Answers to Quora Questions by Yair Davidiy (4 January 2018, 17 Tevet, 5778)
Who is the most hated by the German public, Adolf Hitler or Kaiser Wilhelm?
Both Adolf Hitler and Kaiser Wilhelm gave expression to aspects of the German National Ethos as it was received by them and as they understood it. Towards the end of World War-1 there was a lot of unrest in Germany. There were strikes and mutinies and some areas were on the verge of rebellion. Kaiser Wilhelm was not popular at that time. On the other hand, in World War-2 the Germans fought almost to the end even when it was against their own interests and there was no hope. The majority of the people kept believing in Fraulein Adolf from Vienna, their great Fuehrer. Even after the war a large percentage still supported Hitler and his cronies. It may be that nowadays attitudes have changed following the process of de-Nazification, German prosperity and material decadence, the good life, international success and acceptance, decades of official liberalism, American influence, the EU, etc. Adolf is disliked both because of what he did or led the Germans to do and for having been a failure. Nevertheless, many Germans feel pride in the effort Adolf led them to make, of his partial success. Under Adolf they expressed their inner potential more completely. Wilhelm is disregarded in this respect. Admittedly Hitler is hated more but there is still a degree of admiration for the Germany of that time. Even so, though both brought disaster on Germany AH is more denigrated than Wilhelm is.
Have the Germans really changed however? More than 40% hold hostile views of the Jews. They are against Israel, spread calumnies against Israel, support the enemies of Israel, help Iran, and so on. They also are poised to becoming the rulers of Europe. The world wants the Americans to stay in Germany because they still fear the Germans and the Germans fear themselves.