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 early July 1900, "Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm" and the other three "Brandenburg"-class battleships, which were assigned to the I Division of the I Squadron, were ordered to East Asian waters to assist in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion. As a result, "Kaiser Wilhelm II" and the other ships of the II Division were transferred to the I Division on 8 July, under the command of "Konteradmiral" Paul Hoffmann. On 15 August the annual autumn maneuvers began; initially, the fleet practiced tactical maneuvers in the German Bight. A cruise in battle formation through the Kattegat followed, and the maneuvers concluded in