90 Prince Bismarck and his Policy. 



Bismarck as embassador iti Petersburg. Russia leaned 

 towards France : that tendency bad to be neutralized, 

 and Bismarck was the man to accomplish that object. 



Napoleon, in promoting Italian unity, foresaw not its con- 

 sequences. Italy was the central point of the ('atholic 

 church : tlie Vatican its spiritual head — its natural ruler. 



The Latin race, through the strength of its hierar- 

 chical political regimen, had gained and maintained 

 itself in power and rule. Elizabeth and William of Or- 

 ange, Luther and Calvin, the gradual growth of tbe 

 north and middle German municipal life, could but cur- 

 tail the power of the Latin race ; but up to 1858 that race 

 bad not lost anything of its preponderance in European 

 politics; neither had the successor of Peter diminished his 

 authority as head of Catholicism. 



It was reserved for !N'apoleon III. to dig tbe grave of 

 Catholicism with bis own bands. 



Tbe Frencb nation bad been, since tbe days of tbe 

 Medici, the bearer of tbe Romanistic power in western 

 Europe. 



Austria, in its total bierarchic life, was Rome's spiritual 

 domain. 



Italy, cut up and dissatisfied, up to 1858 represented 

 the conscience of Romanism, and found in Lombardo Vene- 

 tia the strongest bulwark of tbe Roman Catbolic principle. 



The unity of Italy w^as a national necessity, dictated by tbe 

 spirit of the times, but inasmuch as IS'apoleon, witb sword 

 in band, gave to that necessity a living form, be became tbe 

 bead of Italy's rebellion against Rome's authority, and — 

 tbe Latin race itself. 



Witb Austria's defeat at Villa-franca fell the migbtiest 

 shield of tbe Vatican against modern society, against tbe 

 free rights of self-determination of tbe European peoples. 

 Witb Italy's unity, N'apoleon robbed tbe Vatican of its old 

 possessions, and degraded tbe pope from a temporal sove- 



