The last emperors of Germany were called Kaisers. Although this German monarch title in German-speaking countries has been applied to emperors of all times and peoples, in other European countries this term was used to refer only to the last three representatives of the dynasty of Swabian origin (southwest Germany, the upper Danube and the Rhine) of the Hohenzollern - Wilhelm I, Frederick III and William II.
Difficult birth
Kaiser Wilhelm II was not only the last monarch of the indicated dynasty, but also the last German emperor in general. This person was very complex. The first child of the eight children of Friedrich of Prussia and the English Princess Victoria was born as a result of difficult births, which were so complicated that the future German Kaiser Wilhelm II remained life-threatening for all his life, with severe physical disabilities.
The left arm was damaged and remained shorter than the right by 15 cm. The rupture of the brachial nerve and torticollis supplemented the list of ailments acquired at birth. The child was subject to continuous painful procedures and operations.
Character formation
Naturally, attention to him from the side of the whole dynastic kin was increased - he was spoiled. In addition, the crown-bearing parents compensated for the physical defects with an excellent comprehensive education. And it is not at all surprising that the last German Kaiser Wilhelm II was not just heavy, but terrible - he was arrogant, arrogant and vengeful. His egoism, according to contemporaries, had "crystalline hardness." This monster plunged Europe into the First World War. Numerous photos captured the face of this cruel man for posterity.
"Year of the Three Emperors"
Born in 1859, already in 1888 he became emperor. The good, ruled by "iron chancellor" Otto von Bismarck, Kaiser Wilhelm I dies in 1888, which in German history was called the "Year of the Three Emperors". His son Frederick III of Prussia was a Kaiser only 99 days, since he suddenly died of laryngeal cancer. On June 15, 1888, William II, a man with high self-esteem, an unbending faith in his genius and ability to change the world, ascended the German throne.
Drove to power
Previously, the fanatical desire to be the first in everything was hindered by physical disabilities and psychological difficulties. After the coronation, passions escaped. Ministers were forbidden to even think for themselves.
Bismarck, whom William I worshiped, was dismissed, many laws passed by the builder of a united Germany were repealed, which had very dire consequences (especially the repeal of the law against the socialists). In a short time, the party of the new Kaiser, requiring a change in the state system, gained unprecedented power and strength. This could not ultimately lead to the collapse of the state.
Militarist
The economy created by Bismarck made Germany the leading European country by the end of the century. The Kaiser's appetites flared up; he set about rebuilding, equipping and expanding the army.
The military budget was increased by 18 million marks, the army grew by 18 thousand people. This could not but frighten Russia and England, which had staggered back from Germany. The German Kaiser Wilhelm was left without allies. In the unleashed war he was supported only by Austria-Hungary. Using the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, he declared war on Russia and England, and then throughout Europe.
Reckless and flimsy adventurer
But with the outbreak of hostilities, the last German emperor somehow quickly lost interest in the massacre he had begun, and by the beginning of 1915 had not intervened in anything. The generals of Hindenburg and Ludendorf waged war with all of Europe. The November Revolution broke out in Germany on November 4, 1918. The empire came to a close, William was removed from power, and he and his family fled to the Netherlands.
They wanted to judge him as a war criminal, but the Queen of this country Wilhelmina flatly refused to extradite him. He lived another 20 years, sincerely rejoicing in every action of the Nazis, he bombarded Hitler with congratulatory telegrams. In his castle Dorn, he died on June 4, 1941, and did not see the defeat of “great Germany”.
Coin minting
Under Otto von Bismarck, who was considered the "architect" of a united Germany, not only was the Empire created, the economy developed, a single currency appeared in this country.
Kaiser Wilhelm I silver coins were minted after the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871. They were minted from 1873 to 1919. With the introduction of the Reichsmark in 1924, silver coins were demonetized.
Tribute to grandson grandfather
The Germans, like other nations, honor the memory of historical figures. The Kaiser Wilhelm Church in Berlin is a unique monument to the first and last emperors of Germany. Its other short name is Gedechtniskirche, and the Berliners nicknamed it “hollow tooth”. The cult Protestant building was erected according to the design of Franz Schwechten. This is a tribute to the grandson of his grandfather. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was built in the years 1891-1895. For a long time, it remained the highest in Berlin - it rises to 113 meters.
Restoration of a church destroyed by an air raid
The original building was completely destroyed by Allied Aviation on November 23, 1943. But the Berliners were so dear to her that when the city authorities decided to build a new building in her place, they defended the church. All newspapers were littered with angry and indignant letters. The protest was a success. Kaiser Wilhelm Church was reconstructed according to the design of Egon Ayermann. The ruins of a huge 68-meter tower were preserved, and around them the architect erected modern structures, in particular, another octagonal tower crowned with a cross and consisting of, as it were, honeycombs in rich blue. A bell rings on the tower hourly.
Modern architecture
The originality of the restored religious building allowed guests of the capital to call it the “Blue Church”. Countless glasses of this color are inserted into concrete honeycombs, inside of which there is a light source. The whole new tower takes on a mysterious blue glow. Light penetrating outside and burning inside the building creates an amazing effect. The soaring almost 5-meter-high figure of Christ with outstretched arms seemed to ascend above the stylized altar. The new church was consecrated in 1961.
Weekly organ concerts held here are extremely popular with Berliners and guests in
the German capital. Kaiser Wilhelm Church, located on Breitscheidplatz, after the reconstruction became a kind of memorial of destruction and creation. The ruins of the old tower are left as a warning monument.
Another memorial
The memory of the last German emperor is preserved in one more place. In the country there is a channel of Kaiser Wilhelm. The Kiel Canal is navigable and connects the Baltic and North Seas. Its length from the mouth of the Elbe to Kiel Bay is 98 kilometers. The width is 100 meters, which makes it possible for battleships to follow from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea not directly around Denmark, but directly. The channel, which officially launched Kaiser Wilhelm II in June 1895, is currently being used very actively. It is open for international use.