Trench and camp. ([Admiral, Md.) 1917-1919, 1918-06-27

William of Prussia had invited Otto
Won Bismarck to the cabinet. On
September 80, 1862, Bismarck had told
the committee on the budget that
Austria's influence was a problem
which could be solved only by blood
and iron"
Bismarck deliberately provoked the
war with Austria, acknowledged his
fundamentally and insisted that he
was finishing the work of Frederick
the Great.
BY the treaty of Prague, Austria
consented to "a new organization of
Germany without the participation Of
the Empire of Austria" At the same
time Austria transferred to Prussia all
her rights in Schleswig- Holstein. In
the following year the Emperor of
Austria was crowned King of Hun
gary.
Then began the unifying of the Ger
man municipalities. There were many
interests wholly divergent and within
the empire there was no possible basis
of complete unihcation. Napoleon III
had viewed with growing alarm the
increase in the prestige and power OF
Prussia. He demanded certain com
pensations." Bismarck saw his oppor-
tunity and, having witnessed the bene-
fits of the victory over Austria, pre-
pared for a war against an enemy
without as the best means of consoli-
dating the interests within.
The war was brief and decisive. It
cost France Alsace and the larger part
of Lorraine and it gave to Bismarck
the realization of his dream of Empire.
From 1871 to 1914, the year of the
outbreak of the present war, was an
era Of industrial and commercial ex-
pansion for Germany.
Two interested spectators in the
Franco Prussian War were Austria
and Italy. Smarting under her own
recent defeat, Austria would have wei
coined an opportunity to align herself
against Prussia. But another and
more powerful nation was also an in
terested spectator. The attitude of
this other nation, Russia, actually pre-
vented the participation of Austria and
Italy and won from Emperor William
an expression of his lasting gratitude
to the Gear.
Following the conclusion of peace,
bismarck looked to strengthening the
position Of the newly created Empire
Of Germany. Bismarck, even before
the Prague treaty Of 1866, had looked
to the day when peace would be de-
clared with Austria. and he writes,
with regard to Austria ! had two
courses open to me after her defeat,
either to destroy her entirely or to
respect her integrity and prepare for
our future reconciliation when the FIRE
Of revenge had died out"
BISMARCK IS CUNNING
Bismarck turned the eyes of Austria
towards southeastern Europe and e.
peeially towards the acquisition of
Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the Con-
greSs of Berlin after the Russo Turk
ish War Of 1878, at which Bismarck
presided, this promise was redeemed
for it was provided, THAT the prov
inces of Bosnia and Herzegovina shall
be occupied and administered by Aus
tria- Hungary" II was not provided
that these provinces should actually be
annexed.
But even before this Congress, Bis
marck had succeeded in forming an
alliance with Austria. As early as
1872, only six years after the treaty of
Prague, a League of EmperorS, or the
Dreikaiserbund, had been formed.
This had brought together in Berlin
the Emperors of Germany, Austria
and Russia. There was no formal
covenant bat it was decided that the