Kaiser Wilhelm II: A Life from Beginning to End

De: Hourly History

Narrado por: Matthew J. Chandler-Smith

Kaiser Wilhelm II was the last of the German emperors who reigned over the German Empire and Prussia. He was a man who thought himself to be quite adept at foreign affairs and diplomacy. The truth was, however, that this man’s talent seemed to lie in being able to alienate entire countries after only one meeting with government officials or monarchs.

Inside, you will hear about:

• Born with a disability
• The year of the three emperors
• Leading Germany to World War I
• The last German emperor
• Wilhelm’s exile and World War II
• And much more!

Despite the fact that he was one of the sparks that lit the fire of World War I, Wilhelm was quite an intelligent man. Some say his diplomatic failures happened because of mental illness; others claim it was an inferiority complex caused by the physical disability with which he was born. Whatever the case, Wilhelm II’s time as a world leader was riddled with political blunders and examples of what not to do in terms of diplomatic policies and practices.

In this audiobook, we will explore his life, both personal and professional, to find out more about how Kaiser Wilhelm II became the last German emperor.

©2018 Hourly History (P)2018 Hourly History

Some dubious facts and awful pronunciations

A brief summary of someone’s life like in this book will naturally be overly simplified. Some of what are presented as facts here are not well founded. But as a one hour listen for the reader who isn’t familiar with the Kaiser, this isn’t a bad read at all.

That said, the biggest nitpick I have is that the narrator selected to read a story about Kaiser Wilhelm II of the House of Hohenzollern didn’t first learn how to pronounce Wilhelm and Hohenzollern. Such a basic expectation and it’s baffling how this was produced and released without anyone addressing the issue.

An excellent summary

The only drawback - the book is too short! Hope there are more in depth books on this fascinating topic.

Good Overview

A good overview of Wilhelm. A quick hour read that gives a foundation for people desiring more information., to be found elsewhere.

Great Overview of Wilhelm II

Well detailed for a quick summation of Wilhelm's life. I actually learned a great deal about his temperament and outlook toward Germany and other nations.