WI Bismarck influenced Wilhelm II?

What I ask you, dear AH.com community, is this:
What if Wilhem II respected his father's wishes and pursued Bismarckian realpolitik rather than succumbing to the stupidity of the Royal Court?

Do you think Prussia/Germany would have entered WWI so carelessly over the Balkans? Would the Germans have been as reckless and overconfident?

I'd like your Points of View, if you would be so kind ;)
 
Friedrich III. - under the total domination of his English wife - was opposed to Bismarck. Thus it ought to be Grandpa's wish (which in fact it was).
But the spirit of the time was against it, the new generation was looking for new answers. It's not only a personal problem of Wilhelm II.
Wilhelm II. to a great extend was the mirror of his environment. Bismarck was a member of the old generation, which the new people no longer didn't/couldn't understand.
 
Friedrich III. - under the total domination of his English wife - was opposed to Bismarck. Thus it ought to be Grandpa's wish (which in fact it was).
But the spirit of the time was against it, the new generation was looking for new answers. It's not only a personal problem of Wilhelm II.
Wilhelm II. to a great extend was the mirror of his environment. Bismarck was a member of the old generation, which the new people no longer didn't/couldn't understand.

Excellent point!

But purely for discussion's sake:
What if?

Thanks, however, for the thoughtful post!
 
Bismarck did influence William II that was the problem. Bismarck intended to use Willie as a reactionary and conservative counterweight to his overly liberal and pro British father. Of course Fredrick William dying of throat cancer 4 months into the job kind of made that a moot point and left Bismarck with a problem he had in effect created a Kaiser who wanted to rule rather than reign (the famous quote being "If Fredrick the Great had a chancellor like Bismarck he would not be so great" Willhelm II).

Hmm to make Willie more malleable to Bismarck's suggestions would require either a major change in attitudes on either his part or Bismarck's. Either you need to make Willie more able and willing to delegate to others or have a Bismarck who was willing to share control with the Kaiser and to be honest neither is very likely.
 
All right. - The Bismarck motto was: No hassle with Russia. Thus no tight commitment to Austria-Hungary, thus no 'Nibelungentreue' and no 'Blanco Cheque'.
But Bismarck himself had already problems with keeping Russia 'in the boat'. Russia was also changing under Panslavist ideas. Since 1878 (Berlin Conference) the relation with Russia was deteriorating.
No small task for Wilhelm II.
 
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