"God will bless us; only the Habsburgs can be the victors!"
Like Alexander III, Germany also faced the decision of whether to join this war.
During the era of William I, there would have been no internal disputes within the German government. In William I's time, Bismarck was the undisputed ruler, and his foreign policy was strongly supported by William I.
Unfortunately, the German Emperor at this time was ultimately William II.
Although Bismarck was highly respected, he was merely the Prime Minister of the German Empire. German Emperor William II was the master of the country, and when there was a significant conflict between imperial power and the power of the Prime Minister, if the emperor could not be changed, then only the Prime Minister could be changed.
On February 17th, 1889, German Emperor William II personally ordered the government to prepare for war.
