1936: The Iron Kaiser

Introduction
In Our Timeline/Original Timeline, Wilhelm II (William II) was born around twelve years before the unification of Germany and rise of the First Reich. This boy would become the Crown Prince of Prussia and the German Empire and even become Kaiser. In fact, he would be the last of his kind. His political mistakes with France, Spain, Britain, and Russia caused his and his country's defeat in the Great War. Wilhelm's reign would pave the way for the rise of Adolf Hitler and his eventual fall. Germany would be greatly humiliated twice within thirty years!

Wilhelm's Self-Defeating Strategy

 * Wilhelm II's reign as Kaiser was marked by many foreign affairs problems due to his personality. He was quite brash, and he often acted without thinking. Not all of his orders were failures, though. He managed to, for a time, alienate France from the rest of Europe. His earliest defeat in this strategy was the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1894, six years after he inherited the throne. When Britain and France allied shortly before the outbreak of World War I, the plan was dead. This was one of his only "successes".


 * Wilhelm was unlike his father in more ways than one. Frederick III lived for ninety-nine days as Kaiser, Wilhelm lived for more than thirty years. This was true for domestic policy. The late Kaiser had promoted democracy and liberal policies while his son did the opposite. Otto van Bismarck had been a great ally to the Reich since her formation and had been chancellor until his eventual resignation in 1890. Bismarck had been chancellor for eighteen years for a reason, too. Then Wilhelm tried out domestic policy. One day, the Kaiser spelled out his policy to the chancellor. Bismarck had some major problems with it and tried to amend it while still trying to please the ruler. The revision caused him to lose power in the legislature and shriveled his relationship with Wilhelm II. He eventually resigned. This was a major setback in German domestic policy.


 * Wilhelm failed most of the time with a potential ally, the United Kingdom. In 1896, he congratulated Transvaal president Kruger for his attacks against the British. His arguments with Queen Victoria shortly before the Boxer Rebellion was a huge setbakc in an alliance.

But, what if this man had died shortly after birth? What if this man who succeeded Frederick III had a son whom the Germans would call "the Iron Kaiser"?

1859

 * January 27: The Crown Prince and Princess of the Kingdom of Prussia wholeheartedly mourn for the death of their newborn son. He unfortunately died soon after entering the world. Great Britain also mourns because Crown Princess Victoria is Queen Victoria’s daughter. However, the continual turn of politics brings their mind off of the late prince.

1860

 * August 1: : A healthy baby boy is born. He is named Heinrich. The birth dispels any sadness from the loss of the other baby. He will grow up to become the third Kaiser in German history.

1861

 * August 20: A daughter named Viktoria Elisabeth Auguste Charlotte or just Charlotte is born. There is great celebration throughout Germanic Europe. Because of her uncanny hatred of ladylike behavior, her grandmother and Queen of England (Queen Victoria) often writes to reprimand her.

1862

 * September 13: Wilhelm II is born. He will become quite famous in the Great War and the Greatest War for his leading roles in the Kriegsmarine. (This is not OTL Wilhelm. He just has the same name.)

1871

 * January 18: The German Empire is formed under Wilhelm I. Prince Frederick III and Princess Victoria will succeed Wilhelm upon his death. Kaiser Wilhelm, along with Chancellor Bismarck, begins an Anglophile reign, hoping to isolate France from any potential alliance with Britain. This works to a degree. The navyis kept at a small level in order to keep Great Britain happy.

1888

 * March 9: Wilhelm I dies. Frederick III is crowned the second Kaiser of the German Reich. His firstborn son, Heinrich, is made the Crown Prince of Germany.
 * June 15: Frederick III dies after ninety-nine days since his crowning. Heinrich I becomes the third Kaiser of Germany. He will lead the worst and most humiliating reigns in the history of Germany. He continues the pro-English policy of his parents, though he promotes greater power in the aristocracy. His popularity with the people begins to fall. Meanwhile, Wilhelm II joins the German Navy after a brief naval schooling. He hopes his connections with the Kaiser won't change people's opinions of him. Wilhelm would be dead wrong.

1889

 * December 18: Prince Adolf is born to Emperor Heinrich. He will be the first of three. Wilhelm II moves steadily up the chain of command. After all, he is the brother of the Kaiser.