Kaiser Wilhem II - W Flashcards
Where was the Kaiser from?
He was from Prussia.
Militarism: the belief that a country should have strong armed forces.
This idea was important to Prussia; Prussian generals, army officers and tactics formed the base of the new German army.
What aims did Kaiser Wilhelm II have?
He wanted Germany to rival Britain as the most powerful country in the world.
He wanted to build an overseas empire to add to Germany’s wealth and power.
He was keen to maintain a powerful army and build up a large navy.
What was Kaiser Wilhelm’s foreign policy?
Weltpolitik (1890):
Wanted Germany to be a global power and have an empire to rival Britain’s.
Weltpolitik meant working hard to get an “empire in the sun” and a great German empire.
What was Realpolitik and why was it dismissed?
Realpolitik was ideas based on realism not idealism.
Chancellor Bismark used Realpolitik to slowly build Germany’s reputation abroad. He knew it was too risky to open conflicts with countries with bigger empires which Weltpolitik did.
