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How then was Bismarck to secure his design, which in its fulness was to make bis master, the King of Prussia, into Emperor of Germany ? The plan he decided upon was to wage a successful war against France, and in the enthusiasm of victory to induce the States to proclaim his master, Wilhelm I., as Kaiser.
At that time the question of the succession to the Spanish Throne arose, a question which concerned France much and Germany little, but Bismarck contrived to interfere, and so craftily did he lay his plans that he goaded the French Emperor, Napoleon III., and his ministers into declaring war against Germany. The War lasted only a few months. when Paris capitulated. France was fined £200,000,000 and robbed of the two important provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. The monetary loss France would readily have forgiven, but the loss of two of her best provinces rankles in the minds of Frenchmen to this day. Nor can one be surprised, for forty-four years of Prussian arbitrary government has done nothing to soften but everything to increase this resentment of the population of the annexed provinces, and though a considerable portion of the population of those provinces is of German origin, the hatred of Prussia in Alsace and Lorraine is so great that the mass of the people still ardently desire to be re-united to France.
Bismarck had calculated aright when he reasoned that a successful war against France would bind the States of Germany closer together. While they were flushed with victory be brought to light the crown for which he had worked. In the hour of military glory be was able to persuade the States to bind themselves into one Empire under an Emperor, and as there could be no other candidate for the Kaiserhood but the King of Prussia, he it was who acquired the Imperial Crown and Throne. Though the Kaiser's powers are theoretically limited by the powers of the Kings and Princes of the other States, yet so pronounced is the dominating influence of Prussia that the other States are in effect subject States.
That Bismarck was a great statesman is universally recognised. That his policy was typical of the Prussian drill-sergeant is also self-evident. His empire was laid, to quote his own words, in blood and iron." These are not good materials for Empire building. There are better, and those better ones were long ago advocated by Confucius, by Mencius, by all the best thinkers of the world. They are Humanity and Justice (jën, i), which are foreign to the Prussian military spirit. The Bismarckian policy is doomed to failure because the more you shed of your nation's blood the less there is to shed, and the more you use your iron the quicker it wears away; but humanity and justice are otherwise, being eternal. The more these are used the more do they increase and become effective. Blood and iron are material and perish, Humanity and justice are spiritual and eternal. No nation bas wholly risen to this lofty policy, but the nation that strives most sincerely after it will endure the longest, and add most to the world's welfare.
III.
Prussian Militarism.
The one Power which is responsible for the modera militarism of Europe and of the World is Prussia, The resources of her genius have been applied to the perfecting of her military machine, the army, and its equipment.
Let us glance at the working of the Prussian military machine and consider its objective as declared by German writers themselves.
The founder of the modern Prussian Army was the second King of Prussia, Frederick William I., 1713-40. He had a passion for collecting very tall soldiers. He invented the goose-step, the tight uniform, the savage punishments by cruel drill-sergeants, and other devices for turning a man into a clockwork machine. He obtained by this treatment perfect obedience, and perfect movements of large bodies of men together.
His son,
Frederick William I. built up this army, but hardly ever used it in battle. Frederick II., on the contrary, used it to seize territory from his neighbours, and ended by plunging Europe into a seven years' war. It was he who suggested to Russia and Austria that they should divide the kingdom of Poland, which he and they proceeded to do.
The French Revolution broke out in 1789. In 1792 there broke out in consequence the twenty-three years' war. It was Prussia that began the war against France; other nations were drawn into it, but in 1795 Prussia scuttled out of the fight, obtaining additional territory for herself, and leaving the other States to defend themselves alone.
The power
of Revolutionary France continued to increase, until under the leadership of Napoleon the existence of the other German States was threatened. They pleaded with Prussia to assist them in saving Europe from Napoleon, but instead of so doing, Prussia only made fresh terms with France for more territory. Finally, Napoleon, knowing Prussia's greed, led her into a trap by the promise of a German State. Thereupon she perpetrated the crime of treachery towards Austria and Russia, enabling Napoleon to smash these two Powers, which he did at Austerlitz in 1805. He gave Prussia what he had promised. but soon turned round and defeated the renowned Prussian army in one day.
He reduced it to 42,000 men,
and forbade Prussia to keep more than that number.
From that date, 1806, begins the modern Prussian Military system, which is known as the short-service system. As Napoleon only permitted a standing army of 42,000 men, Prussia resolved to train this number for two years only, then send them to their homes, and train 42,000 more. By this process, in ten years, instead of one army, five were obtained, each of 42,000 trained soldiers. Thus in 1813, when Napoleon invaded Russia and was driven out, Prussia was able to put a strong force into the field along with Russia, and later, in 1815, to render help to the British Army which finally broke the power of Napoleon at Waterloo.
From that period the Prussian, and later the German army, has continued to grow, until at the outbreak of the present war on a Peace basis it had 870,000 under training, and on a war basis could mobilise 5,400,000 men.
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