100 Prince Bismarck and his Police/. 



tiations more or less regular, of preparations forwar and of 

 continual exchange of notes, of parliamentary conflicts and 

 of almost continual daily combats with the old fogies of 

 the court, that the first six months of the year of 1866 

 passed for Bismarck, and rarely has a statesman lived 

 through a more troubled period. The waves of events 

 first cast him ashore, then threw him back again and 

 seemed to remove him farther than ever from his goal." 

 J^ever in all his public career has Bismarck shown 

 greater intellectual resources ; never Was he more fruit- 

 ful in expedients. He moved step by step in every political 

 question ; every move was carefully weighed and balanced ; 

 every succeeding measure most skillfully prepared." 



Before the close of 1865, Bismarck had become firmly 

 convinced that Austria had returned to the central state 

 policy, the advocate of which was Freiherr von Beust, who 

 saw the salvation of Germany in the hegemony of Austria. 

 This latter power, smarting under the defeat of her policy 

 in Schleswig-Holstein and encouraged by Saxony, Hanover 

 and Hessia, prepared for war by mobilizing her army in 

 Venice. 



As an offset, Prussia concluded a treaty with Italy, and 

 contrary to the king's inclinations ordered the mobilization 

 of her own army March 28th, 1866. 



While negotiations for a peaceful settlement were still 

 pending, with every prospect of success, an attack was 

 made on the life of Prince Bismarck, by Carl Blind, which 

 opened the eyes of the king at last, who now became con- 

 vinced that peaceable means were futile, and that the sword 

 alone could settle the controversy. 



On May 8th, the whole Prussian army was called under 

 arms. On June 12th, the Diet of Frankfort declared war 

 against Prussia. Prussia declared its withdrawal from the 

 Diet. War commenced June 15, 1866. On July 3d, the 

 battle betweea Hapsburg and Hohenzollern ended. 



