Wilhelm II (1859 - 1941)
Position: German Emperor (ruled from 1888-1918) Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King from Prussia, reigning from 1888-1918. He was the son of Frederick III and Victoria. As a child he was born with a withered arm. This insecurity later fueled his erratic behavior. At the age of 29, he succeeded his father and became the new emperor of Germany. As an emperor, he dreamed of turning Germany into a worldwide economic, naval, and colonial power. Wilhelm was a supporter of World War I, but after realizing that Germany would lose the war he fled to the Netherlands and hid there for the rest of his life (Kaiser Wilhelm II). Wilhelm II was chosen as one of the Great Ubermensch for several key reasons. First of all, when he was appointed to emperor he had great ambitions for himself and the country he would run. He dreamed that Germany would be a major worldwide presence, and attempted to raise Germany into a major economic, naval, and colonial power. He ruled as a tyrant and a King towards the end of his rule, and vastly expanded the Germany military. Going in to World War I, he saw Germany as a superior nation and superior enough to take on the world (Wilhelm II). Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919) Position: U.S. President (1901 - 1909) Theodore Roosevelt, commonly referred to as Teddy, was born in New York City on October 1858. His family was the owner of a successful plate-glass import business. As a child he was cited to be weak, but later grew up treasuring physical strength. Roosevelt enrolled at law school, but later opted to go into politics instead. He first joined the New York State assembly. Roosevelt went on to make a run for New York mayorship, but was not elected. After participating in the Spanish-American war, he was elected governor of New York in 1898, and later became vice president of the United States under President McKinley. After McKinley got assassinated, he became the 26th president of the United States (Brief Biography). Thomas Roosevelt perfectly fits the definition of Great Ubermensch for several central reasons. First of all, Roosevelt had great ambitions for the United States of America’s role in foreign affairs. Roosevelt sought to make the United States the dominant power throughout the world, and to mitigate threats that threatened the well-being of the United States and their allies. In addition, he saw himself, a representative of white people, superior to all others who are not white. He sought it upon himself to fix the atrocities of the world among lesser races because it is the job of the superior white men to do so (Domestic Politics). Emperor Meiji (1852 - 1912) Position: Japanese Emperor (1867 - 1912) Emperor Meiji was born in Kyoto on 1852. He was the second son of the previous emperor, was announced crown prince in 1860, and was appointed to the throne after the death of his father on 1867. His accession to the throne marked the restoration of supreme executive authority in the country of Japan. Emperor Meiji led Japan in a very transitional time, where Japan would begin to compete with western industrial powers in terms of wealth and power. Under Emperor Meiji’s reign, Japan was vastly transformed from a feudal country to a great power of the modern world because of this vast industrialization (The Meiji Restoration). Emperor Meiji is undoubtedly one of the Great Ubermensch of the early 20th century for a multitude of blatantly obvious reasons. He had very large ambitions of transforming Japan from an archaic isolationist country into a very real modern industrial power. Under his reign alone, Japan’s power exponentially increased and Japan rapidly modernized under a very short period of time. He believed that the western powers were not superior to Japan and that Japan could contend with the “superior race”. All of his achievements were monumental towards the development of Japan in the early 20th century and even today. Given everything that he did, his achievements can almost be considered divine (Meiji Restoration/Revolution). |
Works Cited
PBS. PBS. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
"American Experience: TV's Most-watched History Series." PBS. PBS. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
"Brief Biography." - Theodore Roosevelt Association. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
"Kaiser Wilhelm II: From Early Years to Exile." OpenLearn. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
"Meiji Restoration/Revolution in Japan." Meiji Restoration/Revolution in Japan. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
"The Meiji Restoration and Modernization | Asia for Educators | Columbia University." The Meiji Restoration and Modernization | Asia for Educators | Columbia University. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
PBS. PBS. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
"American Experience: TV's Most-watched History Series." PBS. PBS. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
"Brief Biography." - Theodore Roosevelt Association. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
"Kaiser Wilhelm II: From Early Years to Exile." OpenLearn. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
"Meiji Restoration/Revolution in Japan." Meiji Restoration/Revolution in Japan. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
"The Meiji Restoration and Modernization | Asia for Educators | Columbia University." The Meiji Restoration and Modernization | Asia for Educators | Columbia University. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.