German foreign policy during the reign of William II was faced with several significant problems. Probably the most apparent was that Guillermo II, a man impatient by nature, subjective in his reactions and strongly affected by his impulses and feelings, was not personally prepared to lead German foreign policy along a rational path. This weakness also made him vulnerable to manipulation by the interests of the elite of German foreign policy, and subsequent events would prove it.
After the dismissal of Bismarck, William II and his new chancellor decided not to renew the Treaty of Reinsurance with the Russian Empire, which was secret and had been concluded by Bismarck in 1887. This agreement guaranteed the neutrality of Russia in the event of an attack by France and its abandonment is considered by many historians as one of the most dangerous decisions taken by Guillermo II in terms of foreign policy. Actually, the decision to allow the expiration of the treaty was taken without its prior knowledge and was mainly the responsibility of Leo von Caprivi, inspired by the faction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led by Friedrich von Holstein, although William II supported the actions of his chancellor . It is important not to overestimate the emperor's influence on foreign policy after the dismissal of Bismarck, but it is true that his participation contributed to the general lack of coherence and consistency of the policy of the German Empire with other powers.
The crisis of the «Daily Telegraph» deeply wounded the already damaged self-confidence of William II, so much so that he soon suffered from severe clinical depression, from which he never really recovered. From that moment on he lost much of the influence he had previously exercised in terms of foreign and domestic policy.
In some cases, William II's diplomatic errors were part of a more far-reaching policy emanating from the German government elite. One such action detonated the First Moroccan Crisis in 1905, when Guillermo II was persuaded to make a spectacular visit to Morocco. His presence was seen as an assertion of German interests in Morocco, and he even made certain affirmations in favor of Morocco's independence in a speech. This led to some friction with France, which had colonial interests in that country, accentuated by the German government with the Agadir Crisis. However, nothing that Guillermo II did in the international arena had more influence than his decision to carry out a large-scale shipbuilding policy.
Nor did much reassure the spirits of the peace armed declarations high-sounding and expansionist tone, given the context of the time, made by William II such as "Germany seeks its place under the Sun."
