012,http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-58199.
[6] Gale Virtual Reference Library. "World War I (1914-1919)." Gale Encyclopedia of World History: War Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2008.. go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCount&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=lom_liggett&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultList&contentSegment=&search¤tPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CCX304870005 (accessed November 5, 2012).
[7] Gerard, James W.. "Little Kaisers." InFace to face with kaiserism,. New York: George H. Doran Company, 1918. N/A.
[1] Gale Virtual Reference Library. "World War I (1914-1919)." Gale Encyclopedia of World History: War Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2008.. go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCount&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=lom_liggett&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultList&contentSegment=&search¤tPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CCX304870005 (accessed November 5, 2012).
http://www.mrdowling.com/images/706unclesam.jpg
http://www.worldology.com/Europe/images/wwi_1914_uk.jpg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljhsjbteUC1qc0pn9o1_500.jpg
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/firstworldwar/ger-kaiser-review.jpg