Kaiser Wilhelm II and the Cartoonists
Professor W. A. Coupe suggests, on the basis of the popular cartoon of the period, that the Emperor's person was the object of sustained criticism which seemed to augur well for the future political development of Germany.
The First World War is often referred to as the 'Kaiser's War'. The implications of this are that the roots of democracy lay shallow in the German Empire and that the role of Wilhelm II was autocratic and undisputed. In fact his reign had seen a remarkable growth in opposition to the autocratic system in all its manifestations.
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