250 POLITICAL ACTIVITY. 



army in the field, which afterwards worked with great 

 success, was unanimously resolved. 



When after a few weeks the war was ended with 

 the prostration of Austria and its allied German states, 

 the world looked quite different. The insignificant, 

 deeply humbled Prussia now stood in fact as proud 

 conqueror without a rival at the head of Germany. 

 With a wise understanding of the national mind, which 



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regarded the unavoidable civil war only as a means 

 to the attainment of the yearned for German unity, 

 King William and his chief minister had imposed only 

 extremely mild conditions of peace on the conquered 

 states, where they were not entirely incorporated in 

 the Prussian state for its necessary security. The 

 victorious King and Captain also gave the world a 

 probably unique example of self-conquering justice, by 

 requesting from the Diet an indemnity for the trans- 

 gression of its constitutional rights necessitated by 

 state difficulties, and thus restored the country's internal 

 peace. It required certainly many more struggles in 

 the Chamber of Deputies, before the wisdom and 

 magnanimity of this kingly act received full recognition 

 and approbation. 



Through the struggles continued for several years 

 with the government and the repeated dissolutions a 

 sort of fighting organization had been formed in the 

 Diet, which gave the leaders a decisive influence on 

 the divisions. Waldeck in particular , the leader of 

 the extreme democrats, had obtained great power. 

 His friends rejected all compromise, and held it to be 



