"Now or never!" - Emperor William II and World War I

Abstract

This article discusses the role of Emperor William II and his personal responsibility in the outbreak of the First World War. The first part is dedicated to the representation of the controversial personality of the Kaiser, who at the time was already characterized as "imperial psychopath" and "megalomaniac caesar". However, it is shown that in the great international crises before 1914, the Emperor proved to be less warmongering, contrary than his public image would have expected. It was in the July Crisis (1914) when William II's personality had an impact on world history. At two key moments in the July Crisis, the Kaiser's stance made a fundamental contribution to putting Germany on the road to armed confrontation. On 5^th of July, spontaneously, in an outbreak of autocratic megalomania, he sanctioned the Austro-Serbian war and then pressed his Austrian ally to soon take up arms. At this ocasion, he was overwelmed by his militarism and authoritarianism, as well as by the impulsiveness and the unpredictability of his character. When the war against Russia proved to be a real possibility, he became terrified and presented his "plan for peace". At this second moment, however, when he still had the alternative of peace or war in his hands, he failed and showed the other side of his personality: insecurity, lack of courage and leadership, and his susceptibility to pressure and manipulation by others. He quickly gave in to his Chancellor's manipulations and the Austrian boycott of his proposal. In the end, he surrendered to the calculation of the dynamics of military needs, defended by the military. In conclusion, it is shown, that, although the Kaiser did not desire the "great war", his responsibility for putting Germany on the road to this war had been immense.