Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/560

 522 Readings in European History By the middle of March, 1813, the timid king of Prussia, encouraged by Napoleon's defeat in Russia, finally decided to throw off the French yoke and lead his country into a war of liberation. He explained his reasons to his people in one of the most famous docu- ments ("An mein Vo/k") in modern German history. 450. The king of Prussia rouses his people against Napoleon. There is no need of explaining to my loyal subjects, or to any German, the reasons for the war which is about to begin. They lie plainly before the eyes of awakened Europe. We succumbed to the superior force of France. The peace which followed deprived me of my people and, far from bringing us blessings, it inflicted upon us deeper wounds than the war itself, sucking out the very marrow of the coun- try. Our principal fortresses remained in the hand of the enemy, and agriculture, as well as the highly developed in- dustries of our towns, was crippled. The freedom of trade was hampered and thereby the sources of commerce and prosperity cut off. The country was left a prey to the rav- ages of destitution. I hoped, by the punctilious fulfillment of the engagements I had entered into, to lighten the burdens of my people, and even to convince the French emperor that it would be to his own advantage to leave Prussia her independence. But the purest and best of intentions on my part were of no avail against insolence and faithlessness, and it became only too plain that the emperor's treaties would gradually ruin us even more surely than his wars. The moment is come when we can no longer harbor the slightest illusion as to our situation. Brandenburgers, Prussians, Silesians, Pomeranians, Lith- uanians ! You know what you have borne for the past seven years ; you know the sad fate that awaits you if we do not bring this war to an honorable end. Think of the times gone by, — of the Great Elector, the great Frederick ! Remember the blessings for which your forefathers fought under their leadership and which they paid for with their blood, — freedom