SKU: 14604395331

The Last Kaiser: The Life of Wilhelm II

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The Last Kaiser: The Life of Wilhelm IIGermany's last kaiser was born in Potsdam on January 27, 1859, the son of Prince Frederick of Prussia and Princess Vicky, Queen Victoria's eldest child. William was born with a withered arm possibly the result of cerebral palsy and many historians have sought in this a clue to his behavior in later life. He was believed mad by some, eccentric by others. Possessed of a ferocious temper, he was prone to reactionary statements, often contradicted by his

Germany's last kaiser was born in Potsdam on January 27, 1859, the son of Prince Frederick of Prussia and Princess Vicky, Queen Victoria's eldest child. William was born with a withered arm---possibly the result of cerebral palsy---and many historians have sought in this a clue to his behavior in later life. He was believed mad by some, eccentric by others. Possessed of a ferocious temper, he was prone to reactionary statements, often contradicted by his next action or utterance. He was rumored to have sired numerous illegitimate children and yet was by all appearances a prig. He was brought up by a severe Calvinist tutor Hinzpeter, but his entourage spoiled him, allowing him to win at games and maneuvers to compensate for his deformities. This gave him a sense of inherent invincibility.

William became kaiser at age twenty-nine. Two years later he drove Bismarck out after he had blocked his liberal social policy. He destabilized the Iron Chancellor's foreign policy by failing to renew the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia, a decision that opened the way for Russia's alliance with France in 1891. William then went on to build a powerful fleet. Though he always denied his target was Britain, there is evidence that German domination of the seas was his real aim---his secretary of state, Tirpitz, was less anxious to please the British than the grandson of Queen Victoria. But William idolized the British Queen. As soon as he heard she was dying he rushed to Osborne House to be at her bedside; his own daughter later said, "The Queen of England died in the arms of the German Kaiser."

William II is widely perceived as a warmonger who seemed to delight in power-grabbing, bloodshed, and the belligerent aims of his staff; and yet the image he carved out for himself and for posterity was that of "Emperor of peace." Historically he has been blamed for World War I, although he made real efforts to prevent it. He has been branded an anti-Semite, but ironically the Nazis wrote him off as a "Jew-lover." In this fascinating, authoritative new life, MacDonogh, widely praised for his biography of Frederick the Great, takes a fresh look at this complex, contradictory statesman and the charges against him to find that many of them can no longer be upheld.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
Published: 09/05/2000
ISBN: 9780312305574
Pages: 560
Weight: 1.55lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 1.30d
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SKU: 14604395331

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cecilia hudes
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
Easy assembly and great cut
Husband said it was easy to put together and the blade did a great job
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Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2026
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Odie1Coyote
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 5
Great power and east to maintain straight cuts.
I have zoysia grass, and if your familiar with that you know its as thick as crab grass. I also had a sidewalk and driveway that hadn't been edged for a couple of years. This edger was up for the task. It easily cut away 3-5 inches of over-growth a few inches thick. I actually filled up 3 lawn bags which is a lot. I also like the way the edger is easy to maintain a straight line for a nice finish. I found that a back-and-forth motion was the best way to remove years of over-growth. Now that I have conquered the over-growth, I run the edger once every month and I am able to keep a clean professional looking edge along my driveway and sidewalks. Because this is electric, it has plenty of power. And because of the wheels it is easy to move and is not to heavy. It's a little loud so ear protection would be wise but not necessary. I have purchased some replacement blades and put them on and it only takes a few minutes and is easy to do. My neighbor was using his battery powered edger, he has zoysia grass also and asked to borrow my edger. He has since bought his own just like mine.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2025
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Steve
Birmingham, US
★★★★★ 5
Great edger
This is a great lightweight and portable edger. It’s much easier to use than a gasoline powered model. The only limiting factor is the length of the electric cord. It does a great job and make sure your driveways and sidewalk look manicured.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2026
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sunshine
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
Easy of use.
Easy to use for edging driveway. I am not a professional and a senior who is learning to take care of my yard.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2026
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Movie Fan
New York, US
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Nice Edger as long as the blade doesn't come loose -- and it will come loose, repeatedly!
Probably could've/should've rated this 2 stars yet it works well when it works. I purchased this edger to edge my drive and sidewalks and not for trenching. The edger arrived very quickly after I ordered it (I am not a Prime member so this was a nice surprise). Assembly was easy and straight-forward. The first use went smoothly and the edger performed flawlessly and provided clean, smooth edging. About 20 minutes into the second use I noticed that the edger was cutting and quickly determined that the blade was spinning freely -- fortunately the hex nut was still attached to the threaded shaft. I reviewed the manual that came with the edger, grabbed the correct sized socket and torque wrench. I removed the hex nut, the first washer, the blade and then the second washer. To install I followed the directions ensuring that the flats of the washer aligned with the flat on the shaft and tightened the hex nut to the specified 140 in-lbs. The edger worked well for about 10 minutes and the blade once again became loose. This time I replaced the original blade (which did not need to be replaced from a wear perspective) with a new B&D blade and new washers. Once again I followed the instructions and this time the edger performed flawlessly until about 5 minutes remaining in my edging when once again the blade came loose. my experience has most certainly been frustrating to say the least. one should not need to carry a socket and torque wrench with them and repeatedly need to tighten the blade. So, when the edger performs as intended it does an excellent job at edging; however I have no confidence that this edger will be able to perform as intended throughout repeated uses and more importantly has shown that it cannot complete my edging without requiring tightening the blade (which requires disassembly down to the second keyed washer). Potential buyers should be prepared for this experience and make your decision accordingly. Note: I tried contacting black and decker via twitter (@blackdeckerhome) and never received a response; I could not find a separate customer service/support twitter account. Trying to contact customer service via the phone these days is an exercise in patience to say the least.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2022

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