Bismarck and the foundation of the German empire . ierdays, had so bitterly attacked. Then came a pro-posal for change in the local government whichwould diminish the influence of the landed proprie-tors. The Conservatives refused to support thesemeasures ; the Conservative majority in the Houseof Lords threw them out. Bismarcks own brother,all his old friends and comrades, were now rangedagainst him. He accepted opposition from them aslittle as from anyone else; the consent of the Kingwas obtained to the creation of new peers, and bythis means the obnoxious measures were forcedthrough the unw
Bismarck and the foundation of the German empire . ierdays, had so bitterly attacked. Then came a pro-posal for change in the local government whichwould diminish the influence of the landed proprie-tors. The Conservatives refused to support thesemeasures ; the Conservative majority in the Houseof Lords threw them out. Bismarcks own brother,all his old friends and comrades, were now rangedagainst him. He accepted opposition from them aslittle as from anyone else; the consent of the Kingwas obtained to the creation of new peers, and bythis means the obnoxious measures were forcedthrough the unwilling House. Bismarck by hisspeeches intensified the bitterness ; he came downhimself to make an attack on the Government is disappointed, he said; wehad looked for confidence from the Conservativeparty ; confidence is a delicate plant; if it is oncedestroyed it does not grow again. We shall have tolook elsewhere for support. A crisis in his relations to the party came at theend of 1872 ; up to this time Roon had still remained. 1878] The New Empire. 389 in the Government ; now, in consequence of themanner in which the creation of peers had been de-cided upon, he requested permission to resign. TheKing, who could not bear to part with him, and whoreally in many matters of internal policy had moresympathy with him than with Bismarck, refused toaccept the resignation. The crisis which arose hadan unexpected ending: Bismarck himself resignedthe office of Minister-President of Prussia, whichwas transferred to Roon, keeping only that of For-eign Minister and Chancellor of the Empire. A letter to Roon shews the deep depression underwhich he laboured at this time, chiefly the result ofill-health. It was, he said, an unheard-of anom-aly that the Foreign Minister of a great Empireshould be responsible also for internal afTairs. Andyet he himself had arranged that it should be desertion of the Conservative party had, hesaid, deprived him of his footing; he was d
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbismarckottofrstvon1
