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To What Extent Was Kaiser Wilhelm's Foreign Policy The Cause Of WWI

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To what extent was Wilhelm’s foreign policy the cause of WWI?

Kaiser Wilhelms foreign policy wasn’t the exact cause of World War I, but it was one of the main causes that brought it to start.

In 1888, Wilhelm II became the Kaiser of the german empire. The changes he made in the policies and style of government during the next years played a big role in the outbreak of war during 1914.
Compared to Bismarck, who chose really conservative politics between the 1870s and 1880s, Wilhelm opted for a militaristic and expansionist political path, in order to defend Germany’s “Place in The Sun”.
Many people believe that Kaiser Wilhelm’s role wasn’t as important for the outbreak of war, but what happened in the past proves the exact opposite, by realising that military and foreign campaigns were the main objectives of the Kaiser we can see a strong connection between the Wilhelmine policy, the Kaiser and the beginning of World War I in 1914. …show more content…

However Bismarck’s system was described as short - term and while it brought peace in Europe it initiated all the alliances between major European powers, this alliance system is believed to be one of the major causes for the outbreak of WWI.
Kaiser Wilhelm destroyed the fragile situation created by Bismarck which was based on treaties that aimed to isolate France; germany needed a very competent successor to Bismarck, instead under Kaiser Wilhelm the German foreign policy was influenced by the same militarism and nationalism that brought Germany to unite in

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