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One of the forbidden fruits in the existence of every historian is the question “What if?” There is still so much past waiting to be explored that there is no room for things that did not take place.

And yet some history professionals cannot resist the charm of the forbidden - especially when it can be assumed that world history would have turned out very differently.

The figure of Friedrich III.

(1831–1888; actually Friedrich Wilhelm, shortened at the accession to the throne), who was crowned German Emperor and Prussian King on March 9, 1888, is ideal for such speculations.

This is mainly due to the demeanor of Wilhelm II, who followed his father Friedrich after only 99 days in office.

The son's cocky volatility, coupled with his talent for handling things that he didn't understand the slightest thing, ended, as is well known, in the First World War with almost 9.5 million deaths.

"Kaiser Friedrich as Crown Prince at the Court Ball 1878" (1890), by Anton von Werner

Source: picture alliance / SCHROEWIG / Ber

Friedrich III.

on the other hand, during his entire life he did and said things that were downright un-Prussian in their liberality.

It started with his lifestyle, which included tobacco enjoyment and the finest clothing from London society tailor Henry Poole in excess - what a civilian and gentleman did back then to enjoy life.

Added to this were insights such as the fact that a monarch could never rule against the will of his people.

A truly individual statement for a Hohenzollern.

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But this is where the dichotomies begin: of course, soon after his birth in 1831, Friedrich had not only civil but also military educators.

He completed his law studies in Bonn, but also embarked on a military career that brought him together with Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke and led entire armies in the wars up to 1871.

Friedrich's intellectual influencers included men like Ernst Moritz Arndt, whose national liberal treatises identified him as a notorious “French eater”.

With his wedding, Friedrich proved that Friedrich had a will of his own: in 1858 he married the British Princess Victoria in England, although the Prussian court would have preferred to transfer him to Russia.

Since 1861 the Prussian Crown Prince, Friedrich distanced himself in 1863 from Otto von Bismarck's repressive press policy.

It was also the Chancellor who, after the establishment of the German Empire from 1871, ensured that Friedrich had no influence whatsoever on politics.

The Crown Prince in turn even flirted at times with the bourgeois-liberal Progress Party;

with Bismarck this only caused ridicule.

In 1887, excessive smoking caused the Hohenzoller to develop throat cancer - when he ascended the throne, he was already significantly weakened.

Correspondingly little he was able to implement politically.

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However, experts are certain that the Prussian military tradition was too influential for him to make extensive concessions to liberalism as emperor.

This reduces the reasons for all friends of “what if” games to accuse the tobacco industry for a lost historic opportunity.

On the other hand, the small German Reich would have been spared the long list of imperial scandals - from the “Huns' speech” to the “Daily Telegraph” affair ”.

So after Frederick's reign of 99 days, the 30 years of wandering Wilhelminism began.

Without any ifs or shoulds.

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