Editing Wilhelm II (section)

==World War I==
{{Further|German entry into World War I}}
Historians typically argue that Wilhelm was largely confined to ceremonial duties during the war—there were innumerable parades to review and honours to award. "The man who in peace had believed himself omnipotent became in war a 'shadow Kaiser', out of sight, neglected, and relegated to the sidelines."{{sfn|Cecil|1989| p=212}}

===The Sarajevo crisis===
[[File:Kaiserparade 1909 Karlsruhe.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Wilhelm with the Grand Duke of Baden, Prince Oskar of Prussia, the Grand Duke of Hesse, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Prince Louis of Bavaria, Prince Max of Baden and his son, Crown Prince Wilhelm, at pre-war military manoeuvres in autumn 1909]]

Wilhelm was a friend of Franz Ferdinand, and he was deeply shocked by his assassination on 28 June 1914. Wilhelm offered to support Austria-Hungary in crushing the [[Black Hand (Serbia)|Black Hand]], the secret organisation that had plotted the killing, and even sanctioned the use of force by Austria against the perceived source of the movement—[[Kingdom of Serbia|Serbia]] (this is often called "the blank cheque"). He wanted to remain in Berlin until the crisis was resolved, but his courtiers persuaded him instead to go on his annual cruise of the North Sea on 6 July 1914. Wilhelm made erratic attempts to stay on top of the crisis via telegram, and when the [[July Crisis|Austro-Hungarian ultimatum]] was delivered to Serbia, he hurried back to Berlin. He reached Berlin on 28 July, read a copy of the Serbian reply, and wrote on it:

{{blockquote|A brilliant solution—and in barely 48 hours! This is more than could have been expected. A great moral victory for Vienna; but with it every pretext for war falls to the ground, and [the Ambassador] Giesl had better have stayed quietly at Belgrade. On this document, I should never have given orders for mobilisation.{{Sfn | Ludwig | 1927 | p = 444}}}}

Unknown to the Emperor, Austro-Hungarian ministers and generals had already convinced the 83-year-old Franz Joseph I to sign a declaration of war against Serbia. As a direct consequence, Russia began a general mobilisation to attack Austria in defence of Serbia.

===July 1914{{anchor|30 July 1914}}===
[[File:General Hans G. von Plessen.jpg|thumb|upright|Wilhelm conversing with the victor of [[Battle of Liège|Liège]], General [[Otto von Emmich]]; in the background the generals [[Hans von Plessen]] (middle) and [[Moriz von Lyncker]] (right)]]

{{Main|July Crisis}}

On the night of 30 July 1914, when handed a document stating that Russia would not cancel its mobilisation, Wilhelm wrote a lengthy commentary containing these observations:{{blockquote|For I no longer have any doubt that England, Russia and France have agreed among themselves—knowing that our treaty obligations compel us to support Austria—to use the Austro-Serb conflict as a pretext for waging a war of annihilation against us ... Our dilemma over keeping faith with the old and honourable Emperor has been exploited to create a situation which gives England the excuse she has been seeking to annihilate us with a spurious appearance of justice on the pretext that she is helping France and maintaining the well-known Balance of Power in Europe, i.e., playing off all European States for her own benefit against us.{{Sfn | Balfour | 1964 | pp = 350–351}}}}

More recent British authors state that Wilhelm II really declared, "Ruthlessness and weakness will start the most terrifying war of the world, whose purpose is to destroy Germany. Because there can no longer be any doubts, England, France and Russia have conspired themselves together to fight an annihilation war against us".{{Sfn | Willmott | 2003 | p = 11}}

{{listen
| filename     = Wilhelm II 6-8-1914.ogg
| title        = An das deutsche Volk
| description  = Extract from Wilhelm's public address for mobilisation, 6 August 1914.
| format       = [[ogg]]
}}

When it became clear that Germany would experience a war on two fronts and that Britain would enter the war if Germany attacked France through neutral [[Belgium]], the panic-stricken Wilhelm attempted to redirect the main attack against Russia. When [[Helmuth von Moltke the Younger|Helmuth von Moltke (the younger)]] (who had chosen the old plan from 1905, made by General [[von Schlieffen]] for the possibility of German war on two fronts) told him that this was impossible, Wilhelm said: "Your [[Helmuth von Moltke the Elder|uncle]] would have given me a different answer!"{{Sfn | Ludwig | 1927 | p = 453}} Wilhelm is also reported to have said, "To think that [[George V|George]] and [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicky]] should have played me false! If my grandmother had been alive, she would never have allowed it."{{Sfn | Balfour | 1964 | p = 355}} In the original [[Schlieffen Plan]], Germany would attack the (supposed) weaker enemy first, meaning France. The plan supposed that it would take a long time before Russia was ready for war. Defeating France had been easy for Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. At the 1914 border between France and Germany, an attack at this more southern part of France could be stopped by the French fortress along the border. However, Wilhelm II stopped any invasion of the Netherlands.

=== Early War ===
On 1 August 1914 (Saturday), Wilhelm II made a war speech in front of a great crowd.<ref>{{Cite news |last=TIMES |first=Special Cable to THE NEW YORK |date=1 August 1914 |title=Kaiser Makes a War Speech. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1914/08/01/archives/kaiser-makes-a-war-speech.html |access-date=21 June 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> On Monday, he motored back to Berlin from Potsdam and issued an imperial order to convene the Reichstag the next day.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 August 1914 |title=KAISER MOTORS TO BERLIN.; With Brother and Other Princes, He Is Greeted Tumultuously. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1914/08/03/archives/kaiser-motors-to-berlin-with-brother-and-other-princes-he-is.html |access-date=21 June 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

On 19 August 1914, Wilhelm II predicted that Germany will win the war. He said, "I am firmly confident that, with the help of God, the bravery of the German Army and Navy and the unquenchable unanimity of the German people during those hours of danger, victory will crown our cause."<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 August 1914 |title=KAISER PREDICTS GERMAN VICTORY; Issues an Encouraging Decree as He Leaves Berlin for the Front. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1914/08/19/archives/kaiser-predicts-german-victory-issues-an-encouraging-decree-as-he.html |access-date=20 June 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===Shadow-Kaiser===
[[File:Hindenburg, Kaiser, Ludendorff HD-SN-99-02150.JPG|thumb|[[Paul von Hindenburg|Hindenburg]], Wilhelm, and [[Erich Ludendorff|Ludendorff]] in January 1917]]

Wilhelm's role in wartime was one of ever-decreasing power as he increasingly handled awards ceremonies and honorific duties. The high command continued with its strategy even when it was clear that the [[Schlieffen plan]] had failed. By 1916, the Empire had effectively become a military dictatorship under the control of Field Marshal [[Paul von Hindenburg]] and General [[Erich Ludendorff]].{{Sfn | Craig|1978| pp = 374, 377–378, 393}} Increasingly cut off from reality and the political decision-making process, Wilhelm vacillated between defeatism and dreams of victory, depending upon the fortunes of his armies. Nevertheless, Wilhelm still retained the ultimate authority in matters of political appointment, and it was only after his consent had been gained that major changes to the high command could be brought about. Wilhelm was in favour of the dismissal of Colonel General Helmuth von Moltke in September 1914 and his replacement by General [[Erich von Falkenhayn]]. In 1917, Hindenburg and Ludendorff decided that Bethman-Hollweg was no longer acceptable to them as Chancellor and called upon the Kaiser to appoint somebody else. When asked whom they would accept, Ludendorff recommended [[Georg Michaelis]], a nonentity whom he barely knew. Despite this, the Kaiser accepted the suggestion. Upon hearing in July 1917 that his cousin George V had changed the name of the British royal house to [[House of Windsor|Windsor]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30186|page=7119|date=17 July 1917}}</ref> Wilhelm remarked that he planned to see [[Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[The Merry Wives of Windsor|"The Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha"]]''.{{sfn|Carter|2010| p=xxiii }} The Kaiser's support base collapsed completely in October–November 1918 in the military, the civilian government, and in German public opinion, as President [[Woodrow Wilson]] made it very clear that the monarchy must be overthrown before an end of the war could take place.{{Sfn | Cecil | 1989 | p = 283}}{{Sfn | Schwabe | 1985 | p = 107}} That year also saw Wilhelm sickened during the worldwide [[Spanish flu]] outbreak, though he survived.{{Sfn|Collier| 1974|p={{page needed|date=May 2021}} }}