Kaiser Wilhelm’s War Outburst

German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II was on vacation when World War I began in 1914. When he returned to Berlin and learned how events had escalated after the ultimatum to Serbia, he angrily confronted German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, asking how the crisis had spiraled into war. Bethmann Hollweg offered his resignation in response to the emperor’s outrage. Wilhelm refused to accept it and reportedly told him, “You’ve made this stew, now you’re going to eat it.”

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