Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany is a character that few can understand or relate to. Not only does he value his own interests over the lives of innocent civilians; he makes decisions based on his own self-interest that will ultimately lead to the loss of millions of lives along with his own loss of power. It seems that he couldn’t possibly be weighing the benefits and the sacrifices rationally, since it is so clear to a soldier the instant he walks onto the front lines. The possibility that individuals can become so blinded by power still remains a mystery to most. It would be interesting to find out what was going on inside of the Kaiser’s mind as led his country to war, forcing young men who had nothing to gain to risk their lives at war.

The Kaiser is a man with a distinctly large ego. He needs to feel in power and have people constantly show him what he wants to see. When the Kaiser comes to visit the troops, they all put on a façade simply to please him, even though he is the responsible party for their undesirable fates. The men do a lot of work for the preparation of the Kaiser’s brief visit: “There's a great deal of polishing being done. We are inspected at every turn. Everything that is torn is exchanged for new. I score a spotless new tunic out of it and Kat, of course, an entire outfit… At last it leaks out -- the Kaiser is coming to review us” (203). It is impossible to tell whether or not the Kaiser can see through the façade. The much needed uniforms that the troops receive prior to the Kaiser’s visit are immediately taken away once the soldiers are no longer needed to look nice for the Kaiser: “As for the windfall, we have to return almost all the new things and take back our old rags again. The good ones were merely for the inspection” (209). Masking the troops in this way only gives the Kaiser more confidence that they will win the war and more of a reason to keep sending young men off to die. This sort of ego boost only increases the gap in the Kaiser’s mind between his fantasy and harsh reality.

Not only is there a gap between the ideal and the real in the Kaiser’s mind, but many characters who are not involved in the actual combat also suffer from the same dissolution. One of Paul’s father’s friends is clearly misled, and doesn’t realize the diminishing attitude of the soldiers: “So you come from the front? What is the spirit like out there? Excellent, eh? Excellent?” (167). Also, the schoolmaster, Kantorek, who had initially inspired all of Paul’s class to go to war is obviously mislead, believing the propaganda and lies sparked by the country leaders: “While they taught that duty to one's country is the greatest thing, we already knew that death-throes are stronger” (12). Paul and his friends instantly see the truth when they are exposed to the horrors of the front line. They realize that this war the Kaiser led them into could not possibly be worth it: “They surpassed us only in phrases and in cleverness. The first bombardment showed us our mistake, and under it the world as they had taught it to us broke in pieces” (11). Not surprisingly, the enemy leaders are using comparable ruthless tactics to build support for the war like the Kaiser. The enemy soldiers are being fed similar lies by their similar power-hungry leaders: “’But there are more lies told by the other side than by us,’ say I; ‘just think of those pamphlets the prisoners have on them, where it says that we eat Belgian children. ‘” (208). The mental disorder that the Kaiser experiences is contagious to those in positions of power anywhere. The leaders of the opposing sides are clearly suffering from it, along with the blind and overly patriotic upper class, since they are willing to coax their youth to die in a war for their selfish interests.

The politics of war are always complex, however it is usually a decision made by few that will affect the masses. The soldiers at the front line are fully aware of this and loathe at the decisions made by their leaders. Albert, one of Paul’s friends, makes this point explicitly to his friends after the Kaiser’s visit: "’But what I would like to know,’ says Albert, ‘is whether there would not have been a war if the Kaiser had said No’" (205). These men who are on the front line understand that it was not their decision to have their country be in war. It is apparent in their conversations that they know this war is not going to be benefiting them in any way:

"Then what exactly is the war for?" asks Tjaden.

Kat shrugs his shoulders. "There must be some people to whom the war is useful."

"Well, I'm not one of them," grins Tjaden.

"Not you, nor anybody else here." (207-208)

Whether or not the Kaiser is aware of his soldier’s doubts is still unknown. His intentions, however, are clear to the soldiers fighting on the front line. Kat makes a remark about the Kaiser’s clear reasons for continuing with the war: “He has not had a war up till now. And every fullgrown emperor requires at least one war, otherwise he wouldn't become famous. You look in your school books” (208). Obviously the Kaiser continues with the war when it is apparent that most people are against it. He is clearly making decisions based on his own best interest rather than the best interest of the citizens of his country.

As with any political leader who is blinded with power, it is hard to determine if he was selfish or simply ignorant. It would be interesting to hear the Kaiser try and justify some of the decisions that he made that caused the death and suffering of thousands of his own civilians. How can these leaders engage in warfare when they know that many will die and only one country can win? The leaders must know the implications of their decisions. Kropp describes the irony of warfare the best: “It's queer, when one thinks about it... we are here to protect our fatherland. And the French are over there to protect their fatherland. Now, who's in the right?” (205). It is impossible to understand how leaders in these positions could possibly live with themselves as they make decisions that parallel those of the Kaiser’s.