The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1915-12-30
Continued from Page II

III lOuo, W nOlu NupOitOh buth'
Prussia, assisted by Italy, declared
war on Austria and on the petty Ger.
man states friendly to Austria, The
Prussans won, but the Italians were
beaten. Prussia gained Slesvig-IIol
stein, Hanover, Nassau, Hessia and
FRANKFORT The German federation
was dissolved Prussia took the lead
in General Europe and founded the
North-German federation
Lassalle did not live to see the wal
of 1866, but his policy was continued
| by j. b. Won Schwet2er, who be
came the most brilliant leader of the
| German Lassalleans. Behel and Lieb
knecht oppose this policy, influenced
by the ideas of MarX-Engels. History
proved that the Lassalleans had esti
mated the situation more correctly
The cause OF German unity gained a
good deal through this war, and the
German people receiy,. universal
suffrage in the national elections, to-
gether with some economic conces'
sions which benefited especially the
small business men, also permit
ted greater freedom -. movement to
the workers.
OF course, from now on the cause
of German unity and evolution could
no longer be promoted by a revolu-
ton from below. The Prussian gov
eminent now held the reins of fate
and steered events. 1t turned out,
however that this government had to
steer events precisely in that direc-
ton which Marx-Engels desired in
the fifties and sixties, only it took
much longer than they had estimated.
The next step towards German unity
was made in 1871, and the internation-
al situation did not bring about an
alliance of Germany and Austria
against France, Russia and Italy until
the war of 1914-15. And then Eng
land was also lined up against Ger
many-Austria, together with some 9th
err states that caused a good deal of
worry to European Socialists in the
transition from the nineteenth to the
twentieth century. All of which
proves how difficult it is to foresee
clearly the form and speed of inter-
national developmnt, even though one
may understand the general drift,
While the events leading up to the
Franco-German war of 1901 were
brewing, the German Socialists made
good use of the newly granted uni
versal suffrage and landed some rep
resentatives in the German reichstag.
The Eisenacher Socialists elected
Bebel, Liebknecht, Schraps and Goetz.
The Lassalleans carried Schweitzer,
Fritzsche Hasenclever Foersterling
and Mende.
In the fifties Lassalle still thought
that a popular German war against
Napoleon the Third would be a mis-.
fortune for European Democracy but
an unpopular war forced by the Prus.
sian government against France
would break the power of Prussia
and help the German revolutionists.
At that time, both Marx and Engels
were inclined to agree to that part
of Lassalles opinion. But in 1870
there was no longer any possibility
of breaking down the Prussian gov
eminent by a popular revolution. On
the other hand, there seemed a good
deal more hope of helping a popular
revolution in France by breaking
down Napoleon the Third. In fact a
defeat of Napoleon promised better
results for the working classes of
Western and General Europe than a
defeat of Bismarck. Moreover, the
outbreak of the war, cleverly engi-
neered by Bismarck, who edited the
Prussian kings Emser telegram into
a call to the German people, immedi-
ately brought the small German states
to the support of Prussia. 1t was a
popular war against French imperial.
ism. The leading Lassalleans read
the signs correctly and therefore did
not initiate Lassalle's opinion of the
fifties slavishly. They realized that
once more the Prussian government
would promote German unity from
above. and they were wise enough to
grasp the inevitable and make the
best Of it When the question of war
credits came M in the Reichstag,
most of the Socialists voted for the
credits Bebcl ana Liebknecht pro
t"s,e1, but Marx AMI Ingels did not
agree with them this time. They
had acted courageously, but foolishly.
Please note that Bebel and Lieb.
knecht did not offer to resist enlist
ment or to die rather than obey the
military laws of Prussia They did
not carry their uncompromising at
titude quite that far. If they had,