Kaiser Wilhelm II

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Kaiser Wilhelm II
by Cadet Dotson
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• William II or Wilhelm II (born Frederick William
  Albert Victor (January 1859June 1941), was the
  last German Emperor and King of Prussia,ruling
  both the German Empire and Prussia from 1888 to
  1918.

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• Following the assassination of Archduke Franz
  Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary on June 28 1914,
  Wilhelm and his Chancellor, incited
  Austria-Hungary to exact revenge against Serbia. 
  Events spiralled throughout July resulting in the
  First World War

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• Austria-Hungary's reaction to the death of their
  heir was three weeks in coming. It issued an
  ultimatum to Serbia, which demanded that the
  assassins be brought to justice. Serbia had
  Slavic ties with Russia. In order to protect
  itself, the Austria-Hungarian government sought
  assurances that Germany would come to her aid
  should Russia declare war on Austria-Hungary.
  Germany, itching to use its military muscle,
  readily agreed.

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• Austria-Hungary, unsatisfied with Serbia's
  response to her ultimatum declared war on Serbia
  on July 28 1914. Russia, bound by treaty to
  Serbia, mobilized its vast army. Germany, allied
  to Austria-Hungary by treaty, viewed the Russian
  mobilization as an act of war against
  Austria-Hungary, and declared war on Russia on
  August 1. France, bound by treaty to Russia,
  responded by announcing war against Germany and
  Austria-Hungary on August,3. Germany promptly
  responded on August 4 by invading neutral Belgium
  to open a quick path to Paris. Britain, allied to
  Belgium declared war against Germany on August 4.
  In just a little over a month all of Europe was
  at war.

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• I look upon the People and the Nation as handed
  on to me as an responsibility conferred upon me
  by God, and I believe, as it is written in the
  Bible, that it is my duty to increase this
  heritage for which one day I shall be called upon
  to give an account. Whoever tries to interfere
  with my task I shall crush.  German Kaiser
  Wilhelm II, 1913

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• Wilhelm appeared not to foresee the consequences
  of an Austro-Hungarian attack on Serbia, pulling
  France, Russia and Britain into the war.  Too
  late he attempted to scale back German
  involvement he was firmly dissuaded by the
  German military.

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• Kaiser Wilhelm II issued orders to U-boat
  commanders on February 1st, 1917 We will
  frighten the British flag off the face of the
  waters and starve the British people until they,
  who have refused peace, will kneel and plead for
  it.

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• The Zimmermann Telegram was a coded telegram
  dispatched by the Foreign Secretary of the German
  Empire, Arthur Zimmermann, on January 19, 1917,
  to the German ambassador in Mexico, at the height
  of World War I. It instructed the ambassador to
  approach the Mexican government with a proposal
  to form an alliance against the United States. It
  was intercepted and decoded by the British and
  its contents hastened the entry of the United
  States into World War I.

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• Zimmermann's message included proposals for
  German support of a Mexican offensive on the
  southern United States in the event the United
  States attacked Germany. The telegram made it
  clear Germany did not want the United States
  involved in the war, stating the belief that
  Britain would be forced to surrender soon. The
  Japanese government would also join this new
  alliance in a possible conflict in the Americas.
  Germany, for its part, would provide financial
  assistance and the restoration of former Mexican
  territories of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The
  telegram doesn't name the other territories of
  California, Nevada and Colorado, which were
  formerly Mexican before 1848.

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The Mexican answer Later, a General assigned by
Mexico's President, Venustiano Carranza, assessed
the plausibility of a Mexican takeover of their
former provinces and came to the conclusion that
it would not be feasible for the following
reasons retaking their former provinces would
mean war with the US Germany would not have the
capability to supply the arms and support needed
for seizure and defense of the territory and
Mexico would not be able to administrate the
large Anglo population. Carranza declined
Zimmermann's proposals on April 14, by which time
the US had declared war on Germany.
Assigned to the North Atlantic Fleet,
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• The United States was never formally a member of
  the Allies but an Associated Power. The size of
  the American economy - over 30 of world
  manufacturing was in the US in 1914 - meant that
  its entry into the war was bound to be absolutely
  decisive. Significant numbers of fresh American
  troops arrived in Europe in the summer of 1918,
  and they started arriving at 10,000 per day.
  Germany miscalculated that it would be many more
  months before large numbers of American troops
  could be sent to Europe, and that, in any event,
  the U-boat offensive would prevent their arrival.
  In fact, not a single American infantryman lost
  his life due to German U-boat activity.

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• The British and French wanted the United States
  to send its infantry to reinforce their troops
  already on the battle lines, and not use scarce
  shipping to bring over supplies. Thus the
  Americans primarily used British and French
  artillery, aircraft and tanks. However, General
  John J. Pershing, American Expeditionary Force
  (AEF) commander, refused to break up American
  units to be used as reinforcements for British
  Empire and French units.

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William II died of pulmonary embolism in Doorn,
Netherlands on June 4, 1941 with German soldiers
at the gates of his estate. Hitler, however, was
reportedly angry that the former monarch had an
honor guard of German troops and nearly fired the
general who ordered them there when he found out.
He was buried in a mausoleum in the grounds of
Huis Doorn, which has since became a place of
pilgrimage for German monarchists, though there
is concern at its growing popularity with
adherents of the extreme right. Hitler hoped to
bring William's body back to Berlin for a state
funeral, which Hitler could use for propaganda
purposes, demonstrating to Germans the direct
succession of the Third Reich from the old
Kaiserreich.
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THE END