Bismarck and the foundation of the German empire . he Prussian nobility couldhave little meaning. What did the citizens of Co-logne and Aachen care about the Seven Years War?If their ancestors took part in the war, it would beas enemies of the Kings of Prussia. When Bismarcksaid that they were Prussians, and would remainPrussian, he undoubtedly spoke the opinion of theMark and of Pomerania. But the inhabitants of theWestern Provinces still felt and thought rather asGermans than as Prussians; they had scarcely beenunited with the monarchy thirty years; they werenot disloyal, but they were quite
Bismarck and the foundation of the German empire . he Prussian nobility couldhave little meaning. What did the citizens of Co-logne and Aachen care about the Seven Years War?If their ancestors took part in the war, it would beas enemies of the Kings of Prussia. When Bismarcksaid that they were Prussians, and would remainPrussian, he undoubtedly spoke the opinion of theMark and of Pomerania. But the inhabitants of theWestern Provinces still felt and thought rather asGermans than as Prussians; they had scarcely beenunited with the monarchy thirty years; they werenot disloyal, but they were quite prepared—nay, theywished to see Prussia dissolved in Germany. No 1852] The Revolution. 69 one can govern Prussia unless he is able to reconcileto his policy these two different classes in the was this which the Prussian Conservatives, towhich Bismarck at that time belonged, have alwaysfailed to do. The Liberals whom he opposed failedequally. In later years he was very nearly to suc-ceed in a task which might appear almost CHAPTER IV. THE GERMAN BISMARCK, however, did not confine himselfto questions of constitutional reform and in-ternal government. He often spoke on theforeign policy of the Government, and it is in thesespeeches that he shews most The Revolution in Germany, as in Italy, had two\ sides ; it was Liberal, but it was also National. Thei National element was the stronger and more deep-Lseated. The Germans felt deeply the humiliationto which they were exposed owing to the fact thatthey did not enjoy the protection of a powerfulGovernment; they wished to belong to a nationalState, as Frenchmen, Englishmen, and Russiansdid. It was the general hope that the period ofrevolution might be used for establishing a gov-ernment to which the whole of Germany wouldpay obedience. This was the task of the Constitu-ent Assembly, which since the spring of 1848 hadwith the permission of the Governments been sit-ting at Frankf
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbismarckottofrstvon1
