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Mar 27, 2023·edited Mar 27, 2023Liked by Kiran Pfitzner

As I understand it, the link between the armed forces and the rest of the state was the emperor, but Wilhelm II was neither capable to provide a sensible grand strategy of his own nor willing to listen to competent ministers like his predecessors, so he was dysfunctional in this role.

https://image.slidesharecdn.com/weimarconstitution-140828000449-phpapp02/95/weimar-constitution-7-638.jpg?cb=1409184350

Wilhelm II destroying Bismarck's alliance system and leading Germany, at the time on a seemingly unstoppable upwards trajectory in terms of scientific, industrial and cultural power, in a war with bad odds, must be one of the major grand strategy failures in modern times. He simply gambled away an excellent, idiot safe position. Germany only had one natural opponent in Europe (France) and even was connected to most other powers by royal family ties.

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