George V death of his grandmother in 1901, George's father ascended the throne as Edward VII, and George was created Prince of Wales. He became king-emperor on his father's death in 1910. George V's reign saw the rise of socialism, communism, fascism, Irish republicanism, and the Indian independence movement, all of which radically changed the political landscape. The Parliament Act 1911 established the supremacy of the elected British House of Commons over the unelected House of Lords. As a result of the First World War (1914–1918), the empires of his first cousins Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Kaiser Wilhelm II of
SMS Kaiser Wilhelm II and the removal of some of her searchlights. While the ship was laid up, "Admiral" Hans von Koester replaced Hoffmann as the fleet commander, a position he would hold until the end of 1906. The annual training routine began at the end of March 1901 with squadron exercises in the Baltic. On the night of 1–2 April, "Kaiser Friedrich III" ran hard aground on the Adlergrund, a shoal to the east of Cape Arkona, and "Kaiser Wilhelm II" lightly brushed the bottom. After a short inspection, it was determined that "Kaiser Wilhelm II" was undamaged, and so Prince Heinrich transferred