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Rh not on the idealism of Frankfurt and the West, but on the organisation of Berlin and the East. In 1864 and 1866 Berlin overran West Germany, annexing Hanover and thereby opening the way into the Rhineland for Junker militarism. At the same time Berlin weakened her competitor Austria by helping the Magyar to establish the dual government of Austria-Hungary, and by depriving Austria of Venice. France had previously recovered Milan for the West. The War of 1866 between Prussia and Austria was, however, in essence merely a Civil War; this became evident in 1872 when Prussia, having shown that her power was irresistible in the War against France, formed the League of the Three Emperors, and thus reconstituted for a time the East Europe of the Holy Alliance. The centre of power in East Europe was now, however, Prussia, and no longer Russia, and East Europe had established a considerable Rhenish 'Glacis' against West Europe.

For some fifteen years after the Franco-Prussian War Bismarck ruled both East and West Europe. He ruled the West by dividing the three Romance Powers of France, Italy, and Spain. This he accomplished in regard to their relations to Barbary, the 'Island of the West' of the Arabs. France had taken