The Emperor's New Uniforms: The Uniform Fantasies of Wilhelm II and His Critics

Abstract

abstract: In light of Wilhelm II's well-known predilection for military uniforms and displays, many of his contemporaries regarded him as a real-life version of the titular figure in Hans Christian Andersen's fable "The Emperor's New Clothes." This essay uses Žižek's concept of fantasy to complicate that perception and articulate the deeper relevance of Andersen's tale. Even as the second volume of Wilhelm's memoirs reveals the extent to which the kaiser's sense of self was constitutively enmeshed in fantasies about the meaning of uniforms, this study indicates that Wilhelm's many critics were also guided by their own fantasies.