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 the western Baltic on 21 September. During these exercises, "Kaiser Wilhelm II" served as the umpire ship, and so Hoffmann temporarily transferred his flag to her sister ship . He returned to "Kaiser Wilhelm II" on 29 September after the conclusion of the exercises in Kiel. On 1 November 1900, "Kaiser Friedrich III" replaced "Kaiser Wilhelm II" as the I Squadron flagship; the latter, as the fleet flagship, remained assigned to the squadron for tactical purposes. From 4 to 15 December, "Kaiser Wilhelm II" and the I Squadron went on a winter training cruise to Norway; the ships anchored at