November 11, 1918: The End of the Unnecessary War

By Walt Johanson  November 11, 2018

One hundred years ago today, the war to end wars ended.

It was not the end of war, despite the wishful thinking of H.G. Wells, and it was unnecessary, due to an accident of history: the early death of the second Kaiser of Imperial Germany, Frederick III.

The "Second Reich" -- the first being that established by Charlemagne and destroyed by Napoleon a thousand years later -- was established by Bismarck. In its brief existence from January 1871 to November 1918, it had three emperors, all of whom reigned in the Dreikaiserjahr, AD 1888.

The first kaiser, William I, died in March of that year, and the third, William II, assumed the title in June. Between March and June, the reigning monarch was Frederick III.

The woeful history of the twentieth century would have turned out far, far differently if Frederick had lived as long as his father, William I (91 years), and his son, William II (82). Instead, at age 57, Frederick was a dying man when he assumed the throne, a victim of throat cancer, probably on account of his love of cigars, and to the fact that his illness was not properly diagnosed and treated.

His reign was so brief that few know that he had ever occupied the throne..................Read more