WILLIAM II. (1859-1. German Emperor and King of Prussia. son of Emperor Frederick III. and Victoria• Princess Royal of Great Brit ain. He was born January 27, 1859. Following the tradition of his house, he received a thorough military training, which began in his early youth. He was made a second lieutenant in 1869 and en tered the gymnasium at Cassel in 1874. In 1877 he was commissioned as a first lieutenant and entered the University of Bonn. where he studied especially law and political science until 1879. when he entered the military service. Ile was raised to the rank of major-general by his grand father. On the death of his father he succeeded to the throne of Prussia and to that of the Ger man Empire, June 15, 18SS. He showed himself at once to be a man of aggressive temperament and disposed to take an exalted view of the duties and responsibilities of his office. His insistence in his earlier utterances upon his grandfather's favorite idea of divine right gave rise to a feel ing that a reactionary course might be looked for from him. He speedily came into collision with Prince Bismarck. The great Minister was forced to resign and went into a discontented retirement (Mareh 20, 1S90). while General von Caprivi (q.v.) took the Chancellorship, to be succeeded by Hohenlohe (1894), who in torn gave way to Von Billow (1900), The Emperor followed the policy of Bismarek in maintaining the Triple Alliance and in some other respects. He deviated widely from it by taking an interest in the affairs of the Orient, cultivating relations with the Ottoman Government. and pushing Ger man activity in Asia Minor. In the Farther East he was similarly active. Aside from the emphasis laid upon his own authority and divine right, be soon showed himself a very modern ruler, lessly active and keeping in close touch with the world's affairs. One of his chief interests has been the cultivation of German industries and commerce, and the parallel development of the German navy to rank with that of the first naval powers. Soon after tile beginning of his reign
be secured the passage by the Reichstag of a law providing for the compulsory insurance of work jrrmen against disability arising from old age r infirmity, and he showed in other ways his seen interest in the welfare of the laboring classes. Of late he has, however, shown himself an uncompromising foe of socialism. lle has been in hearty sympathy with the policy of co lonial expansion in Africa. Educational matters have claimed much of his attention, and he has remodeled the curriculum in the higher schools of Prussia. Feared as a 'war lord' at the be ginning of his reign, he has begun to show a pro found sense of the value of international amity, and he has cultivated his cosmopolitan interests by frequent visits to foreign courts. In 1902, on the occasion of the launching of a yacht built for him in the United States, he sent his brother, Admiral Prince Henry of Prus sia, to the United States as his representative and gave the visit international importance by his official attitude and his gifts to the American people. William married, February 27, 1881, Princess Victoria of burg-Augustenburg, who was born October 22, 18,58. Seven children were born to them. Freder ick William, the Crown Prince, was born May 6, IS82.
Consult : Bigelow, The German Emperor (Lon don, 1889), a personal study made at the begin ning of William 1L's reign; Frederic, The Young Emperor, William IL of Germany (ib.. 1891). another early estimate by an American newspaper correspondent ; Lowe. Time German Emperor, Wil liam II. (ib., 1896) ; Meister, Kaiser Wilhelm II. (Berlin, 1894) ; Lavisse, Trois empereurs d'Allmnagne (Paris, 1888).