With respect, I don't appreciate this video, and rather wish the subject were treated with more respect. Here, I mean The Subject and not KW2 as such, who is in the subject's seat on this occasion and therefore is viewed with exasperation and outrage, and from the year 2024. From 2024, KW2's opposition to democracy or whatever might be shocking etc, but you are the contemporary of over a century of politics without a monarchy. From KW2, that was yesterday, last week, last month etc. Germany had been monarchical since after the Roman Empire. This is just an example of the very many strange perspectives that arise from projecting a 2024 palette of mores upon the subject, whatever or whomever that may be. Writing like this to you, a bright young historian, is painful and no doubt the reading also, and for that, I'm sorry. May you go well.
One quibble, the way you present it he just “crossed the border” I believe that the Dutch government had him cool his heels at the border for two days before they decided to let him cross. They needed to consider their position via a vis the coming change in Europe
Hey, you should do a video about Polish-Austrian war from the Napoleonic period. Its the only war won by Poland in that century and its a pretty niche, interesting topic xD
You ask, What am I waiting for? regarding MyHeritage? I'm not waiting and no interested. Internet offers of 14-day "free" trials are VERY EASY to sign up for and are ALWAYS DIFFICULT AND TIME-CONSUMING to cancel. AND, you people want my payment information before you give me a 14-day "free" trial. So now you know, Gunter.
Interesting unmentioned bit is that Dutch Queen Wilhelmina had plotted behind the scenes to get Wilhelm II into the Netherlands, despite publically ignoring him. He supposedly ''just showed'' up at the border. New research however showed it was all planned and made sense because Wilhelmina thought of Wilhelm as a dear uncle. Even before the end of the war in summer 1918 she tried to organize 'Verständigungsfrieden', a comprimise peace to help out Germany.
Kaiser Wilhelm II is the Konig of villain maxxing. virtually every photo of him he could pull of some insane villain look. From when he was young and with a beard, to moustache to beard again in old age, he seems ready for Mr. Bond's shenanigans.
I convinced my friend and I to visit Huis Doorn when we were in the Netherlands in 2022. We both really enjoyed it, even though she didn't know a thing about the Kaiser. We figured we'd just stroll around ourselves, as all the electronic guides were in Dutch or German (we're American). However, when we were upstairs, I saw one of the employees running to find us; it turns out they had English guides and wanted to make sure we were able to enjoy them! Even though it was Autumn, the grounds are very peaceful and quiet. There's also a lovely café where we were able to enjoy a some hot drinks afterwards. It's worth mentioning we were staying in Amsterdam and we able to take public transportation all the way there and back. I highly recommend it if you're interested in the Kaiser.
The employee going through such effort to get you an English guide is very sweet! I visited with some friends in 2022 too and the staff and tour guides are very genuine and nice people.
Wilhelm is like that one mysterious neighbor in your neighborhood who lives in the biggest house in the neighborhood and has a mysterious past that nobody’s exactly sure what it was
@@Emel_unlegitHe didn’t like the Nazis because they would have made him “quietly disappear” like the rest of the monarchist and any other political opponent in Germany.
The way Wilhelm went from being the most famous guy in the world at the start of the war to an overnight footnote before the armistice has always fascinated me.
“I’d rather be shot in Holland than flew to England. I have no desire to be photographed with Churchill” Has to be one of the coldest and most German quotes I’ve ever heard a person speak.
It is really great to make videos in English. I am really interested in German History and as a French not speaking German, you are for me the only channel covering this topic that I can understand.
Ne croyez jamais les mensonges des anglo-saxons. Ils présenteront toujours leurs cousins germaniques sous une lumière favorable. Guillaume II était un connard qui a eu exactement ce qu’il méritait
I went to Huis Doorn last year (2023) as I’d always wanted to see where the last German Monarch lived for some reason. The castle is quaint for a monarch, fitting really. Unless you are a Dutch or German speaker I wouldn’t recommend it so much as I couldn’t get a tour in English, so I hung on to a Dutch one (which I understand relatively well). I was the youngest person there, they seemed surprised someone like me would visit. Seems a lot of German Monarchists attend but not much otherwise. Worth a look but not essential
@@hedgehog3180Good God, no! They are clowns. There are more valid monarchist groups in germany, such as Tradition und Leben. They can't become a political party because monarchist parties are banned from running on elections.
@@MedveleletWhy are monarchist parties banned? I dont think many people is monarchist in Germany. Allowing them to run would be fair. Its not like they are nazis or something. Although, now the alt-right in Germany carries the German Empire flag...perhaps they think they are the same thing
My father told me that my grandfathers grandfather was one of kaiser wilhelms bodyguards when he was in exile in huis doorn. Sadly i've never been able to find out anything about him.
This is what I was waiting for!!! Wilhelm builds a massive gate entryway but no addition to the house to properly store all of his stuff. Since Wilson was brought up could there be an episode that discusses the DAWES Plan and the French Occupation of the Ruhr and Saar?
@@SirManateee YOU ARE THE BEST THERE EVER WAS!!!!! The most hidden topic. Hearing Sir Manatees facts on that period will be having it a dozen times. Will Manatee Discuss the Valhalla Memorial on the Danube and the People recognised in the memorial and their accomplishments?
Cool place. I visited there in early March 2020 right before lockdown. I got to see the inside of the house. I learned they don’t get a lot of Americans visitors thus the lack of English speaking tour guides. I muddled thru with a half German and half English tour. Still worth the effort.
Tbh, all major European powers of the time share a pretty much equal part in why WW1 broke out. To solely blame Germany is disingenuous and far from representative of the reality.
This is overstated a bit. Germany's "war guilt" was only a legal technicality for the terms of the treaty. The other Central Powers had similar clauses in their treaties. It got blown out of proportion because it was useful for German propaganda later. I do agree that more than just Germany and Austria-Hungary were responsible for the conditions that led to the war however in the actual events that launched the war in 1914 Austria-Hungary and Germany were in the drivers seat. As stated in the video, the Kaiser could have stopped it. Austria-Hungary could have dealt with Serbia in a different way. I don't want to minimize the role Russia, France, and the UK played in creating the circumstances that led to the war, but in the actual way it broke out it was Germany and Austria-Hungary that eagerly leapt off that cliff into the war.
Something you didn't mention is he specifically requested that no nazi symbols were to be displayed(so much for that). He, in fact, despised the Nazis, and also despised the Kristelnacht, and even was ashamed of his son who was an avid nazi(as mentioned)
What he could have done? But German nobility definitely despised the Nazi party. Most of them simply had a criminals Background. But they failed stopping them
@@lesteraponte5734Yes and no, not until he realizes how bad the Nazi’s were, he intentionally made his most of family members to stay away from the Nazi’s (especially post-Krystalnacht)
@@loganpaschedag8829 he clearly showed a lot of opportunistism with the Nazis, if they wished to restore the monarchy I have no doubt he would've collaborated with them even if he personally disagreed with them. Hitler's personal dislike of the Kaiser and anti-monarchism meant Wilhelm lost all incentive to support them so he stopped supporting them
Fun fact : Wilhelm stated that he did not want to buried in Germany unless its monarchy was restored, which is why the N@zis buried him in his residence Currently monarchism in Germany is pretty low so his body wont be reburied anytime soon. Edit: Also i would like to mention that at 19:43 that one family member who didnt share Wilhelm's view was his grandson, Ludwig Ferdinand, the Kaisrer's grandson. He was known to have hated the n@zis and was fond of america. He even said that had he not been a prince he would have migrated to the US and work as a mechanic. Also the Kaiser's otger sons, Oskar and Eitel Friedrich were also opposed to the Fuhrer
It will come, I promise. My life is just very busy at the moment and I would rather make this video when I will have plenty of time to cover such a vast topic :D
The situation in Germany in 1918 was so similar to the one in Russia in 1917 that Wilhelm should have been more thankful that he had competent subordinates that were willing to tell him the game was up, and that the army refused to follow his plans to start a civil war. Wilhelm's life might have been saved by the fact that no one wanted a civil war like the one that was raging in Russia at the time because I have a hard time seeing how Wilhelm could get out of such a civil war with his head on his shoulders.
In the Netherlands he became what he was most suitable for. An aristocratic, friendly country gentleman. Popular with his servants and the local inhabitants of Doorn.
Great video! I know this would be a bit less inside the scope of this channels repertoire on focusing on history but it would be cool to get your opinion on the world of Kaiserreich. A hearts of iron 4 Mod that is about if Germany had won WW1. Very interesting alt history stuff, especially with Germany imo! Keep up the great work :)
He wore it during a visit to the Tsar of Bulgaria. It was quite common for him to wear the visiting countries' uniform, it was also common for the host king to wear a German uniform. He the host nations uniform visiting The UK, Austro Hungary, Russia and even The Ottoman Empire where he wore a fez and turkish dress.
Leave it to the Kaiserboos to resurrect and keep his image alive as an enthusiastic German patriot, which comes from a mod for a map game where his dream of winning WW1 and seeing Russia and the West burn in chaos achieved. What I personally don't like about modern depictions of Wilhelm II and Kaiserreich is that they are portrayed as some sort of proto-Hitler and proto-Nazi Germany, which by any means, they weren't. The Kaiserreich was the first ever unified German State in a thousand years, which, while having a prideful ethnic population, they weren't racists who would gas 6 million people. Wilhelm is portrayed as a dictator who liked to abuse his power. In reality, he was an autocrat with the mentality of autocrats at that time. I can't really blame him for his personality. He was raised to be the German Emperor and King of Prussia, an inheritor to a great and prideful legacy, which couldn't let him accept that he broke it. His personal insecurities (the hand problem especially) turned him into a war-happy figure, egar to prove his masculinity as he represented the legacy Frederick the Great and wider Prussian tradition at that time.
The portrayal of the proto-nazis has a lot to do with post-WW2 governments & people trying to distance themselves. Finding a way to rationalize the nazis that doesn't immediately call into question other countries' own acts & actions, their own nazi movements or war crimes there or against the native populations of colonial empires. It's why I don't like seeing "Kaiser" or "Kaiserreich" used in English, as if it meant anything but "emperor" and "empire" - which is also a function of exceptionalizing Germany away from other empires at that time, albeit this linguistic quirk is employed both in a negative way and also by nationalists in a positive manner. Much like say "American exceptionalism" attempting to separate US nationalism from other kinds of nationalism.
@Argacyan The words "Kaiser", "Kaiserreich" and "Weltkrieg" have been made more publicised today because of the mentioned mod for a certain map game. If you see a historical discussion about Austria, people won't use the words "Kaiserreich" and "Kaiser". The German words for "Empire" and "Emperor" in English have become synonymous to "the German Empire" and the title of "German Emperor".
The mods lore doesn't depict the Kaiserreich as Proto 3 Reich tho. It is becoming More democratic yet still a monarchy. And it turns more into a world police due to being the only Super power left, kinda like USA in our timeline
@@iGamezRowell to be honest I do use kaiser for the emperor of Austria, although I still call them Austria Hungary or at best österreich ( I'm not german)
@@iGamezRo Noo, the term "Kaiser" in English has been the preferred word to describe the German emperor for a VERY long time, it certainly didn't appear because of some video game. People talked about "the Kaiser" already in the 1890s. For example, in the book the Great Gatsby (1920s) there's a rumor that Gatsby is "related to the Kaiser".
Many German nobles, especially Baltic German nobles, became more and more anti-Semitic because a noticeable number of communist/socialist leaders were Jewish, such as in the Russian Revolution, the November Revolution in Germany, the Hungarian Soviet Republic, and the Bavarian Soviet Republic.
The narrator mentions that he was unable to see the inside of Haus Doorn when he visited as it was closed for a Monday. I visited a few years ago and enjoyed a full guided tour of the inside. It is well worth it, very interesting, very informative and most of the furnishings are as WIlhelm left them 80+ years ago (including the horse saddle chair in his study). Some of his many uniforms are also on display. Highly recommend a visit to the Haus when it is open.
There is one apocryphal tale of the postman delivering a parcel to the Wilhelm estate in Holland it goes as such: -"Is this parcel going to the Wilhelm Hohenzollerns?" -"Yes, it is" -"Like, the old guy who ruled the German Empire?" -"Indeed" -"Huh, I wonder what he's been up to these days?"
It was a pity for Wilhelm II. His big mistake was to strive for a greater German Empire. In response to the Austrian request for assistance in one memorandum he stated now or never. He decided it was now, so many soldiers, civilians, and his own people suffered WW1. He had a strong dislike of the English which was very surprising as he had loved and been a favorite of Queen Victoria and was with her soon after her death, indeed presiding at her funeral. To this day I find this very odd. He had a strange idea that Hitler would re-instate the monarchy in Germany, but that was not how Hitler saw it. Hitler blamed Wilhelm II for the failure to win WW1. And Wilhelm II blamed all the military around him for the loss of his throne and WW1. In a way he was somewhat lucky. He was the grandson of Queen Victoria which granted certain preferential treatment, the Dutch had accommodated him, and he was not extradited to face trial for the atrocities of WW1 by the Dutch. Yes he lost his throne, but he managed to retained his life. Many would have liked to have seen him hung for WW1.
The Netherland were not a German Ally in Ww1 but most of german foreign trade of Ww1 was done via the Netherlands. Makes sense that he then went to the netheri
This was truly a mentally feeble man, to be honest. The reason why you can draw all sorts of conclusions using quotes of his (pro-Nazi, anti-Nazi, anti-Semite, repelled by anti-Jewis pogroms) is because this is a man who flipped back and fourth and was as inconstant as Alexander I of Russia, but with far more destructive results! A man who was as crippled by his own sense of inadequacies as his arm was physically,
Wilhelm II was the most unfornate of the Europe's monarchs (safe for the Russian ones of course). He was, in all honesty, a manchild that inherited a massive empire and had to watch it crumble.
At that point in time, most of the Royal Heads of State in Europe were all related to one another from cousin-marriages throughout history. Also further reinforced with Queen Victoria's children and grandchildren being dispersed into all the Royal Houses as they were married off. Kaiser Wilhem became more irritible, argumentative and difficult to get along with as he grew older. Essentially with WWI, it became a huge family fight that cost massive destruction and loss of life. No coincidence that many European Royal Heads of State were dethroned and exiled after WWI ended to avoid this situation from getting out of hand again. Those monarchs that remained as ceremonial Heads of State gave up much of their political and legislative powers.
He died just days before the invasion of Soviet Russia. Had he lived, he would have taken credit for the initial victories of that campaign as well. Curious what his reaction to the catastrophic defeat of the german army at Stalingrad would have been. How many of the high ranking german officers that surrendered to the Russians were trained under his command.
Wilhelm II never competed with Britain regarding naval dominance. He just liked navy ships and went for a sizable collection of his own. His love for warships was completely misunderstood by the British. The were never really intended to be used against Britain, they were too precious for him to be sacrificed in a naval battle. The were only intended to show off German prowess.
I find his behaviour strange. If I hard gotten dethroned by my own people after losing a war and could live a life of luxury in exile in my own manor with servants I would not be involved in politics at all.
WW1 wasn't his fault tough Before WW1 he was known as the peace kaiser and he did Infact try to prevent ww1 from happening and he even tried to make peace in 1916 but Germany's enemies declined his peace offer kaiser wilhelm II was even nominated twice for the Nobel peace prize in 1917 and once in 1911.
Wish this video would have included the topic of Wilhelm's friendship with Houston Stewart Chamberlain. Particularly given its relevance to Wilhelm's connections with antisemitism and to some of the extreme german nationalism and racial ideology of the 1910s and 1920s.
Thank you for acknowledging that he definitely was in the Position to stop world war won. I'd even go so far of all the people in the world he has had the best chance. A lot of people like to idolize the Empire and the Emporer himself since they (obviously) weren't as morally devastated as what came after but I think that's really just wrong. Wilhelm was a manic autocrat and I'm really glad that his family doesn't rule Germany.
@@timemeddler7730 "on us" that's funny and no they didn't. "We" declared war on Russia and the high command anticipated a declaration of war from France so to not lose the momentum they didn't wait and declared war on France as well and threatened Belgium to invade if they wouldn't allow for safe passage of the Army, wich the Belgian refused. So when the German Army invaded Belgium Britain's stood by it's obligation to preserve Belgiums independence and declared war on Germany. If Wilhelm would have wanted all of this to stop he would've had many chances to do so, he was the German Emporer, head of state and head of army at this point. He was the German state and he did nothing.
From the sounds of it, Wilhelm largely lived a charmed life in exile. He has a spacious house, a lot of money, an art collection and lived in luxury. Also, he was such a narcissist.
Clark arguing the Kaiser wasn't a committed antisemite, but merely blamed Jews for all his woes is baffling because that is what antisemitism is. Clark often "nuances" his way into saying nothing of substance.
He wasnt an anti semite and if you'd properly looked in the things he did when he was in power and ignored the things he wrote as an old depressed man missing the context u'd know that.
@timemeddler7730 There're couple things worth noting here. People change. Maybe he became more antisemitic as he aged. Maybe he fell for antisemitic conspiracy theories when he felt like he was no longer in control over his life Either way saying he was not an antisemite because he was blaming Jewish people for everything bad that has ever happened only as an old man is kinda strange take
I think the Kaisers antisemitism before his exile is like “well they’re running an international conspiracy…so I should definitely be on their good side”
Its always so depressing to talk about 1918 and the German Revolution, knowing what a tragedy it developed into after it was betrayed and sold out to the reactionaries by the men ostensibly chosen and trusted to lead it.
"what he could done was to break with prussian monarchist traditions and commits to the democratic cause" wirklich? er war doch der Kaiser, Personifizierung von genannten Traditionen. Als Pole habe ich wenig Liebe für Hohenzollern aber zu viel kann man auch nicht erwarten.
I know it's weird to say but this former Kaiser looks like he's my brother. It's weird how similar I look to him. I'm of south german and mixed prussian and polish ancestry so I guess it makes sense somewhat
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Hi.
With respect, I don't appreciate this video, and rather wish the subject were treated with more respect. Here, I mean The Subject and not KW2 as such, who is in the subject's seat on this occasion and therefore is viewed with exasperation and outrage, and from the year 2024. From 2024, KW2's opposition to democracy or whatever might be shocking etc, but you are the contemporary of over a century of politics without a monarchy. From KW2, that was yesterday, last week, last month etc. Germany had been monarchical since after the Roman Empire.
This is just an example of the very many strange perspectives that arise from projecting a 2024 palette of mores upon the subject, whatever or whomever that may be.
Writing like this to you, a bright young historian, is painful and no doubt the reading also, and for that, I'm sorry.
May you go well.
One quibble, the way you present it he just “crossed the border” I believe that the Dutch government had him cool his heels at the border for two days before they decided to let him cross. They needed to consider their position via a vis the coming change in Europe
Hey, you should do a video about Polish-Austrian war from the Napoleonic period. Its the only war won by Poland in that century and its a pretty niche, interesting topic xD
You ask, What am I waiting for? regarding MyHeritage? I'm not waiting and no interested. Internet offers of 14-day "free" trials are VERY EASY to sign up for and are ALWAYS DIFFICULT AND TIME-CONSUMING to cancel. AND, you people want my payment information before you give me a 14-day "free" trial. So now you know, Gunter.
"it's impossible to answer the question whether Wilhelm had any chance of gaining the throne"
My 70 day focus says otherwise
The AI controled Netherlands would need to alow him to leave. It can deny your request.
@@KimFareseedit only does it when you don't have an army.
@@KimFareseedlong live the kaiserin
@@pietervanderzwaan4295a female kaiser?
Interesting unmentioned bit is that Dutch Queen Wilhelmina had plotted behind the scenes to get Wilhelm II into the Netherlands, despite publically ignoring him. He supposedly ''just showed'' up at the border. New research however showed it was all planned and made sense because Wilhelmina thought of Wilhelm as a dear uncle. Even before the end of the war in summer 1918 she tried to organize 'Verständigungsfrieden', a comprimise peace to help out Germany.
That’s… weirdly sweet of you clean out all the chaos and politics and stuff.
W pfp
Well, at least the ministry of foreign affairs knew as they were negotiating with other countries' diplomats as early as June 1918 about the matter.
Willem III died when wilhelmina was very young Wilhelm was basically a father figure for her
Kaiser Wilhelm II is the Konig of villain maxxing.
virtually every photo of him he could pull of some insane villain look. From when he was young and with a beard, to moustache to beard again in old age, he seems ready for Mr. Bond's shenanigans.
to be fair, a lot of Bond villains were styled on old-school German aristocrats, so its more the other way around.
I think it’s more so that we associate German things with evil due to all the propaganda, and the whole fact that we murdered each other a lot.
@onurbschrednei4569 I thought they were more based on Nazis. But obviously, there's some overlap.
this is how 70% Germans looks like
Mean spirited. You
Just chilling and cutting wood
Raving about Jews and Masons to anyone who'd listen.
@@boomblam5738this all sounds like my uncle
@@boomblam5738 He never had the makings of a varsity Emperor
Just having a good time
Its a good pastime, besides making firewood.
Comment before watching: this is a video about woodworking isn’t it?
You wouldn't be far off.
Incorrect by the thumbnail you can determine this is a tier list video regarding mustache wax
After watching the video for less than 1 second, I can accurately determine the video is about welding.
I convinced my friend and I to visit Huis Doorn when we were in the Netherlands in 2022. We both really enjoyed it, even though she didn't know a thing about the Kaiser. We figured we'd just stroll around ourselves, as all the electronic guides were in Dutch or German (we're American). However, when we were upstairs, I saw one of the employees running to find us; it turns out they had English guides and wanted to make sure we were able to enjoy them! Even though it was Autumn, the grounds are very peaceful and quiet. There's also a lovely café where we were able to enjoy a some hot drinks afterwards. It's worth mentioning we were staying in Amsterdam and we able to take public transportation all the way there and back. I highly recommend it if you're interested in the Kaiser.
The employee going through such effort to get you an English guide is very sweet! I visited with some friends in 2022 too and the staff and tour guides are very genuine and nice people.
Wilhelm is like that one mysterious neighbor in your neighborhood who lives in the biggest house in the neighborhood and has a mysterious past that nobody’s exactly sure what it was
He also speaks a foreign language and has tones of guests.
When you realize that Wilhelm II lived to see Germany defeat France and then just died, his last memories were probably of a restored German Empire.
No, he hated national socialism
Restored german prestige*
@@owenvanmaaren4505suure he did, only problem was him being an anti semite and hating the Weimar republic
@@Emel_unlegitHe didn’t like the Nazis because they would have made him “quietly disappear” like the rest of the monarchist and any other political opponent in Germany.
He was like a gambler, he knew how to walk away a winner.
The way Wilhelm went from being the most famous guy in the world at the start of the war to an overnight footnote before the armistice has always fascinated me.
Stay facinated...
the power of media
“I’d rather be shot in Holland than flew to England. I have no desire to be photographed with Churchill”
Has to be one of the coldest and most German quotes I’ve ever heard a person speak.
I was married to one, my real last name is Kaiser. Sounds like my ex and his father and grandfather. I’m not a fan.
He was photographed with Churchill in 1900
@@appleman1333 ,and in 1912
Goat status
Bla bla bla he would be flying his father corpse to england first second holland rejected him.
It is really great to make videos in English. I am really interested in German History and as a French not speaking German, you are for me the only channel covering this topic that I can understand.
Je pensais être le seul français sur cette chaîne !
Je le pensais aussi 😅
Ne croyez jamais les mensonges des anglo-saxons.
Ils présenteront toujours leurs cousins germaniques sous une lumière favorable.
Guillaume II était un connard qui a eu exactement ce qu’il méritait
Netherlands mentioned!
🇳🇱🇳🇱🇳🇱🇳🇱
Dutch Proisen
What if The Anglo-Japan alliance happened and war plan red happen
I went to Huis Doorn last year (2023) as I’d always wanted to see where the last German Monarch lived for some reason. The castle is quaint for a monarch, fitting really. Unless you are a Dutch or German speaker I wouldn’t recommend it so much as I couldn’t get a tour in English, so I hung on to a Dutch one (which I understand relatively well). I was the youngest person there, they seemed surprised someone like me would visit. Seems a lot of German Monarchists attend but not much otherwise. Worth a look but not essential
I didn't know there were still German monarchists around but I guess that's what reichsburgers are?
@@hedgehog3180Good God, no! They are clowns. There are more valid monarchist groups in germany, such as Tradition und Leben. They can't become a political party because monarchist parties are banned from running on elections.
Thank you for your information. I would have liked to see the place, English is my only language.
@@MedveleletWhy are monarchist parties banned? I dont think many people is monarchist in Germany. Allowing them to run would be fair. Its not like they are nazis or something. Although, now the alt-right in Germany carries the German Empire flag...perhaps they think they are the same thing
@@jorgecas5678 Any party that seeks to change the government form is disqualified from running in an election.
My father told me that my grandfathers grandfather was one of kaiser wilhelms bodyguards when he was in exile in huis doorn. Sadly i've never been able to find out anything about him.
Love our kaiser...regardless of endless brit. Propagand. W hich i saw postcards of.....
Guy was not a great dude but I’ll always respect his final act of not allowing Hitler to use his death as a tool for propaganda.
I’ll take him over Woodrow Wilson.
@@DarthDread-oh2ne yeah I’d rather have neither lol
@@DarthDread-oh2nefr
Great domestic leader
But the german Empire had some of the most garbage diplomacy if any modern nation
He was a great guy though. You should read the works of Christina Croft.
The photograph showing the Kaiser feeding the ducks shows you what a perfectly normal person he was
Excellent content. Precise and informative with a sense of the historic panorama.
This is what I was waiting for!!! Wilhelm builds a massive gate entryway but no addition to the house to properly store all of his stuff. Since Wilson was brought up could there be an episode that discusses the DAWES Plan and the French Occupation of the Ruhr and Saar?
French oppucation of the Rhineland is definitely a topic that will be covered soon
@@SirManateee YOU ARE THE BEST THERE EVER WAS!!!!! The most hidden topic. Hearing Sir Manatees facts on that period will be having it a dozen times. Will Manatee Discuss the Valhalla Memorial on the Danube and the People recognised in the memorial and their accomplishments?
7:46 A Prussian gentleman never chops wood in anything less than a full three-piece suit.
I was watching one of your videos and this was uploaded by the time i finished. Beautiful.
Cool place. I visited there in early March 2020 right before lockdown. I got to see the inside of the house. I learned they don’t get a lot of Americans visitors thus the lack of English speaking tour guides. I muddled thru with a half German and half English tour. Still worth the effort.
Tbh, all major European powers of the time share a pretty much equal part in why WW1 broke out. To solely blame Germany is disingenuous and far from representative of the reality.
This is overstated a bit. Germany's "war guilt" was only a legal technicality for the terms of the treaty. The other Central Powers had similar clauses in their treaties. It got blown out of proportion because it was useful for German propaganda later. I do agree that more than just Germany and Austria-Hungary were responsible for the conditions that led to the war however in the actual events that launched the war in 1914 Austria-Hungary and Germany were in the drivers seat. As stated in the video, the Kaiser could have stopped it. Austria-Hungary could have dealt with Serbia in a different way. I don't want to minimize the role Russia, France, and the UK played in creating the circumstances that led to the war, but in the actual way it broke out it was Germany and Austria-Hungary that eagerly leapt off that cliff into the war.
Something you didn't mention is he specifically requested that no nazi symbols were to be displayed(so much for that). He, in fact, despised the Nazis, and also despised the Kristelnacht, and even was ashamed of his son who was an avid nazi(as mentioned)
He was fine with Hitler until he realized he was out for himself and would not help restore the monarchy.
What he could have done? But German nobility definitely despised the Nazi party. Most of them simply had a criminals Background. But they failed stopping them
@@lesteraponte5734Yes and no, not until he realizes how bad the Nazi’s were, he intentionally made his most of family members to stay away from the Nazi’s (especially post-Krystalnacht)
@@loganpaschedag8829 he clearly showed a lot of opportunistism with the Nazis, if they wished to restore the monarchy I have no doubt he would've collaborated with them even if he personally disagreed with them. Hitler's personal dislike of the Kaiser and anti-monarchism meant Wilhelm lost all incentive to support them so he stopped supporting them
Fun fact : Wilhelm stated that he did not want to buried in Germany unless its monarchy was restored, which is why the N@zis buried him in his residence
Currently monarchism in Germany is pretty low so his body wont be reburied anytime soon.
Edit: Also i would like to mention that at 19:43 that one family member who didnt share Wilhelm's view was his grandson, Ludwig Ferdinand, the Kaisrer's grandson. He was known to have hated the n@zis and was fond of america. He even said that had he not been a prince he would have migrated to the US and work as a mechanic.
Also the Kaiser's otger sons, Oskar and Eitel Friedrich were also opposed to the Fuhrer
Attempt 3 of asking for more videos about german minorities in Poland during the interwar era
I wonder why he ignores it😳😳😳
It will come, I promise. My life is just very busy at the moment and I would rather make this video when I will have plenty of time to cover such a vast topic :D
@@SirManateee Lithuanian topic too!!!!!
I am interested in this too. I'm nightly confused about Prussia and Poland having visited the later numerous times.
Bedankt voor de video. Ik woonde vroeger in de provincie Utrecht en later in Gelderland. Ik heb dit allemaal gezien en alles al duizend keer gehoord.
The situation in Germany in 1918 was so similar to the one in Russia in 1917 that Wilhelm should have been more thankful that he had competent subordinates that were willing to tell him the game was up, and that the army refused to follow his plans to start a civil war. Wilhelm's life might have been saved by the fact that no one wanted a civil war like the one that was raging in Russia at the time because I have a hard time seeing how Wilhelm could get out of such a civil war with his head on his shoulders.
In the Netherlands he became what he was most suitable for.
An aristocratic, friendly country gentleman.
Popular with his servants and the local inhabitants of Doorn.
I think we all aspire to that.
Great video! I know this would be a bit less inside the scope of this channels repertoire on focusing on history but it would be cool to get your opinion on the world of Kaiserreich. A hearts of iron 4 Mod that is about if Germany had won WW1. Very interesting alt history stuff, especially with Germany imo!
Keep up the great work :)
I've heard of this mod, but I don't play Hoi4 so I probably won't be able to contribute much
Actually some members of the Hohenzollern family were opposed of the Nazis, like Prince Louis Ferdinand, the second son of Crown Prince Willhelm.
Some were not.
@@lesteraponte5734But he said none of them, hence my correction.
Only one of Wilhelms children supported Hitler so the majority of did not support nazism
Sir Manatee, I like your precise style of delivery! This forgotten chapter of German history is worth remembering.
4:04 Is the Kaiser in Bulgarian Feldmarschall uniform?
He wore it during a visit to the Tsar of Bulgaria. It was quite common for him to wear the visiting countries' uniform, it was also common for the host king to wear a German uniform. He the host nations uniform visiting The UK, Austro Hungary, Russia and even The Ottoman Empire where he wore a fez and turkish dress.
Leave it to the Kaiserboos to resurrect and keep his image alive as an enthusiastic German patriot, which comes from a mod for a map game where his dream of winning WW1 and seeing Russia and the West burn in chaos achieved.
What I personally don't like about modern depictions of Wilhelm II and Kaiserreich is that they are portrayed as some sort of proto-Hitler and proto-Nazi Germany, which by any means, they weren't. The Kaiserreich was the first ever unified German State in a thousand years, which, while having a prideful ethnic population, they weren't racists who would gas 6 million people. Wilhelm is portrayed as a dictator who liked to abuse his power. In reality, he was an autocrat with the mentality of autocrats at that time. I can't really blame him for his personality. He was raised to be the German Emperor and King of Prussia, an inheritor to a great and prideful legacy, which couldn't let him accept that he broke it. His personal insecurities (the hand problem especially) turned him into a war-happy figure, egar to prove his masculinity as he represented the legacy Frederick the Great and wider Prussian tradition at that time.
The portrayal of the proto-nazis has a lot to do with post-WW2 governments & people trying to distance themselves. Finding a way to rationalize the nazis that doesn't immediately call into question other countries' own acts & actions, their own nazi movements or war crimes there or against the native populations of colonial empires. It's why I don't like seeing "Kaiser" or "Kaiserreich" used in English, as if it meant anything but "emperor" and "empire" - which is also a function of exceptionalizing Germany away from other empires at that time, albeit this linguistic quirk is employed both in a negative way and also by nationalists in a positive manner. Much like say "American exceptionalism" attempting to separate US nationalism from other kinds of nationalism.
@Argacyan The words "Kaiser", "Kaiserreich" and "Weltkrieg" have been made more publicised today because of the mentioned mod for a certain map game. If you see a historical discussion about Austria, people won't use the words "Kaiserreich" and "Kaiser". The German words for "Empire" and "Emperor" in English have become synonymous to "the German Empire" and the title of "German Emperor".
The mods lore doesn't depict the Kaiserreich as Proto 3 Reich tho.
It is becoming More democratic yet still a monarchy.
And it turns more into a world police due to being the only Super power left, kinda like USA in our timeline
@@iGamezRowell to be honest I do use kaiser for the emperor of Austria, although I still call them Austria Hungary or at best österreich
( I'm not german)
@@iGamezRo Noo, the term "Kaiser" in English has been the preferred word to describe the German emperor for a VERY long time, it certainly didn't appear because of some video game.
People talked about "the Kaiser" already in the 1890s. For example, in the book the Great Gatsby (1920s) there's a rumor that Gatsby is "related to the Kaiser".
Many German nobles, especially Baltic German nobles, became more and more anti-Semitic because a noticeable number of communist/socialist leaders were Jewish, such as in the Russian Revolution, the November Revolution in Germany, the Hungarian Soviet Republic, and the Bavarian Soviet Republic.
I visited Doorn in 2023. There was an old cars and carriages exhibition in the grounds also on that day. Quite a trip in history.
The narrator mentions that he was unable to see the inside of Haus Doorn when he visited as it was closed for a Monday. I visited a few years ago and enjoyed a full guided tour of the inside. It is well worth it, very interesting, very informative and most of the furnishings are as WIlhelm left them 80+ years ago (including the horse saddle chair in his study). Some of his many uniforms are also on display. Highly recommend a visit to the Haus when it is open.
*Basically anything happens in Germany *
Wilhelm II: It is a disgrace, the army should intervene and restore the monarchy guys 👀
05:15 Wittelsbach dynasty {wrong spelling in the subtitles portion, so, I felt like correcting the same}
There is one apocryphal tale of the postman delivering a parcel to the Wilhelm estate in Holland it goes as such:
-"Is this parcel going to the Wilhelm Hohenzollerns?"
-"Yes, it is"
-"Like, the old guy who ruled the German Empire?"
-"Indeed"
-"Huh, I wonder what he's been up to these days?"
in my opinion the most tragic figure in history
Very well researched.
It was a pity for Wilhelm II. His big mistake was to strive for a greater German Empire. In response to the Austrian request for assistance in one memorandum he stated now or never. He decided it was now, so many soldiers, civilians, and his own people suffered WW1. He had a strong dislike of the English which was very surprising as he had loved and been a favorite of Queen Victoria and was with her soon after her death, indeed presiding at her funeral. To this day I find this very odd. He had a strange idea that Hitler would re-instate the monarchy in Germany, but that was not how Hitler saw it. Hitler blamed Wilhelm II for the failure to win WW1. And Wilhelm II blamed all the military around him for the loss of his throne and WW1. In a way he was somewhat lucky. He was the grandson of Queen Victoria which granted certain preferential treatment, the Dutch had accommodated him, and he was not extradited to face trial for the atrocities of WW1 by the Dutch. Yes he lost his throne, but he managed to retained his life. Many would have liked to have seen him hung for WW1.
Ein sehr interessante Doku 👌🏻👍🏻
Oh man I would have needed this video an hour ago when I wrote a history exam with questions that could be awnsered with content in this video
Sorry :c I was going to upload it yesterday but there were some complications
SirManatee uploads, I click on the spot
Nice content as always
Is there any weight behind the argument that Kaiser Wilhelm had changed strategy and attempted to have Crown Prince Wilhelm regain the thrown instead?
Amazing channel. You deserve so much more subs.
0:04 isn't that Prince Sigismund and not Wilhelm?
Vielen Dank from the land of Manatees here in FL, USA.
Very interesting ! What pompous old windbag he really was .
He wasn't to be trusted -- says he'll flee to Holland; ends up in Utrecht.
Yeah in Germany "Holland" is usually just a synonym for the Netherlands
@@SirManateee In Germany, "Holland" is occasionally a synonym for Germany.
@@greenefieldmann3014 Maaaaybe centuries ago,
but no German alive today would do that.
So this is why Midwest US people say Holland is the Netherlands as well, lots of 🇩🇪 decent here.
I JUST started watching The Exception last night. Stop stalking me :(
no
Blaming everyone for his own mistakes, my grandmother learned it from him probably 😂
Very useful skill in life
From Kaiser to royal tree trimmer and lumber jack.
Your videos are just beautiful, I don’t understand how you only have 23.600k viewers.
That map with the angry animals is fabulous!
I mean, he’s pretty good at throwing wood (if you seen footage of his exile you’ll know)
Good idea
Also first
His house is still standing. It is pretty nice and we use the property for events. I live close to his dutch house
Albert Ballin is a real one
Didint Hitler call him a "Idiot"
When he got a letter from him asking If Hitler would allow him to be in charge of the country
LoL
Have you considered making a video about the göttinger sieben?
@ 6:26
To his credit, though, Wilhelm didn't forget his family album--so far as I know. Imagine the scandals!
:P
I’m a simple man.
I see Christopher Clark referenced, I like
The Netherland were not a German Ally in Ww1 but most of german foreign trade of Ww1 was done via the Netherlands. Makes sense that he then went to the netheri
The army command was residing in SPA of all places. The literal place that wellness is named after. While the people were stuck dying in the trenches.
Very excellent 👏
A wrongfully villainized man
The man was a bloody idiot.
This was truly a mentally feeble man, to be honest. The reason why you can draw all sorts of conclusions using quotes of his (pro-Nazi, anti-Nazi, anti-Semite, repelled by anti-Jewis pogroms) is because this is a man who flipped back and fourth and was as inconstant as Alexander I of Russia, but with far more destructive results!
A man who was as crippled by his own sense of inadequacies as his arm was physically,
Wilhelm II was the most unfornate of the Europe's monarchs (safe for the Russian ones of course). He was, in all honesty, a manchild that inherited a massive empire and had to watch it crumble.
He had that in common with Nicholas, well they are related after all.
At that point in time, most of the Royal Heads of State in Europe were all related to one another from cousin-marriages throughout history. Also further reinforced with Queen Victoria's children and grandchildren being dispersed into all the Royal Houses as they were married off. Kaiser Wilhem became more irritible, argumentative and difficult to get along with as he grew older. Essentially with WWI, it became a huge family fight that cost massive destruction and loss of life. No coincidence that many European Royal Heads of State were dethroned and exiled after WWI ended to avoid this situation from getting out of hand again. Those monarchs that remained as ceremonial Heads of State gave up much of their political and legislative powers.
He died just days before the invasion of Soviet Russia. Had he lived, he would have taken credit for the initial victories of that campaign as well. Curious what his reaction to the catastrophic defeat of the german army at Stalingrad would have been. How many of the high ranking german officers that surrendered to the Russians were trained under his command.
we are all lucky that, for the most part,
we have grown beyond the age of monarchs,
and that those that still exist are largely irrelevant.
To be fair the deck was stacked against him from day 1 but at the very least he did not order the poisoning of his own people liqueurs,
Wilhelm II never competed with Britain regarding naval dominance. He just liked navy ships and went for a sizable collection of his own. His love for warships was completely misunderstood by the British. The were never really intended to be used against Britain, they were too precious for him to be sacrificed in a naval battle. The were only intended to show off German prowess.
Just because he didnt put into place anti semitic decrees doesnt mean he wasnt an anti semite. He just wasnt a hitler level of anti semite.
So he was still a little based
I find his behaviour strange. If I hard gotten dethroned by my own people after losing a war and could live a life of luxury in exile in my own manor with servants I would not be involved in politics at all.
That he so completely managed to escape justice, and even got rewarded by the REPUBLIC with all the zing is really kinda disgusting
WW1 wasn't his fault tough
Before WW1 he was known as the peace kaiser and he did
Infact try to prevent ww1 from happening and he even tried to make peace in 1916 but Germany's enemies declined his peace offer
kaiser wilhelm II was even nominated twice for the Nobel peace prize in 1917 and once in 1911.
@@palastofhistory4026Yeah, WW1 lies squarely at the feet of Austria-Hungary and to a lesser extent Serbia
I'm not sure as a monarch. But Kaiser made good sandwich rolls.😊
And imagine that he was the grandson of Queen Victoria-related by blood to the British Royal family
He spoke English and had a kilt 😅.
He was such a pro gamer, after committing war crimes while leading a whole ahh empire he goes and finances ultra nationalistic groups
Wish this video would have included the topic of Wilhelm's friendship with Houston Stewart Chamberlain. Particularly given its relevance to Wilhelm's connections with antisemitism and to some of the extreme german nationalism and racial ideology of the 1910s and 1920s.
Thank you for acknowledging that he definitely was in the Position to stop world war won. I'd even go so far of all the people in the world he has had the best chance.
A lot of people like to idolize the Empire and the Emporer himself since they (obviously) weren't as morally devastated as what came after but I think that's really just wrong.
Wilhelm was a manic autocrat and I'm really glad that his family doesn't rule Germany.
He was the only one the tried to stop it and remember france declared war on us first.
@@timemeddler7730 "on us" that's funny and no they didn't. "We" declared war on Russia and the high command anticipated a declaration of war from France so to not lose the momentum they didn't wait and declared war on France as well and threatened Belgium to invade if they wouldn't allow for safe passage of the Army, wich the Belgian refused. So when the German Army invaded Belgium Britain's stood by it's obligation to preserve Belgiums independence and declared war on Germany.
If Wilhelm would have wanted all of this to stop he would've had many chances to do so, he was the German Emporer, head of state and head of army at this point. He was the German state and he did nothing.
Chop wood
repeat
From the sounds of it, Wilhelm largely lived a charmed life in exile. He has a spacious house, a lot of money, an art collection and lived in luxury. Also, he was such a narcissist.
He was not a narcissist.
@@vetarlittorf1807 lol sure.
Nothing absolves a monarch from guilt as blaming everyone else and acknowledging no faults whatsoever, right? 🤦♂
😢😢
Clark arguing the Kaiser wasn't a committed antisemite, but merely blamed Jews for all his woes is baffling because that is what antisemitism is. Clark often "nuances" his way into saying nothing of substance.
Based Wilhelm, go to see your tunnels
He wasnt an anti semite and if you'd properly looked in the things he did when he was in power and ignored the things he wrote as an old depressed man missing the context u'd know that.
@timemeddler7730
There're couple things worth noting here. People change. Maybe he became more antisemitic as he aged. Maybe he fell for antisemitic conspiracy theories when he felt like he was no longer in control over his life
Either way saying he was not an antisemite because he was blaming Jewish people for everything bad that has ever happened only as an old man is kinda strange take
I think the Kaisers antisemitism before his exile is like “well they’re running an international conspiracy…so I should definitely be on their good side”
Its always so depressing to talk about 1918 and the German Revolution, knowing what a tragedy it developed into after it was betrayed and sold out to the reactionaries by the men ostensibly chosen and trusted to lead it.
Just Another Entente-Influenced Misconception of The Kaiser nothing Else pretty much
"what he could done was to break with prussian monarchist traditions and commits to the democratic cause" wirklich? er war doch der Kaiser, Personifizierung von genannten Traditionen. Als Pole habe ich wenig Liebe für Hohenzollern aber zu viel kann man auch nicht erwarten.
A shame he ought to sent to La Haye ,to be judge for cryme against humanity ,and his son !!!
Great video.
4:52-4:56 I don’t remember this issue of _Marvel What If…?_ 😅
I know it's weird to say but this former Kaiser looks like he's my brother. It's weird how similar I look to him. I'm of south german and mixed prussian and polish ancestry so I guess it makes sense somewhat
Another fanatical woodchopper-statesman was William Ewart Gladstone. What this says about their psychology, I leave to the experts.
There's a great book called Norwegian wood about wood chopping in Norway which has a section about the psychology of chopping.
Haven’t watched yet but great video
Just watched. Great video.
Schhhnurrrbart!
I feel so sorry for him.
Dude sounds like a douchebag though. Never admitting your own mistakes and always blaming the others is the single most infuriating trait in a person.