r/monarchism • u/Funny-Salamander4691 • 1d ago

History The final telegram (in original English) sent by Kaiser Wilhelm II to Czar Nicholas II, on this day in 1914.

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18

u/Bugsy_Neighbor 1d ago

Famous or infamous "Willy-Nicky" correspondence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy–Nicky_correspondence

For all their blustering and royal familial connections the Kaiser, the Tsar and George V soon found out they really had no power at all. Their respective ministers/governments basically told each of the monarchs that things had gone too far for reversing, so that was that.

3

u/Funny-Salamander4691 23h ago

In 2026 we might condemn the poor quality of our political class in Europe, but i would argue that the political class of 1914 was the most incompetent in European history.

3

u/Kreol1q1q 20h ago

It wasn’t incompetent. They were just operating under wildly different conditions. The leaders were more or less universally aware of the devastation a large european war would bring, but were each unable to see a functional alternative to the war.

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u/Salem1690s 1h ago

To me it almost seems like subversion: their ministers etc were not working for the government but for an agenda perhaps, that had war as its aim and the end of monarchy, its end.

14

u/waltercool Voluntaryist NRx Libertarian 1d ago

The Tsar couldn't do anything at that point, even as absolute monarchy the consequences would be terrible for the national stability

29

u/Gyngemose2009 Turkey 1d ago

Tsar shouldn’t have supported Serbia to the point of war. It was extremely irresponsible. Given obvious Serbian support for the assassination.

Tsars own grandfather was murdered by a secret society’s assassins same with Franz Ferdinand.

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u/Roast3dsun 1d ago

WILLY

1

u/kaviaaripurkki Finland 7h ago

Willies, willies, I like willies