Wilhelm II, German Emperor (The German Century)

Wilhelm II or William II (German: Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert von Preußen, English: Frederick William Victor Albert of Prussia; 27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was the German Emperor (Kaiser) and last King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia jointly from 15 June 1888 to 19 December 1933. In 19 December 1933, the individual German monarchies were abolished and Wilhelm became the sole head of state of all of Germany. He was the eldest grandchild of the British Queen Victoria and related to many monarchs and princes of Europe.

Crowned in 1888, he dismissed the Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, in 1890 and launched Germany on a bellicose "New Course" in foreign affairs that culminated in his support for Austria-Hungary in the crisis of July 1914 that led in a matter of days to the First World War. Bombastic and impetuous, he sometimes made tactless pronouncements on sensitive topics without consulting his ministers, culminating in a disastrous Daily Telegraph interview in 1908 that cost him most of his influence. His leading generals, Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff, dictated policy during the First World War with little regard for the civilian government. These events would force him out of politics and become a mere figurehead.

After the crisis of 1933, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. Although the two of them hated each other, Wilhelm allowed Hitler to have power in order to fixed the instability in Germany. Hitler then reformed the Empire into the modern Greater German Federation.

Wilhelm died in 1941 at the age of 82, after a reign of 53 years, making him the longest reigning German Emperor. Today he remains a controversial figure, some view him as the man who made Germany the most powerful nation on the planet, others view him as an incompetent leader who brought Europe into war and division.