The heads on the coins: WWI Leaders

[SwordsMaster]

In addition to the thread about WWI, here is the thread with short biographies of the most important leaders: I'll start with Tzar Nicolay II:



Emperor Nicolay II : Russia





Nicholas II was born on May 6, 1868, in Tsarskoe Selo. He was delivered by his mother Marie Fyodorovna Romanova, formerly Dagmar, Princess of Denmark. His father Alexander Romanov was an important member of the Russian government.

Unlike the rest of the Romanov men, Nicholas was not a very big man. The other men were always very intimidating; Nicholas however, was a mere 5' 6 tall. To make up for his lack of height, Nicholas worked out with weights and other various athletic equipment.

Nicholas was known for his regal appearance. He had lively blue eyes that people always thought were the well of his soul. He wore his brown hair parted to the left and had a thick beard. He had golden highlights throughout. Those golden highlights stayed with him throughout his life and became his signature feature.

Nicholas had a nervous habit of always brushing his thick mustache with the back of his hand. Nicholas inherited a pug nose from his father. He disliked it very much because it reminded him of Paul I whom he considered the most unattractive of his relatives.

Nicholas was an extremely smart man and very well educated. He was at the top of his class and was the most intelligent of the European monarchs of his time. His parents prepared him for the task of being a 20th Century Czar, knowing it would be quite different from previous years.

The family was guarded by secret police and military guards. This meant that Nicholas grew up in almost complete seclusion from the outside world. This was not helpful to his maturing process or understanding of the ways in which his future subjects lived. Because he was so secluded, Nicholas never grew an appreciation for how people lived, and his ideas about important issues were very narrow-minded. His immaturity and lack of understanding would hinder his ability to govern Russia in the future.

While heir to the throne, Nicholas worked his way into the rank of Colonel in the Life Guards. He had a love for the military and always considered himself an army man. His personality and social habits were greatly influenced by his years as a young officer. He made many of his longest lasting friendships among his fellow officers. These were the happiest years when he had no worries of his future reign as Czar of Russia.

Nicholas gave his heart to a young, German princess named Alex of Hess. It was thought that they were not a good match. She was not seen as the type of woman with the strong qualities needed in an Empress to be. Yet, they were formally engaged in 1893.

Nicholas felt he was not up to the task of ruling Russia. He felt as though he had not the abilities or the experience. Yet, he took his coronation oath very seriously. Realizing that he was surrounded by bureaucrats, he quickly figured out he could trust few people. He turned to his wife, knowing that she was the one true person that he could rely on for support. Loneliness became his way of life.

Nicholas always put his country before anything else in life. He thought the fate of his family and his country were inseparable. He knew the shortcomings of his family dynasty all too well. Only he could keep it from falling apart. Being a very smart man, he realized he was a target for assassination. His wife's love and devotion were cherished throughout his life.

Though praised for his admirable qualities, he was portrayed as a failure. It was very hard for him to distinguish his own views of what was right and wrong for Russia. Although he was not an unintelligent man, he was hesitant to draw his own conclusions. He often pondered on important issues. Lacking political knowledge and instinct, he was rarely sure how to handle the affairs of state. He was thought of as weak and very contradictorious. It was difficult to relate to his mentality and follow his leadership.

In 1914, World War I began. Nicholas II took command of the army in 1915. He left the government of Russia in the hands of Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna and her advisor Rasputin. Discontent spread throughout Russia. The army was tired of war, and food shortages worsened. The government was in complete disarray. In March of 1917, Nicholas II was forced to abdicate. He and his family were shot to death in Yekatinburg on July 16, 1918.

[SwordsMaster]

Despite the lack of interest, here goes another one:

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany




Ascent: Emperor Wilhelm I dies 9-Mar-1888. Frederick III is crowned Emperor but cannot rule due to throat cancer and a ninety-nine day coma. Wilhelm II succeeds his father and is crowned Emperor (midyear) 1888.

Noteworthy Relations Relationship Country
Crown Prince Wilhelm son Germany
Czar Nicholas II cousin Russia
King Edward VII uncle Britain
King George V cousin Britain
King Frederick III father Prussia
Queen Victoria grandmother Britain
Emperor Wilhelm I grandfather Germany

Politics: Above all, the Kaiser wanted "a place in the sun" for the German people. The problem was the only places left were in the shade. There was very little room left for new colonization in the early part of this century. Never the less the Kaiser built up the German military machine and under the Tirpitz Plan, built a naval fleet to rival that of Great Britain. The term "saber rattler" sums up his politics as well as his personality. Historian Barbara Tuchman put it well when she referred to the Kaiser as "possessor of the least inhibited tongue in Europe".

Personal: The Kaiser was born with a withered left arm (like FDR's polio, this defect was pretty well covered up and is visible in only a few photographs). This, together with having some tough footsteps in which to follow, led Wilhelm towards the military lifestyle. He loved his numerous uniforms and surrounding himself with the elite of German military society.

Misconception: The Kaiser was a war monger solely responsible for the First World War. The Kaiser did not start the war. The Kaiser did not want the war. "Saber rattling" is one thing, a war with the other major European powers is something very different indeed! The most that can be said is that the Kaiser did not do enough to try to control the actions of Austria-Hungary and prevent the outbreak of war. In the end he accepted war.

Fate: The Kaiser was forced to ø abdicate as part of the Armistice. He went to Holland where he died in 1941. He is buried at Doorn.

[SwordsMaster]

Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria.




(1863-1914) Born, Graz, Austria. Heir to the imperial throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire. His assassination on June 28, 1914, provided the spark that ignited the Great War.

The eldest son of Emperor Franz Joseph's younger brother Carl Ludwig, Franz Ferdinand became the hier-apparent following the death of Crown Prince Rudolf in 1889, and his own father in 1896.
Not an especially cultured man, at times prideful and mistrusting, F.F. lacked the charisma to make him socially and politically popular. His short temper and suspicious nature ensured that truly talented advisors did not last long in his cabinet-in-waiting. He became more reclusive following his morganatic marriage to Sophie Chotek von Chotkova in 1900. Contrary to his public persona, he was a very happy husband and devoted father.
Another source of F.F.'s lack of popularity was the reforms he intended to enact when he became Emperor. Recognizing growing the strains and pressures of nationalism among the many ethnic groups within Austria-Hungary, F.F. proposed to replace Austro-Hungarian dualism with 'Trialism,' a triple monarchy in which the empire's slavs would have an equal voice in government with the Germans and Magyars. Another possible variation F.F. was exploring was a form of federalism made up of 16 states. While such radical reforms might have saved the empire, they were not popular among those with vested interests in the existing structure. Serbia was as uncomfortable with F.F.'s potential reforms as any group within the empire. Contented slavs living within the empire would not be likely to agitate for separation and to join with Serbia.

As Inspector General of the Army, F.F. accepted an invitation to visit the provincial capital of Bosnia -- Sarajevo -- to inspect army manoeuvres. The trip also provided an opportunity for both himself and Sophie to be seen as 'imperial.'
The provinces of Bosnia and Herzogovina had been under Austro-Hungarian administration and protection by international agreement, since 1878. In 1908, Austria annexed the provinces outright. Some European governments were upset at the annexation, but Greater-Serbia proponents were outraged. They wanted the provinces to be part of a Serbian led pan-slav state, not part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. A Serbian secret terrorist group, the Black Hand, decided to assassinate somebody in protest. F.F. was eventually selected when his trip to Saravejo was made public. By killing him, the threat of his reforms would be removed.

On June 28th, 1914, while riding in the motorcade through the streets of Sarajevo, Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were shot and killed by Gavrilo Princip -- one of seven young Bosnians and Black Hand recruits. The assassination provided 'justification' for Austria to take hard action against Serbia. Throughout the month of July, 1914, the Austro-Serbian situation quickly escalated to include the Eruopean world powers -- resulting in world war.

Franz Ferdinand was buried in a crypt beneath the chapel of his castle, Artstetten, instead of the customary burial place of the Hapsburgs, Capuchin Crypt, in Vienna.

[SwordsMaster]

Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy




b. Naples, November 11, 1869; d. Alexandria, Egypt, December 28, 1947. King of Italy, 1900 - 1946 The only son of King Umberto I and Margherita di Savoia,

Victor Emmanuel studied history and law, and received military training that resulted in his holding positions of command from 1887. He married Elena, the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Montenegro, in October 1896, and succeeded his father on the throne following the latter's assassination in 1900. Persuaded that the reactionary efforts of the government of General Luigi Pelloux and others during his father's final years were counter-productive, Victor Emmanuel supported moderate and liberal practices until after the Great War. He backed the economic development and social/political reforms of Giovanni Giolitti, which created something of an Italian "New Deal" in the years 1900-1914. Victor Emmanuel III maintained support for Italy's membership in the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, but also agreed with the Italian rapprochement with Britain, France, and Russia -- the Triple Entente -- concerning Mediterranean affairs, which facilitated Italy's military venture in Libya against the Turks, 1911-1912. Partly because of this situation, General Alfred von Schlieffen of the German General Staff included Italian fortifications in his points along the circumference of the "encirclement" of Germany in the years before the war.

Although many Italian aristocrats and churchmen displayed pro-Austrian sentiments upon the outbreak of hostilities, the King understood the need for neutrality early in the conflict; and, like Sydney Sonnino, Victor Emmanuel came to support pro- Entente intervention. During a severe crisis for the Salandra-Sonnino government in May 1915, the King backed the interventionists, signed the declaration of war against Austria-Hungary, and left for the front as soon as hostilities began.

In the wake of the breakthrough at Caporetto and the ensuing crisis of October-November 1917, Victor Emmanuel displayed calm and exercised decisive leadership. When French Marshal Ferdinand Foch reported the virtual lack of a high command under Italian General Luigi Cadorna, the King replaced the latter with General Armando Diaz. Victor Emmanuel then persuaded the other Allied leaders that Italy could hold the enemy at the Piave River, and he exhorted the nation and the army to rally for the defense of the Piave line. The nation, including most Socialists and other anti-war groups, came to the aid of their country during the crisis, and the Italians held.

The king's behavior in the years following World War I lacked the character with which he acted during the war. He refused to approve Premier Luigi Facta's emergency decree against the Fascist March on Rome in 1922 and permitted Benito Mussolini to form the first fascist-led government, although the Fascists had elected only 35 members of parliament. Subsequently, his occasional complaints against Mussolini aside, Victor Emmanuel supported the Fascist dictatorship in virtually every major crisis until the Allied invasion of 1943, a course of behavior which cost him his throne in May 1946 and which facilitated Italy's abolition of the monarchy shortly thereafter.