GERMAN PHILOSOPHY IN BRINGING ABOUT THE GREAT WAR. 115 



with official instruction, disclaims the idea of a German world- 

 Empire. We desire to renew the power and glory of the Hohen- 

 staufens and the Ottos, but not their world- Empire. The intention 

 of our new State is to be an honest neighbour to every foreign 

 nationality, a grasping adversary to none. 



The matter contained in this volume is mainly of a sort 

 whereon it is unnecessary for an outsider to have an opinion ; 

 though the author's political wisdom may be doubted, if wisdom 

 means accurate calculation of the effects to be produced by cer- 

 tain lines of action. Thus he foresees that the people of Alsace will 

 1 a rn to love us {the Prussians) when the strong hand of Prussia 

 has educated them ; it may be doubted whether that prophecy 

 even began to be fulfilled. Prussia, he said, has offered peace to 

 the continent not by means of the panacea of the pewifists, disarm- 

 ing, but by the exact opposite — universal arming ; Germany's 

 example compelled nations to become armies, ami consequently 

 war to become a dangerous experiment. The result has 

 unfortunately not been the abolition of war, but an increase 

 in its horrors ; just as if a man with the view of 

 avoiding fire should pile up explosives. And indeed, in his 

 lectures on Politics, he asserted with justice that the real war 

 wherein Germany engaged would be the first war of nations, and 

 would in consequence of that fact and of the scientific develop- 

 ments of the military engines be more terrible in its results than 

 any preceding war. What he, Treitschke, further maintained is 

 that force must keep what force has won, and Germany was 

 forced to arm to the teeth and remain so armed for fear lest the 

 provinces which she had torn from her neighbours should 

 be reclaimed. The view taken by the inhabitants of those 

 provinces did not seem to Treitschke to matter. In vieio of 

 our obligation to secure the peace of the world, who will venture 

 to object that the people of Alsace and Lorraine do not want 

 to belong to us ? We Germans, ivho know Germany and France, 

 knoiu better than these unfortunates themselves what is good for the 

 people of Alsace ; against their will we will restore them to their 

 true selves. We appeal from the mistaken wishes of the men who 

 are there to-day to the wishes of those who were there before them. 

 Treitschke, however, proceeds to add that it is not the object of 

 this national policy to force every strip of German soil which 

 they ever gave up in the days of their weakness back again into 

 their new empire. It would seem to follow logically from his 

 principles that this should be done ; yet in the essays he disclaims 

 the idea of annexing Holland and German Switzerland, and in 

 the lectures is prepared to leave Switzerland alone, though he 



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