The last Kaiser

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"Prussia's last King and Germany's last Kaiser was born in Potsdam on 27 January 1859, the son of Prince Frederick of Prussia and Princess Vicky, Queen Victoria's eldest child. William was born with a withered arm and suffered from cerebral palsy; many historians have sought in this a clue to his behaviour in later life." "William became Kaiser aged 29. Two years later he drove Bismarck out after the latter had blocked his liberal social policy. He destabilized the Iron Chancellor's foreign policy by failing to renew the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia, a decision which opened the way for Russia's alliance with France in 1894. He went on to build a powerful fleet." "Historically he has been blamed for World War I, although he made real efforts to prevent it. He has been branded an anti-semite, but ironically the Nazis wrote him off as a 'Jew-lover'. In this fascinating, authoritative new life, MacDonogh, widely praised for his biography of Frederick the Great, takes a fresh look at this complex and contradictory statesman and the charges against him to find that many of these can no longer be upheld."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved