Bismarck and the foundation of the German empire . d in the same house the negotiationsof the previous evening were continued ; Bismarckdid not wish to be present at them, for, as he said,the military men could be harsher; and so gaveorders that after a few minutes he should be sum-moned out of the room by a message that the Kingwished to see him. After the capitulation was signed,he rode up with Moltke to present it to the King,who received it on the heights whence he had watchedthe battle, surrounded by the headquarters staff andall the princes who were making the campaign. Then,followed by
Bismarck and the foundation of the German empire . d in the same house the negotiationsof the previous evening were continued ; Bismarckdid not wish to be present at them, for, as he said,the military men could be harsher; and so gaveorders that after a few minutes he should be sum-moned out of the room by a message that the Kingwished to see him. After the capitulation was signed,he rode up with Moltke to present it to the King,who received it on the heights whence he had watchedthe battle, surrounded by the headquarters staff andall the princes who were making the campaign. Then,followed by a brilliant cavalcade, he rode down tovisit the captive sovereign. Bismarck would at this time willingly have madepeace, but there was no opportunity of openingnecfotiations and it is doubtful whether even hisinfluence would have been able successfully to com-bat the desire of the army to march on Paris. OnSeptember 4th, the march, which had been inter-rupted ten days before, was begun. Immediatelyafterwards news came which stopped all hopes of a. i: J 1871] War with France. 353 speedy peace. How soon was his warning as to theinstability of French Governments to be fulfilled !A revolution had broken out in Paris, the dethrone-ment of the Emperor had been proclaimed, and aProvisional Government instituted. They at oncedeclared that they were a government of nationaldefence, they would not rest till the invaders weredriven from the land, they appealed to the memo-ries of 1792. They were indeed ready to makepeace, for the war, they said, had been undertakennot against France but against the Emperor ; theEmperor had fallen, a free France had arisen ; theywould make peace, but they would not yield an inchof their country or a stone of their fortresses. Withgreat energy they prepared the defence of Paris andthe organisation of new armies ; M. Thiers was in-structed to visit the neutral Courts and to beg forthe support of Europe. Under these circumstances it was Bismarcks dutyto expla
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbismarckottofrstvon1
