MILITARISM AND PARTY-POLITICS 3§7 



genius-bolts of Napoleon. She then had the right of the 

 wronged — she was justified in doing her all in order to guard 

 herself in the future from what she had suffered in the past. She 

 adopted the great moral axiom that every able-bodied man is 

 bound in duty to prepare himself to defend his country from 

 attack. So far, this is a just axiom, and her perception of it 

 gave her immense force. At the same time her kings, soldiers, 

 and statesmen perceived another but less moral truth, that the 

 ensurance of victory in war is preparation in peace — prepara- 

 tion by every possible means, good and bad. Opportunities 

 to test her doctrines soon came to her. In a moment she 

 struck down Denmark, and in another moment paralysed her 

 former great adversary, Austria ; but a third enterprise 

 awaited her. Napoleon III. then dominated Europe, and she 

 determined to wrest this domination from him. Secretly pre- 

 pared for any issue, she found the auspicious moment ; she 

 misled the world as to the justice of her cause by a false 

 statement regarding her adversary, and struck him down in a 

 few months. As the result of each victory she acquired territory 

 and huge indemnities, and the small and scattered German 

 states, which had previously suffered so much from their dis- 

 union, now placed themselves under the aegis of Prussia, and the 

 modern German Empire was established. 



In its broad outlines this history was not a new one— it was 

 like that of Macedon and of Rome ; but their times are not ours, 

 and what was justifiable in small semi-barbarous tribes is not al- 

 ways commendable in the great nations of to-day. How was Ger- 

 many going to use her great victories ? Would she now, inspired 

 by a lofty magnanimity, sheath the sword, make friends with the 

 surrounding nations, and devote herself to the beneficent arts of 

 peace ; or would she still demand more and more from her fallen 

 enemies and attempt more and more to dominate her unfallen 

 ones ? Her conquest of France occurred forty-three years ago, 

 and since that time Germany as well as the whole world has 

 progressed immensely in population and prosperity. The sense 

 of triumph which her victories gave her, and the spirit of science 

 and discipline which enabled her to achieve them, soon led her 

 to the front in the arts of peace. In manufactures, in ship- 

 building, and in trade she began to rival the nation which was 

 then preeminent in all, namely Great Britain. In science her 

 numerous laboratories bestowed great benefits upon mankind ; 



