Why did the 'international elites' come down so hard on Wilhelm II? Britain and France did everything they could to find an excuse to go to war with him. And the US was helping Britain long before the Lusitania shit OR the Zimmermann telegram.
What did he do wrong, bros?
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Are you trolling? Germany did everything they could to goad Austria-Hungary into declaring war on Serbia. Wilhelm was also just a total dick whose abrasive personality and moronation heightened tensions.
> Germany did everything they could to goad Austria-Hungary into declaring war on Serbia.
And? He wanted a war with Russia over Eastern Europe He did not want, or expect, a war with Britain, France, or America. Those countries very deliberately manipulated themselves into the war, in much the same way as they did WW2.
>ally of Russia declares war after you declare war on Russia
>ally of Belgium declares war after you walk through Belgium
>act surprised
>France sacrificed minions of its men because... because it just loved Russia so much!
>Britain sacrificed millions of its men because... because it just loved Belgium so much!
Okay, explain further. Why did they care so deeply about these 'allies'? What goals and interests did they share? Were they in fact allies, in any meaningful sense? Or was the 'alliance' just an excuse to fight Germany?
I don't think you understand how alliances work. If you don't come to the aid of your allies, you are shown to be untrustworthy and will be in a lot of trouble on the international stage, as everyone begins to question whether you're worth it. What good is a friend that won't come to you in your time of need?
>hurr durr just let these morons upset the balance of power in Europe and be at the mercy of Germany forever!
You realize this is nothing new, right? Look at the Napoleonic wars. It is in the economic and political interest of every European power to ensure none of the others become too powerful.
>make alliance designed to dissuade aggressive expansion
>Germany tries to expand aggressively anyway
>"Oh well, what can you do? Alliance dropped!"
>did not want a war with France
in that case then why did he declare war on France as well, along with spending the last few years antagonizing Britain partially fueled out of personal spite
>Why did he declare war on France as well,
Because France had mobilized and was ready to attack Germany, the moment Germany attacked Russia. It was pre-emptive defense.
>spending the last few years antagonizing Britain
How so?
This is just a hopelessly naive view of the situation. They were not forced into war to defend their allies. The allies were an excuse for joining the war.
>This is just a hopelessly naive view of the situation. They were not forced into war to defend their allies. The allies were an excuse for joining the war.
The Treaty of London for example had no legal force and was dismissed as a 'scrap of paper' by the Kaiser. It served as no more than a pretext to allow Britain to join the war - which it wanted to all along.
>Hahaha this alliance means nothing, it's just as scrap of paper
>*attacks belgium*
>*Britain fufills it's side of the alliance*
>WTF YOU CAN'T JUST DO THE THING YOU ANNOUNCED TO EVERYONE YOU WERE GOING TO DO!!! IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU HAD PUBLICLY SIGNED AN ALLIANCE YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!!!!!!!! BISMARK SAVE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
That's complete nonsense. The British went to war because they feared the consequences of a French defeat. Belgium was just a convenient excuse. Britain had already given Germany signs they wanted remain neutral before the seizure of Luxembourg which the Kaiser delayed in hopes of a realistic British diplomatic proposal.
everyone in europe is willing to go to war over an empire that oversteps its bounds. napolean had to be stopped by the 6th coalition (even
after the first 5 failed), russia had to stopped in crimea, and in the buildup to wwi, neither russia nor germany were allowed by the rest of europe to eat the whole ottoman empire like they wanted to
>eat up
By that definition you mean the Ottomans first making the move to ask for an alliance?
Willy congratulatwd Boers who were killing British troops in Africa. Nowadays words mean nothing and politicians can put bounties on eachothers heads on twitter but back then to say that was very offensive. (I know Britain was in the wrong in that war but still)
He didn't even want that. He wanted a localized war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. He was not a supporter of preemptive war with Russia unlike some in the German military. Kaiser Willy was all bluster but when things came close to actual hostilities, he was quick to backdown. When Serbia responded to the ultimatum (which they did in a way that completely disregarded the Austrian position while sounding like they were accepting it), Willy remarked that it was a great moral diplomatic victory for the Austrians that removed any need to go to war - although he mused over for Belgrade to perhaps be occupied as a means of guaranteeing Serbian compliance with what he thought they had agreed to.
>And? He only wanted to become an even bigger Empire in central Europe!
How the frick does it make sense to sacrifice an entire generation of men, bankrupt your country, and have your countryside turned into mud, to stop your neighbour expanding Eastward into some Slavic lands you have no interest in? The argument it must be in your interest long-term seems heavily questionable.
And before you say 'the war with Germany was inevitable, better to fight it now than later', Franco-German relations were occasional allies in the 1880's and 90's, they could easily have made Germany an ally again with some gentle negotiations.
Willy, himself, despite all his blustering, would always try to back down when war seemed to actually be on the horizon. All he wanted was an isolated war between Serbia and Austria-Hungary to prop up Germany's most reliable ally. Without Austria, Germany's would be isolated to a newfound horrifying degree especially since the Triple Entente was steadily becoming an actual alliance aimed at encircling Germany.
>HE ONLY WANTED WAR WITH RUSSIA
>WHY DIDN'T THEY LET HIM INVADE RUSSIA WITH NO CONSEQUENCES
Delusional.
The irony is he probably could have steamrolled Russia if he simply defended on the western front, but his militarists expected a march to Paris like in the Franco-Prussian war and so they pushed through Belgium dragging Britain into the war and widening the front, which then had to be defended after their failure. As a result they could not dedicate their resources to a push into Russia, which would have required building infrastructure to extend supply lines but would have been feasible were it not for the British naval blockade and massive cost of the western front.
Though, being a moron, you won't understand how much the Kaiser and his militarists fricked Germany's chances in the war I suppose.
>Belgium propaganda
kys
>NOOO ALL THE ACCOUNTS OF OUR ATROCITIES ARE JUST PROPAGANDA
you'd say the same thing in the next war
Proof?
Define "international elites". And no, i will not accept it as a mere euphemism for "jews"
It essentially means the class of large, transnational capitalists who influence and intersect with state power. But the way its used by rightoids its basically just another way of pretending to oppose the system they live under while obfuscating from actual systemic critique.
He was unironically moronic and had a head full of Prussian militarism bullshit.
The French were pissed over Alsace and the British felt challenged by the German imperial fleet. Add to it the colonial rivalries and that the financial centre of the worldwas London.
Long story short, Wilhelm II. and the Germans wanted their fair share of Africa and wanted to be respected. They wanted the status of a world power which they deserved. But Britain didn't like that, it was against their system of global power balance. Just like in WW2, they didn't want a strong middle european world power. Strong Russia yes, strong France yes and everything between them needed to he kept low.
> muh oppressed Germans
It's the Truth, the very existence of Germany makes people irrationally seethe.
>Long story short, Wilhelm II. and the Germans wanted their fair share of Africa and wanted to be respected. They wanted the status of a world power which they deserved.
Germany was already the dominant land power in Europe. But apparently it also needs to be one of the dominant colonial and naval powers too in order to be respected?
>But Britain didn't like that, it was against their system of global power balance. Just like in WW2, they didn't want a strong middle european world power. Strong Russia yes, strong France yes and everything between them needed to he kept low.
Modern day Germany proves that you can dominate Europe with pretty much just Central Europe alone.
Wilhelm II stood in the way of Anglo-Judeo control over global economic flows
>god of death(literally Tyr) comes down to kill you
>full schizo mode continuation
aw geez boss
>nap(apollyon)
>satan himself
not like there isnt a common theme here
you problem
>we should be able to invade who we like and support Austria turning Serbia into a puppet state, but defending your allies or neutral nations is bad, just because it is, OK?
The G"rm cries out in pain as he strikes you
There is 0 indication that Germans possess the same traits of colonialism that the anglo-judeo does. This is a mistake to claim, and you are a israelite for attempting to make an inversion of this.
As a fact of the matter is Serbia, France, Russia, and even Britain had for years been pushing for confrontation with Germany and Austria-Hungary. This time the latter two chose to stand their ground, and so war broke out.
Pretty much the entirety of the Serbian people were diehard nationalists who dreamt of a Greater Serbia. The Black Hand infiltrated every level of the Serbian government, from border guards to cabinet ministers.
>Germany dindu nuffin dey were good boyz
Only thing germany did wrong was fricking up on the schlieffen plan which turned the war into a battle of attrition. Otherwise, they were fighting what I perceive to be is evil israelites and nationalists
Because he was one of the few European rulers who was not a Freemason
"international elites"
If you want to blame the israelites get on with it, this isn't Reddit you can say it man
I thought you'd get banned for it outside of /misc/ (cryingtears emoji)
>international elites
Black person he was the king of the second most powerful nation on earth
Wilhelm funded the Boer states and thus pissed off Britain.
Slavs didn't distinguish between israelites and germans, so germans took all the blame.
frick white people
Weak bait
Germany was changing the balance of power with her expanding navy and growing colonial empire.
Germany marched troops into france before war was even declared and attacked Belgium without even bothering to declare war
Did you just want them to let Germany do what ever they wanted
Did you just want them to s
Why not? For centuries the 'old' powers of France, Britain, and Russia did whatever the frick they wanted but when Germany does it then it's baaaaaad.
Because the Concert of Europe, which germany was pivotal to establishing, specifically dictated that you couldn't do what ever you want to avoid having a big continental war
Have you ever actually read what kind of person Wilhelm was?
He was a sensitive soul, believing his parents never loved him, with a tendency to go off script and say something that can be taken as outlandish by the foreign press.
You know I can understand Kaiserboos and Tsarboos, but I do not understand Willy II and Nicky II simps. Centuries of Hohenzollerns and Romanovs to admire, and these are the hill they decided to die on?
Because they're martyrs, anon. How can your heart *not* twist in sorrow for them?
Because they continuously made things worse for themselves and others. I can't feel that sorry for someone whose ultimate fate was a consequence of their own stupidity.
I would say I feel *more* sympathy for them based on their political 'stupidity'. I read it as childlike naivety. They were too innocent for this world.
My guess is this is how most people see the matter.
Music related
You think being a colossal humiliating failure responsible for the deaths of millions is cute?
My sympathies to you, whose hearts are made of iron. My own is made of mortal flesh, and I cannot have it be otherwise.
>OH MY BLESSED SOVEREIGN, DID YOU JUST HECKING LEAD OUR COUNTRY INTO A DEVASTATING WAR THAT HAS LEFT MILLIONS DEAD AND THE NATION IN RUINS?
>SO INNOCENT AND KAWAII ^_^
>t. israelite
For Wilhelm ll, he was literally the only true German Kaiser ruling over a powerful, united Germany for decades. The Wilhelm before him died of cancer and only ruled a month, and first Kaiser was already very old when the empire formed, In one year there was three Kaisers.
I will unironically defend Willy's decision to fire Bismarck till the day I die. I don't think Germany was in the right, nor do I think Willy was a good leader, I just fricking hate Bismarck dicksucking.
Redpill me on the Bismarck hate. I don't think there has been a statesman as talented since him and Augustus Caesar
Germans are autistic and they have a huge inferiority complex. Not a good mix.
Oh no no no leftypolsisters
google balfour declaration for the answer
France had a histrionic fit over Alsace. Britain felt threatened by Germany's economic and naval power along with the Baghdad railway
Many overlook how German economic growth was beginning to outpace Britain's economy. Many also overlook how the Bismarck of Willy's time was drastically different than Germany at its unification in terms of population and industry which necessitated new policies many are quick to criticize as mistakes with the benefit of hindsight even though said policies didn't make WW1 inevitable.
>Bismarck
*Germany
explain
Weltkrieg wasn't born merely out of a desire for prestige but out of economic considerations that did not exist during the height of Bismarck's reign due to the growth in population and industry Germany had been experiencing since unification. There are other books I could cite that go deeper into this but "Dreadnought" was the first that came to mind and gives a good overview of the dynamic which I'm referring to.
>Weltkrieg
*Weltpolitik
The development of the German Navy was also of importance in protecting German shipping, overseas investments, and treaty ports like the ones garnered from China.
The fact that Britain was so ready to threaten to blockade Germany's domestic ports over its opposition to the Boer Wars, as Germany had legitimate economic interests in the region, further necessitated this and birthed further tension between Germany and Britain that was of no fault of Germany in this specific instance.
Germany's goals lay in Eastern Europe, did they not? It had no real ambition to seize overseas territory from France and Britain?
Basically, all this seems sus to me, as if they were just coming up with excuses and the real motivation was something israeli.
I just don't see the motivation for sacrificing that many millions of men. It was madness.
Germany was building the Baghdad railway, which was awfully close to the Suez Canal. If Germany could theoretically close the Suez Canal with little effort, it would decapitate the British Empire which was London's main fear
Prior to the war, Germany's goals were predominantly colonial even if they didn't intend to so much as seize rival powers' colonials as increase their own spheres of influence.
Their interest in Eastern Europe grew as Germany's war aims evolved (which have repeatedly and constantly did given they entered the war with little understanding of what they wanted to get out of it, believing themself a defensive power acting on behalf of the Austrians and against the Franco-Russian encirclement of their nation) after the outbreak of WW1 but even then, a desire to form a unified African colony was born just as a desire to craft a German-ruled economic block spanning from Central to Eastern Europe sprouted.
Before the war, however, there was events such as the Boar Wars and the Samoan affair made Germans kept partial to their vulnerability on the sea.
There was a fear of a British surprise attack, which there are historical precedents for such as the attack on the Danish fleet during the Napoleonic Wars, to stiffen German foreign investment, German access to foreign markets, and German colonial expansion.
Fear of Britain lingered throughout WW1 which is why Germany also wanted to vassalize Belgium as a war aim in order to have a base on the English Channel to keep Britain in check.
Here is an overview of Germany's prewar fears of British naval power and their reasoning behind such concerns and the need for a fleet and strategic naval bases.
Everyone basically wanted to show off their dicks during WW1, the difference is, other countries besides Germany actually wisened up.
>the Zimmermann telegram
world war one extending into America through Mexico would have been pure kino
In another timeline the American southwest is littered with first world war battlefields and miles of old eroded trench lines and bunkers. Vgh...
Or more realistically America curb stomps Mexico
Mexico wasn't dumb enough to believe there was anything in it for them, especially not through German favors
Yeah, Germany had no way of supplying them across the Atlantic Ocean considering they, themselves, were starving due to the British blockade.
>Be a king who believes in absolute monarchy in the 19-fricking-00s
>Build a giant navy whose only practical purpose would be to go to war with Britain
>Say things like "a treaty is just a piece of paper"
>Try to convince Mexico to attack the United States
>Invent insane plans to colonize Cuba by invading Boston
>Egg Austria on to declare war on Serbia over an assassination of one man
Wilhelm was one of the stupidest kings of all time.
>>Be a king who believes in absolute monarchy in the 19-fricking-00s
Are you a freemason?
> >Try to convince Mexico to attack the United States
It was if the U.S declared war on Germany.
> >Build a giant navy whose only practical purpose would be to go to war with Britain
obviously to try and defend its trade and colonies from being blockaded by britain which is what happened
>it was the US that declared war on Germany
and tell us the reason why they declare war on Germany
> the Senate would conduct an investigation into the causes of WWI, and why the United States entered it. It was called the Nye Committee.
> After nearly two years of investigation his committee found that between 1915 and January 1917, the United States lent Germany 27 million dollars. At the same time the United States lent the United Kingdom, France, and their allies $2.3 Billion, nearly 100 times as much.
> When the Russian government began to topple after the February Revolution, the Wall Street banks put pressure on the Wilson Government to come to the aid of their allies...and their outstanding loans.
To collect their loans of course
Oy vey
there's still the question of why israelites made all the loans to 'Allied' powers and so few to Germany.
Wilhelm II was a strong anti-Semite and viewed the war as being against israeli power
http://www.vlib.us/wwi/resources/archives/texts/t050404/will.html
But did the israelites see the issue the same way? Why? Wasn't Russia the country with all the pogroms and israeli persecution? I'm not aware of any, or much, persecution of israelites in imperial Germany.
Can you find a word like judenhass in any other dictionary
Hm, so with their fat schnozzers, they could smell the writing on the wall? Got to admire their craftiness.
>obviously to try and defend its trade and colonies from being blockaded by britain which is what happened
Yes, which is only useful if you plan to get into wars with Britain. A powerful navy isn't necessary against France, Italy, Austria, or Russia, the other great powers, and it's too impractical to use against the USA or Japan, so it's only possibly valuable if you plan to fight Britain.
Bismarck's system would collapse no matter what happens. There's a reason why we don't do secret alliances anymore
>rapidly enlarging the navy, turning what was a productive friendship with britain cold
>engaging in a two front war with France and Russia with only fricking Austria backing you up
>throwing away the Concert of Europe that had allowed germany to exist in peace in the first place
>making such obvious diplomatic blunders like invading belgium out of nowhere
Should have just maintained the partnership with britain. Germanium was as Groß as it needed to be and Austria was worthless as an ally, turning all of europe against Germany was a guaranteed death sentence
AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP GIVING THEM REASONS TO ATTACK YOU