The King, the Kaiser, and the Czar
How many people know that the rulers of three of the major comabatants in World War I were actually all cousins? King George V of England, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and Czar Nicholas II of Russia were all grandchildren of Queen Victoria. Here is a review of a book that goes over all three of their lives and examines some of their personality traits and how they all managed to stumble into what was up to that point, the bloodiest war in world history.
Interesting, but when considering the origins of World War I, one can attribute too much to the monarchs. Certainly, Wilhelm II and Nicholas II, being the autocrats that they were, had considerable input into determining the policies of their respective countries. One could say, with justification, however, that they as much reflected the attitudes of their particular national societies as they did shape them. Wilhelm was not the only German who embraced Weltpolitik, while Nicholas was as wary of German aggressiveness and as desirous of Russian dominance in the Balkans as any other Russian offical. As the constitutional monarch of a liberal state, George V had far much control over policy than did his cousins, although he always had the right to advise and be consulted. The origins of the Great War have occasioned some of the most passionate debate among historians over the past ninety years, and the fact that a book such as this has come out demonstrates that it is a subject that continues to fascinate. Nevertheless, none of the participants in the debate, despite all of the energy that they bring to it, has ever ascribed great import to the sovereigns involved. Despite this book, I suspect that future historians will not do so as well, for the reasons I have noted.
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