Kaiser Wilhelm

Kaiser Wilhelm (1859-1941)

Kaiser Wilhelm II was born with a withered arm.  He was often picked on and ridiculed for his inadequate arm. His parents wished for him a functioning arm and would force him into electrocution and other forms of torture to try to fix the withered arm. He was often pampered and spoiled because he was the heir to the throne, this caused him to become in some ways narcissistic. Even his grandmother, the Queen of England, suggested he needed a spanking. He became very interested in political politics, militarism and anti- Semitism. It was also noted that he had a love-hate relationship with his Uncle, Edward VII from England.

From our research, we inferred that Kasier’s withered arm, and the way his family perceived it, made him insecure for the majority of his life. This could be an indication as to why the Kaiser was insecure about his country’s army and would push them to be the best.  He may have lead them into the war, not only because of the allied powers, but also because he wanted to avoid the shame that not fighting would bring on the country. His narcissistic tendencies also had an effect on him and his country entering the world, and thinking that it was undeniable victory.