Kaiser Wilhelm II

Wilhelm II and the Russian monarch Nicholas II were friendly—family friends. (The German Kaiser was the cousin of the emperor’s wife Alexandra Feodorovna; their mothers were sisters.) They visited each other and called one another “Willy” and “Nicky.”

During personal meetings, they loved to throw costumed parties—and they shared a hobby as well: collecting military uniforms.

So how did it happen that these recent friends suddenly became sworn enemies? What was the true reason behind the outbreak of World War I, and what events led to the fall of the Hohenzollern imperial house? The answers to these questions are in the audiobook “Wilhelm II” by Emil Ludwig.