Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"There is only one person who is master in this empire and I am not going to tolerate any other"
What Happens When a Bad-Tempered, Distractible Doofus Runs an Empire?
By Miranda Carter June 6, 2018
One of the few things that Kaiser Wilhelm II, who ruled Germany from 1888 to 1918, had a talent for was causing outrage. A particular specialty was insulting other monarchs. He called the diminutive King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy the dwarf in front of the kings own entourage. He called Prince (later Tsar) Ferdinand, of Bulgaria, Fernando naso, on account of his beaky nose, and spread rumors that he was a hermaphrodite. Since Wilhelm was notably indiscreet, people always knew what he was saying behind their backs. Ferdinand had his revenge. After a visit to Germany, in 1909, during which the Kaiser slapped him on the bottom in public and then refused to apologize, Ferdinand awarded a valuable arms contract that had been promised to the Germans to a French company instead.
Not that this deterred the Kaiser. One of the many things that Wilhelm was convinced he was brilliant at, despite all evidence to the contrary, was personal diplomacy, fixing foreign policy through one-on-one meetings with other European monarchs and statesmen. In fact, Wilhelm could do neither the personal nor the diplomacy, and these meetings rarely went well. The Kaiser viewed other people in instrumental terms, was a compulsive liar, and seemed to have a limited understanding of cause and effect. In 1890, he let lapse a long-standing defensive agreement with Russiathe German Empires vast and sometimes threatening eastern neighbor. He judged, wrongly, that Russia was so desperate for German good will that he could keep it dangling. Instead, Russia immediately made an alliance with Germanys western neighbor and enemy, France. Wilhelm decided he would charm and manipulate Tsar Nicholas II (a ninny and a whimperer, according to Wilhelm, fit only to grow turnips) into abandoning the alliance. In 1897, Nicholas told Wilhelm to get lost; the German-Russian alliance withered.
About a decade ago, I published George, Nicholas and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I, a book that was, in part, about Kaiser Wilhelm, who is probably best known for being Queen Victorias first grandchild and for leading Germany into the First World War. Ever since Donald Trump started campaigning for President, the Kaiser has once again been on my mindhis personal failings, and the global fallout they led to.
Trumps tweets were what first reminded me of the Kaiser. Wilhelm was a compulsive speechmaker who constantly strayed off script. Even his staff couldnt stop him, though it tried, distributing copies of speeches to the German press before hed actually given them. Unfortunately, the Austrian press printed the speeches as they were delivered, and the gaffes and insults soon circulated around Europe. There is only one person who is master in this empire and I am not going to tolerate any other, Wilhelm liked to say, even though Germany had a democratic assembly and political parties. (Im the only one that matters, Trump has said.) The Kaiser reserved particular abuse for political parties that voted against his policies. I regard every Social Democrat as an enemy of the Fatherland, he said, and he denounced the German Socialist party as a gang of traitors. August Bebel, the Socialist party leader, said that every time the Kaiser opened his mouth, the party gained another hundred thousand votes.
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/what-happens-when-a-bad-tempered-distractible-doofus-runs-an-empire
By Miranda Carter June 6, 2018
One of the few things that Kaiser Wilhelm II, who ruled Germany from 1888 to 1918, had a talent for was causing outrage. A particular specialty was insulting other monarchs. He called the diminutive King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy the dwarf in front of the kings own entourage. He called Prince (later Tsar) Ferdinand, of Bulgaria, Fernando naso, on account of his beaky nose, and spread rumors that he was a hermaphrodite. Since Wilhelm was notably indiscreet, people always knew what he was saying behind their backs. Ferdinand had his revenge. After a visit to Germany, in 1909, during which the Kaiser slapped him on the bottom in public and then refused to apologize, Ferdinand awarded a valuable arms contract that had been promised to the Germans to a French company instead.
Not that this deterred the Kaiser. One of the many things that Wilhelm was convinced he was brilliant at, despite all evidence to the contrary, was personal diplomacy, fixing foreign policy through one-on-one meetings with other European monarchs and statesmen. In fact, Wilhelm could do neither the personal nor the diplomacy, and these meetings rarely went well. The Kaiser viewed other people in instrumental terms, was a compulsive liar, and seemed to have a limited understanding of cause and effect. In 1890, he let lapse a long-standing defensive agreement with Russiathe German Empires vast and sometimes threatening eastern neighbor. He judged, wrongly, that Russia was so desperate for German good will that he could keep it dangling. Instead, Russia immediately made an alliance with Germanys western neighbor and enemy, France. Wilhelm decided he would charm and manipulate Tsar Nicholas II (a ninny and a whimperer, according to Wilhelm, fit only to grow turnips) into abandoning the alliance. In 1897, Nicholas told Wilhelm to get lost; the German-Russian alliance withered.
About a decade ago, I published George, Nicholas and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I, a book that was, in part, about Kaiser Wilhelm, who is probably best known for being Queen Victorias first grandchild and for leading Germany into the First World War. Ever since Donald Trump started campaigning for President, the Kaiser has once again been on my mindhis personal failings, and the global fallout they led to.
Trumps tweets were what first reminded me of the Kaiser. Wilhelm was a compulsive speechmaker who constantly strayed off script. Even his staff couldnt stop him, though it tried, distributing copies of speeches to the German press before hed actually given them. Unfortunately, the Austrian press printed the speeches as they were delivered, and the gaffes and insults soon circulated around Europe. There is only one person who is master in this empire and I am not going to tolerate any other, Wilhelm liked to say, even though Germany had a democratic assembly and political parties. (Im the only one that matters, Trump has said.) The Kaiser reserved particular abuse for political parties that voted against his policies. I regard every Social Democrat as an enemy of the Fatherland, he said, and he denounced the German Socialist party as a gang of traitors. August Bebel, the Socialist party leader, said that every time the Kaiser opened his mouth, the party gained another hundred thousand votes.
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/what-happens-when-a-bad-tempered-distractible-doofus-runs-an-empire
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
6 replies, 1663 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (18)
ReplyReply to this post
6 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
"There is only one person who is master in this empire and I am not going to tolerate any other" (Original Post)
Miles Archer
Jun 2018
OP
drray23
(7,634 posts)1. Gee is Trump a reincarnation of the Kaiser?
Maybe that guy is somewhere in Trumps family tree...
Orsino
(37,428 posts)6. Derp Kaiser. n/t
DetlefK
(16,423 posts)2. If you want to understand Trump, read up on Wilhelm II and the Agadir Crisis:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agadir_Crisis
Amidst sensitive diplomatic negotiations between Germany and France about colonial territories in Africa, Wilhelm II sent a warship to the morrocan port of Agadir to show that he means business. People in Germany, France and Britain were shocked by this unnecessary militaristic threat.
Amidst sensitive diplomatic negotiations between Germany and France about colonial territories in Africa, Wilhelm II sent a warship to the morrocan port of Agadir to show that he means business. People in Germany, France and Britain were shocked by this unnecessary militaristic threat.
niyad
(113,364 posts)3. k and r
yonder
(9,667 posts)4. Thanks for the post
philly_bob
(2,419 posts)5. I really appreciate history lessons and parallels.
And this insight was new to me.