Kaiser's Ignoble War Analysis

Title: (A) Write short pen portraits of Wilhelm II and Nicholas II explaining their rank, how long they had been in power and what kind of leaders they had been up to 1914.
(B) Explain the meaning and political message behind any two of the following snippets from these telegrams:
Kaiser – ‘deserved punishment’
Tsar – ‘ignoble war’
Name: Laura O’Reilly
Student no: 14708891
Module: HI117 Writing the History of War and Society
Lecturer: Dr Gearoid Barry
Tutor: James O’ Donnell
Word Count: 1168
Date of Submission: 22 October 2014
World War One would see so many atrocities that even those at the helm would eventually feel its wrath. By 1917 Tsar Nicholas II of Russia would be executed by the Bolshevik’s, while Kaiser Wilhelm II
This war would see the last Tsar of Russia and the last Emperor of Germany fall drastically from power.
Kaiser Wilhelm II accession to the Throne in 1888 came at the age of 29 after the death of his father. Wilhelm was considered an erratic and narcissistic man. Born with a withered arm, a birth defect that throughout his life he sought to
Wilhelm’s telegram to Nicholas the II on July 28th can be considered both antagonising of the Tsar and his Government, and somewhat manipulative. The Kaiser states that it is of grave importance that the Tsar as ruler, understands that those responsible for the murder of the Archduke and his wife should be brought to justice and receive their ‘deserved punishment’. Aware of Russian interest in the Balkan area and the connection to the Slavic people, the Kaiser appears to be coercing a certain reaction from the Tsar. The telegram is antagonistic, playing on the perception of the regime’s weakness and inability to unite public opinion. It also insinuates Russian accountability for any future