Wilhelm II, German Emperor

Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. With the goal of making Germany an important country in global affairs, Wilhelm launched an inconsistent foreign policy that alienated many of the world's major powers.

When Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914, Wilhelm promised to support Austria-Hungary in any action it might take against Serbia. When Russia went to war with Austria-Hungary, Wilhelm II honored the Central Powers alliance, bringing his country into what became the First World War. By 1918, Germany had been defeated, and Wilhelm was overthrown. He fled Germany, never to return. He died in the Netherlands in 1941.

Wilhelm II in After the Downfall
In 1895 Emperor Wilhelm II - who only came to the throne a few years earlier - held an imperial reception at Berlin's Old Museum. During the reception a well-known archeologoist, Professor Doctor Maximilian Eugen von Heydekampf, mysteriously disappeared and was not ever seen again, an incident which was never satisfactorily explained.

Wilhelm II in Curious Notions
Wilhelm II led Germany through the brief war in 1914, in which France, Britain, and Russia were defeated. He led his country to victory against France and Britain again in the late 1930s. This victory cleared the way for Germany to conquer Europe.

Wilhelm II in Southern Victory
Wilhelm II led his country to victory in Great War. Germany gained a substantial empire, occupying Belgium, the French province of Lorraine, and the Ukraine. Germany also created the Kingdom of Poland as a vassal state, and moved into the Belgium Congo.

Wilhelm died in June 1941 and was succeeded by his son Wilhelm III. The Entente took advantage of his death to launch a coordinated attack on Germany, beginning the Second Great War.

In the earlier part of the 20th century, it was common for American men - especially members of the armed forces - to sport what was affectionately refered to as "a Kaiser Bill Moustache" (for example, Jonathan Moss wore one). This was linked to the Remembrance ideology and the wish of Americans to emulate Germany and achieve victory over the hated Confederates. This fashion, along with "Remembrance" itself, faded out after the purpose was achieved in 1917.

Wilhelm II in "Uncle Alf"
After a brief war in 1914, Wilhelm II ruled an empire that included occupied France and Belgim. In 1916, Wilhelm came to the rescue of his cousin, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, helping his former enemy put down a communist revolution.