106 



Prince Bismarck and his Policy, 



The crowning event of Prince Bismarck's life, the pro- 

 clamation of the German empire at Versailles, on the 18th 

 day of January, 1871, wanted no element of picturesque 

 effect, of historical solemnity, or of political significance. 



On February 20th, 1871, Prince Bismarck invited 

 Bavaria, Wurtemberg and Baden, to participate in the 

 final arrangement of the work of peace, which was con- 

 cluded SIX days afterwards. 



The French war, like the Austrian, introduced a new 

 order of things, to which it was necessary to adjust the 

 civil and political machinery, and it has been followed by 

 a course of domestic legislation, extending to the present 

 time. 



Alsace and Lothringen were reunited with Germany, 

 and France had to pay an indemnity of one thousand 

 millions of dollars. When President Thiers had signed 

 the articles of peace, he remarked to Prince Bismarck : 



" Peace is now secured forever," to which Bismarck 

 replied : " I doubt it. Old as my family is there has not 

 been a generation in which some of them have not fought 

 against France. And this state of things will, I fear, 

 continue." 



The most important enterprise of internal reform, in 

 which Bismarck is now engaged, is the campaign against 

 the power of the Roman Catholic church in Germany. 



The proclamation of the infallibility dogma, and the 

 reorganization of the German empire so afiPected the rela- 

 tion between pope and kaiser that in the opinion of Prince 

 Bismarck — which the emperor and the majority of the 

 people shared — a new adjustment, which would secure the 

 state greater freedom of action, and more ample means of 

 self-defense, had become imperatively necessary. 



This question between the Catholic church and the 

 state is no new one. Mr. Wheaton, our embassador to 

 Berlin, wrote as early as Dec. 6, 1837, ^sTo. 55. "The 



