Living in Hope

TWO INSTEAD OF ONE The secret of all success is patience. The cause of all failure is impatience. William II (1859-1941) became King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany on the death of his grandfather William I in 1888. Intelligent but impetuous, he believed in military power. The military might that Germany developed during the reign of William II did not succeed in saving his empire from eclipse. In 1914, his support for Austria helped to precipitate the European war, and Germany’s resulting defeat brought his abdication. He retired to Doorn in Holland, where he lived quietly until his death in 1941. His abdication and death in exile provide living proof of the fact that it is not military might that keeps kings in power. Rather, it is the ability to correctly interpret national and international circumstances, and deal with them effectively. Shortly before the outbreak of World War I, William II went on an official visit to Switzerland, where he