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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World

Key figures in the countdown to war

Kaiser Wilhelm II
Kaiser Wilhelm II Hot-tempered, military-minded ruler of German empire and kingdom of Prussia; increasingly suspicious of motives of Britain, France and Russia. Photograph: Christel Gerstenberg/Corbis
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
Chancellor of exchequer since 1906; against his earlier inclinations, in 1914 he became a leading proponent of military action against Germany. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Tsar Nicholas II
Tsar Nicholas II
Wilhelm's cousin-in-law and ruler of Russia since 1894; caught between Russia's loyalty to Serbia and his desire to avoid a Europe-wide war. Photograph: Corbis/Corbis
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Nephew of Austria's emperor Francis Joseph; keen to strengthen Austrian army but wary of antagonising Serbia. Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis
Herbert Asquith
Herbert Asquith
Liberal prime minister from 1908. Proved increasingly unpopular for his handling of the war; replaced by Lloyd George in December 1916. Photograph: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis
Edward Grey
Edward Grey
Foreign secretary from 1905 to 1916; was ineffective in his attempts to warn Germany against threatening Belgium's neutrality in 1914. Photograph: Time Life Pictures/Getty
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