Was he the master of 4-D chess?

He didn't care what side Germany was on so long as Germany was #3. After unification, however, he was very wary of Russia and did what could to foil any feelings of comity between them and France.

It's been said a thousand times, but Germany's entire position in WW1 would have been much better if the High Seas Fleet had never been built at all. The dreadnought arms race is what caused Anglo-German relations to deteriorate. Prior to that, Britain was much more likely to be concerned about France as a potential threat than Germany, especially after France allied itself to Czarist Russia. People sometimes claim that Britain's entry into the war on the side of France was somehow inevitable. In fact, the British cabinet was almost completely against war, up until the point that Belgium was invaded. And even then, the decision to declare war was a very narrow vote.

imo there was no way a war would happen without Germany being on the minority side. They had pissed off France forever by taking Alsasce-Lorriane, Willy pissed off Britain forever with their rapid and rampant naval arms race and spending, and Bismark had pissed off Russia for the last time by shitting on their gains of the Russo-Turkish war at the Congress of Berlin. Bismark was certainly good at uniting Germany, but he was fairly incompetent after unification. This isn't even mentioning how the balance of power was completely shattered with German unification as a united Germany was the biggest power on the continent and a simple 3-2 wouldn't be enough to stop it.

user is right. France had served as Britain's historic enemy for centuries and had the geography to menace the island. Across the world French and British colonies nervously bordered each other. All the while it was Russia that served as the greatest threat to Britain's interests in the far east as well as India.

Britain didn't have to get involved and certainly not on the side of the French or Russians. Joseph Chamberlain's run in the Cabinet has been very pro German and whenever Britain and Germany had any diplomatic dispute it was almost always handled quickly and quietly.

You're right. There is some speculation that had Britain not entered the war, instead remaining neutral, then a German victory of France and Russia would have been likely by the end of 1916. youtu.be/Dhhn4nswSMc

>There are five great powers of Europe.
wrong. you forgot Italy. it was considered "the least of the great powers" though
>inb4 abyssinia and cadorna

It was this feeling of encirclement that led to the "All or Nothing" vibe of WW1. The General Staff did not intentionally start the war, but once it started, they fully embraced it because they became convinced that this was their last chance, that if they didn't somehow radically alter the status quo, Russia was going to become so powerful as to be completely unstoppable. A fear that is easy to understand; Russia was making great strides in modernizing before the war, particular in terms of railroads. The importance of these railroads is hard to overstate because they allowed Russia to mobilize its vast army far more quickly than was previously possible. Besides that, they were starting a new program aimed at expanding the Russian army and navy by 40%. The fear among the General Staff was that if they didn't destroy Russia in the very immediate future, they'd have an unstoppable behemoth living right on their border.

Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Russia.
Are you really going to argue for Italy as a major military player in the late 19th century? Please explain it to me. Sure they had some capability in the Med and Adriatic, but I don't buy Italy as a major European power in that era any more than I'd buy the notion of the Ottoman's still having any meaningful sway aside from being...around...and slightly in the way.

if britain hadn't joined the war, though, wouldn't the ottomans still be a factor in this game? would they still try to attack russia in the caucasus? if they didn't, and remained neutral, it'd free up russian troops in the caucasus to be diverted to the eastern front. as I understand it, the ottomans joined the central powers because they believed they could help them regain egypt from britain. with britain out of the game, though, might they join the allies? would they try to make gains in the balkans by taking back bulgaria and macedonia? or would they use the war as a pretext to attack greece and serbia.

According to this cartoon, the major powers were Russia, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Britain, and America.

while the Naval Race certainly was the biggest factor, it wasn't the only strain between Britain and Germany. Germany had continuously rattled it's saber throughout the early 20th century like in the two Moroccan and Agadir crises. Britain was fearful of a continental hegemony like Napoleon ever popping up again, and Germany was certainly capable of being said hegemony.

>According to this cartoon, the major powers were Russia, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Britain, and America.

I'm glad Otto died when he did. It spared him the agony of watching everything he worked so hard to build be destroyed.

I wish Frederick III did not smoke, the world would've been so much better if he was in charge.

This, but he also should have raised his son better, why was Willy 2 so autistic?

You would seem autistic too, if you were forced to operate in a world where the rules of statecraft and warfare had completely turned on their head.

I'd seem autistic anyway, but Wilhelm 2 could have at least not fucked up all alliances and alienate the UK with the useless High Seas Fleet...

>This quote alone caused a massive breakthrough in German thought as they took their inferiority complex to new heights

Inferiority complex from having a useless arm.

>lol, thanks for creating a relatively stable nation for me to ruin, Phil, you're fired now.

i cri erytim

>Hitler inheriting a stable nation

>Hitler didn't inherit a stable nation

Hitler inherited an absolute train wreck and made it an absolute juggernaut able to go toe to toe with the rest of the world combined for quite a while, all done in the space of 5 years. Now that's a leader.

That's /pol/ lies. Hitler inherited a nation that just made it out of the great depression, spent more than four times the annual revenue, paid for it by invading countries, and then got put down like a wild animal.

Whatever you say, Mr. Shekelstein.

Do some research, or at the very least get out of a history board and back to the containment board.

Hitler inherited a "train wreck" because of the Great Depression, not because of any inherent failure on Weimar's part. Every country got absolutely fucked by the Great Depression.

Would the Great War still happen if Frederick didn't die so early? He wanted to make Germany like Britain and detested war, but he might be pressured by the need to break Russia before it's too late.

Wilhelm II also admired Britain, especially its powerful navy. It turns out the Anglo doesn't like being emulated too much.

Frederick admired Britain's government but did not want to pursue a navy or colonial empire.

Second hand smoke.

>Wilhelm II also admired Britain
Well I mean the queen was his grandmother

Queen Victoria I meant

>he went on to actually do it

Bismarck the absolute madman

>Just made it out of the depression
>out of the depression
>1933

The Great Depression reached its low point in 1932, from there on it was just getting better, under nazi leadershp or no.

>Hitler inherited a nation that just made it out of the great depression,

Objectively false

> spent more than four times the annual revenue

Government spending is a common way to boost the economy in bad times. Literally every modern western country spends more than they earn.

4 times annual revenue? Nope. Deficit spending is okay sometimes but that's outrageous.

>Heh, thanks for looking after my socialist collective. I'll take it from here, boys. Fucking dismissed, the lot of you.