The Kaiser's Memoirs

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THE KAISER'S MEMOIRS

[Illustration: WILHELM II]

THE KAISER'S MEMOIRS

by

WILHELM II Emperor of Germany 1888-1918

English Translation by Thomas R. Ybarra

Harper & Brothers Publishers New York and London 1922

THE KAISER'S MEMOIRS

Copyright, 1922 By McClure Newspaper Syndicate

Copyright, 1922 By Harper & Brothers Printed in the U. S. A.

First Edition K-W

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE

I. BISMARCK 1

II. CAPRIVI 51

III. HOHENLOHE 59

IV. BÜLOW 95

V. BETHMANN 124

VI. MY CO-WORKERS IN THE ADMINISTRATION 171

VII. SCIENCE AND ART 196

VIII. MY RELATIONS WITH THE CHURCH 208

IX. ARMY AND NAVY 223

X. THE OUTBREAK OF WAR 246

XI. THE POPE AND PEACE 263

XII. END OF THE WAR AND MY ABDICATION 272

XIII. THE ENEMY TRIBUNAL AND THE NEUTRAL TRIBUNAL 292

XIV. THE QUESTION OF GUILT 303

XV. THE REVOLUTION AND GERMANY'S FUTURE 337

THE KAISER'S MEMOIRS

CHAPTER I

Bismarck

Prince Bismarck's greatness as a statesman and his imperishable services to Prussia and Germany are historical facts of such tremendous significance that there is doubtless no man in existence, whatever his party affiliations, who would dare to place them in question. For this very reason alone it is stupid to accuse me of not having recognized the greatness of Prince Bismarck. The opposite is the truth. I revered and idolized him. Nor could it be otherwise. It should be borne in mind with what generation I grew up--the generation of the devotees of Bismarck. He was the creator of the German Empire, the paladin of my grandfather, and all of us considered him the greatest statesman of his day and were proud that he was a German. Bismarck was the idol in my temple, whom I worshiped.

But monarchs also are human beings of flesh and blood, hence they, too, are exposed to the influences emanating from the conduct of others; therefore, looking at the matter from a human point of view, one will understand how Prince Bismarck, by his fight against me, himself destroyed, with heavy blows, the idol of which I have spoken. But my reverence for Bismarck, the great statesman, remained unaltered.

While I was still Prince of Prussia I often thought to myself: "I hope that the great Chancellor will live for many years yet, since I should be safe if I could govern with him." But my reverence for the great statesman was not such as to make me take upon my own shoulders, when I became Emperor, political plans or actions of the Prince which I considered mistakes. Even the Congress of Berlin in 1878 was, to my way of thinking, a mistake, likewise the "Kulturkampf." Moreover, the constitution of the Empire was drawn up so as to fit in with Bismarck's extraordinary preponderance as a statesman; the big cuirassier boots did not fit every man.

Then came the labor-protective legislation. I most deeply deplored the dispute which grew out of this, but, at that time, it was necessary for me to take the road to compromise, which has generally been my road both on domestic and foreign politics. For this reason I could not wage the open warfare against the Social Democrats which the Prince desired. Nevertheless, this quarrel about political measures cannot lessen my admiration for the greatness of Bismarck as a statesman; he remains the creator of the German Empire, and surely no one man need have done more for his country than that.