- Gebundene Ausgabe: 544 Seiten
- Verlag: St. Martin's Press (August 2001)
- Sprache: Englisch
- ISBN-10: 0312276737
- ISBN-13: 978-0312276737
- Größe und/oder Gewicht: 23,9 x 16 x 4,6 cm
- Amazon Bestseller-Rang: Nr. 1.685.483 in Englische Bücher (Siehe Top 100 in Englische Bücher)
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Praised for a thoughtful reassessment of Frederick the Great in his previous book, Giles MacDonogh tackles another controversial figure in German history, Kaiser Wilhelm II. William (as his British biographer calls him throughout) has often been dismissed as an anti-Semite and a reactionary whose policies, particularly the buildup of the German navy, inevitably led to World War I. MacDonogh's readable and thorough synthesis of current scholarship depicts a more complex man with far more in common with his English mother, Queen Victoria's daughter Vicky, than is usually acknowledged. "He had inherited her memory, her lack of snobbery, openness, vivacity, moodiness, over-estimation of her own importance, her cleverness without wisdom," writes MacDonogh, characteristically listing both good and bad traits without moralizing. William's mixed feelings about his mother indelibly shaped his attitude toward Great Britain: he strove from the moment he became emperor in 1888 for an alliance with England, yet seemed compelled to undermine it due to "a combination of admiration and envy, animosity and affection." Born in 1859, his botched delivery resulted in a withered left arm, the first in a lifelong series of painful physical and mental ailments that may well have been responsible for the intemperate outbursts that have damaged his posthumous reputation. MacDonogh reminds us that William's worst threats--to tear up the German constitution, to have his enemies shot--were never carried out. After Germany's defeat in 1918, he abdicated and retired to a manor house in Holland; he may have disliked Jews, but he viewed the Nazis with distaste and until his death in 1941 gave no indication he supported the Third Reich. MacDonogh's detailed account of William's life and times doesn't so much revise the conventional portrait as add nuance, and it will be welcomed by aficionados of old-fashioned narrative biography. --Wendy Smith
From Booklist
Any biographer of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany must deal with three important issues in his life: his egomaniacal personality; his contentious relationship with his parents, particularly his mother, who never forgot she was the Princess Royal of Britain before marrying into the Prussian royal house; and his role in the outbreak of World War I, specifically the quality and even extent of his leadership once the war began. Historian MacDonogh, in a thorough and incisive treatment, tackles these issues with both aplomb and fairness. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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28 von 31 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
A historically rich but disappointing read
26. August 2001
Format:Gebundene Ausgabe|Von Amazon bestätigter Kauf
Not only should a great biography of an important world leader be well researched and historically accurate, but in order to have any appeal beyond scholastic circles it should also be entertaining and bring the subject to life. In order to achieve this delicate balance, an author must carefully review the voluminous historical record and cull the mundane and marginally relevant details from those that provide real interest and insight. I can't speak authoritatively on the subject, but it is clear that Giles MacDonogh has exhaustively studied the life of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Both original sources in the form of personal letters and first hand accounts and later critical examinations of Wilhelm are well represented. Unfortunately, while this book may be a scholarly success, it is not a particularly good read. The subject is compelling, but MacDonogh's pedantic rendition never fully engages the lay reader. Wilhelm is one of the most contradictory and controversial leaders of the 2th century, but this book never really gives you a sense of his personality or his relationships with others. Instead of really delving into the heart and soul of his subject, MacDonogh produces a dry litany of historical facts. The only personal aspect of the kaiser that MacDonogh tries to address in any depth is his anti-semitism, but even here he is not completely successful.
30 von 34 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
A Fresh Look at Kaiser Bill
13. September 2001
Format:Gebundene Ausgabe|Von Amazon bestätigter Kauf
Gile MacDonogh has produced an interesting new look at Kaiser Wilhelm II. The writing is not scintillating, and there are some ridiculous errors (The Tsar-Liberator was Alexander II, not Nicholas II). The editing leaves a lot to be desired, too, as there are some sentences which don't make sense unless you figure out that there are some words missing here and there.
Be that as it may, the book is nevertheless well worth your time. MacDonogh takes a different attitude than most about the Kaiser's damaged arm, pointing out that he was able to cope successfully with the handicap throughout a long life and that it was not necessarily psychologically damaging. MacDonogh also takes another view of Wilhelm's parents, Kaiser Frederick III and Victoria, Princess Royal of Britain. Most of their previous biographers have made "Fritz" and "Vicky" out as heroes determined to make Germany a liberal, democratic nation. MacDonogh underscores Fritz's weaknesses and penchant for pomp and Vicky's cold and demanding nature.
MacDonogh also illuminates Wilhelm's role as a surprisingly progressive ruler. The Kaiser was one of the first to speak of a United States of Europe and the need to let down customs barriers, eighty years before such ideas became fashionable. At the same time Wilhelm was advocating these reforms, unfortunately, he was also pushing Germany's imperialistic and militaristic policies until they became an open challenge to Great Britain and led to World War I.
One of the most interesting parts of the book is the section dealing with Wilhelm's exile in Doorn, Holland. It seems the ex-Kaiser may have grown up a little once he was out of the spotlight, refusing to deal with the Nazis, for example, and reducing some of his braggadocio.
So, despite the shortcomings of the writing and editorial processes, this is a worthwhile addition to your library.
Be that as it may, the book is nevertheless well worth your time. MacDonogh takes a different attitude than most about the Kaiser's damaged arm, pointing out that he was able to cope successfully with the handicap throughout a long life and that it was not necessarily psychologically damaging. MacDonogh also takes another view of Wilhelm's parents, Kaiser Frederick III and Victoria, Princess Royal of Britain. Most of their previous biographers have made "Fritz" and "Vicky" out as heroes determined to make Germany a liberal, democratic nation. MacDonogh underscores Fritz's weaknesses and penchant for pomp and Vicky's cold and demanding nature.
MacDonogh also illuminates Wilhelm's role as a surprisingly progressive ruler. The Kaiser was one of the first to speak of a United States of Europe and the need to let down customs barriers, eighty years before such ideas became fashionable. At the same time Wilhelm was advocating these reforms, unfortunately, he was also pushing Germany's imperialistic and militaristic policies until they became an open challenge to Great Britain and led to World War I.
One of the most interesting parts of the book is the section dealing with Wilhelm's exile in Doorn, Holland. It seems the ex-Kaiser may have grown up a little once he was out of the spotlight, refusing to deal with the Nazis, for example, and reducing some of his braggadocio.
So, despite the shortcomings of the writing and editorial processes, this is a worthwhile addition to your library.
21 von 23 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Doesn't Quite Come Together
9. Oktober 2002
Format:Gebundene Ausgabe
I actually feel a little bit guilty giving this book only 3 stars! It is clear from the endnotes that Mr. MacDonogh did a prodigious amount of research, almost all of it in the primary German sources. There are many amusing and interesting bits and pieces.....little details concerning the way William dressed and ate; many clever and sarcastic comments about their contemporaraies made by William and Bismarck; a description of how William passed the time of day after he was forced to abdicate (he loved to chop wood, and at his first "home" in exile, Amerongen, he managed to chop up some 14,000 trees- giving away most of the wood to the poor). And even though it is interesting to read about many of these things, the end result is oddly unsatisfying. It is almost as though the author found lots of fascinating material, knew he had to include it, but couldn't turn everything into a coherent whole. Mr. MacDonogh quotes so many contrasting opinions that we are left with all of the following: William was an anti-Semite; William was not an anti-Semite; William was brilliant and could have been another Frederick The Great; William was lazy; William had boundless energy and was always traveling and making speeches; William was mentally unbalanced; William could have done more to prevent the slide into WWI; William's hands were tied by the military and by right-wing members of the government; William wanted an alliance with the British; no he didn't; William wanted an alliance with the Russians; no he didn't.....I think you get the idea! In the end, we are left with no clear picture of William as a person or as a ruler, nor are we left with a clear picture of what was going on in Germany in the crucial years leading up to 1914. Imagine that Georges Seurat started to paint a portrait of someone, but by the time the picture was finished it had mutated into a Jackson Pollock! That's probably the best description I could give you of how I felt by the end of this book...
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