Wilhelm II and the Germans: A Study in Leadership

by Thomas A. Kohut

Overview

This book explores the personification inherent in the notion of "Wilhelmian Germany" by investigating the psychological dimension of Wilhelm II's leadership of the Germans. Despite his historical reputation, many Germans welcomed the Kaiser's leadership. The years between 1890 and 1914 were known as the Wilhelmian era in Germany, and even critics of Wilhelm II thought it somehow fitting that he should be the German emperor. The author argues that Wilhelm II's personal needs and the needs of Germans in an age of intense nationalism made him the symbol of the nation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195061727
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/01/1991
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.62(h) x 1.23(d)

Table of Contents

	Introduction	3
Part I.	The Politicization of Personality
1.	The Tragedy of Friedrich and Victoria	19
2.	The Legacy of Maternal Worry and Disappointment	30
3.	The Legacy of Maternal Possessiveness	52
4.	The Legacy of Paternal Weakness and Neglect	67
5.	Wilhelm II and His Parents	104
Part II.	The Personalization of Politics
6.	The Kaiser, the Press, and Public Opinion	127
7.	On the Imperial Stage	141
8.	Personal Symbol of the Nation	155
9.	The Kaiser, the Navy, and Weltpolitik	177
10.	Between the British and the Germans	199
	Conclusion	225
	Appendixes	235
	Notes	251
	Index	321

Editorial Reviews

"Kohut's study is the best psychological analysis of the Kaiser to date."—American Historical Review

"Kohut argues his thesis with insight, sophistication and a wealth of detail culled from a wide reading of primary sources. This is psycho-biography at its best....An intelligent and perceptive study, and one which no student of the period can afford to ignore."—Times Literary Supplement

"Well reasoned, well researched, and very readable. It can be recommended to the general reader, though a modicum of background knowledge of the period would be helpful."—The Historian

"An impressive example of what a historian can do in investigating the mixture of unconscious pressures, private motives, and public postures that affect political decisions."—Peter Gay, Yale University

"Much more than a biography—a study in German national fantasy, ssymbolism, and policy. It is a tribute to Kohut that he has developed a eprspective which has added new dimensions to the discussion of Wilhelmian Germany....An important book."—Peter Loewenberg, University of California, Los Angleles

"Do leaders determine the course of history, or are historical factors responsible for bringing leaders into prominence? Now historian Thomas Kohut addresses this problem in a book about Kaiser Wilhelm II....Drawing on his father's self psychology, Thomas Kohut characterizes Wilhelm II as a narcissistic personality, fragmented, insecure, doubtridden, arrogant, and grandiose, on whom Germany, a nation only recently united, projected its craving for international recognition and military power."—American Journal of Psychiatry

"It is the best recent book on [Wilhelm II]."—History: Reviews of New Books

"Kohut begins his important book by showing how narcissism, if not properly channelled in childhood by a supportive parental environment, can result in psychological imbalance."—Central European History

"Kohut's work is a provocative and solid addition to the complex jigsaw puzzle of Wilhelm II. It is clearly written...and the notes are rich and full of suggestions, debates, and ideas."—German Studies Review

"Not a biography, nor a study of policy, both of which, as Kohut points out, are readily available elsewhere, it is a study in personality."—Journal of Interdisciplinary History

From the Publisher