Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1917-07-11
IS THIS A RIGHTEOUS
war?
THE PAN.GERMAN PLAN.
by REV. w. j. sUCKOw.


ed to show not only that Germany
was responsible for beginning the war,
but that she deliberately brought it on
as a necessary part in the execution
of the Pan-German Plan. We now
propose to submit an analysis of this
plan.
The Pan-German plan, involving as
it does the idea of world-empire, is
not as fantastic as it may at first
sight appear. The dream of world
empire is an ancient one, and has been
attempted and in measure realized
by Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Alexander,
Caesar, Charlemagne, and Napoleon.
But their plans, even in their most ex-
pansive form, were pygmies when COM
pared with the plan evolved in modern
Germany. The Pan-German Plan is
bold in conception, logical in it's COM
ponent elements, worldwide in its
scope, and perfectly feasible under
certain conditions. In it's formulation
and in the preparation of all the sue
cessive steps leading to its execution,
German imperialism has expanded an
amount of thought energy, skill and
ingenuity absolutely amazing.
Not only must we study the pres
ent in the light of the past, but it
is also true that we can often best
understand the past in the light of the
present; just as the nature and posi-
bilities of a seed can be best deter
mined by an examination of the full
grown plant. Looking now at the Pan
German Plan as a whole, in the light
of the past achievements as well as
in that of future possibilities, we shall
find it readily falling into three parts,
which may be conveniently stated as
follows:
Part /. The achievement. of Prus-
sian Supremacy in Germany.
Part g The achievement of German
Supremacy in Europe.
Part g.. The achievement OF German
Supremacy in the world.
The first part of this plan certain
ly dates back to the early days of
Bismark, one of the greatest states
men of modern times. He was
throughout his life firm believer in
governmental absoluteism, and was
lo, rnIx 81, ,to1 INN
abortive the German attempt Of 1S4S
to establish a government founded up
on democratic and parliamentary
principles. He labored unmitigated-
ly for the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Of Prus
STA, and when called to the chancel-
lorship of that kingdom in 1862, he
had his method of procedure clearly
in mind. He found Germany con-
sisting of a heterogeneous collection
Of free cities, dukedoms, earldoms,
kingdoms, and other principalities,
each under a sovereign ruler of its
own The task he set himself was to
consolidate all these separate politi-
cal units into an empire with Prussia
at it's head. He gave himself to this
work through evil report and good
report; he knew how to bend even
the most unfavorable circumstances
to his purpose, and through all the
tortuous windings of national and in
ternational politics he followed this
aim with undertaking regularity.
He began by bringing the Prussian
army to such strength that by means
of it he could overawe the weaker
German states. In 1864 he found a
pretext for declaring war upon Den
mark, which ended in the seizure of
Schleswig- Holstein. Txis made pos
sible the construction of the Kiel
canal, which in turn opened the way
for the creation of a German navy
commensurate with those of other
nations. In 1866 he declared war
against Austria, defeated her in a
short campaign, and thereby elimin-
ated the last remaining vestiges of
the Hapsburg influence among the
South German states. Four years lat
er, in 1870, by surreptitiously chang
ing the wording of a telegram, as he
later admitted, he provoked declar
alton of war from France. In less
than a year he inflicted upon her a
crushing defeat, deprived her OF
Alsace-Lorraine, and, most impor
tant of all, caused the Prussian king
to be declared emperor of a united
Germany, under the title of William
I. Thus Bismark's work was done,
part / of the Pan-German plan was
achieved, Germany was welded into
an empire with Prussia at its head.
Now we come to part H., the
achievement of German supremacy
in Europe. Let us see just what this
involved.
This part of the plan was sufficient
ly advanced in 1895 that its general
outlines could be given to the public
in that year in pamphlet entitled:
Grossdeutschland und Mitteleuropa
UNI das Jahr 1885," Greater Germany
and Central Europe about the year
1850 published under the auspices
of the Alldeutscher Verband (Pan-