1. Kaiser Wilhelm II

2. Key Players “ And all this madness, all this rage, all this flaming death of our civilization and our hopes, has been brought about because a set of official gentlemen, living luxurious lives, mostly stupid, and all without imagination or heart, have chosen that it should occur rather than that any one of them should suffer some infinitesimal rebuff to his country's pride. ” -Bertrand Russell

3. 1859-1941 German Emperor and King of Prussia, grandson of Queen Victoria of Britain Withered left arm Love of military culture Ambitious, with eyes on expanding German Empire Dismissed Otto Von Bismark Made treaty with Russia; called Germany a “satisfied power” Disliked parliamentary democracy; acted as an autocratic monarch Germany Kaiser Wilhelm II in Naval Uniform

4. Germany Strong opponent to socialism Anti-British foreign policy; supported Tirpitz in building a navy to rival Britain Friend of Franz Ferdinand; offers “blank cheque” to Austria Second thoughts about world war demonstrated in his attempts at peace with his cousin, Czar Nicholas II of Russia Abdicated and fled to Holland in 1918

5. Who was the real Kaiser? Source #1 Italian Cartoon (1915)