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 CHAPTER III

THE GERMAN EMPIRE AND PAN-GERMANISM (Continued)

WAR AND GERMAN EXPANSION

The peoples of the German Empire—Their nations seized by Prussia—Prussia's spirit of oppression—Prussia and the Poles—Britain does not know how to colonise—India—Colonics— The principles of Pan-Germanism—Fundamental principle of international dealings— Might is right—The destiny of Germany—A super-nation—Certainty of conquest— Belief in war—Object of war—Peaceful penetration—War the supreme tribunal—Its unreason—But its persistence—Is the final heroism—War should be ruthless—German scorn of Pacifism—The development of Pacifist doctrine—Pacifism an apotheosis of the status quo—So convenient for Britain—India—Egypt—Why cannot Germany acquire colonies in the same way that Britain did?—Britain afraid to fight—Pan-Germanism a national expression—For a world-Empire—Germany must supplant Britain—Imperial task too great for Britain—Colonial policy—The German Empire lost its opportunities —Or it was afraid to seize them—Germany found it necessary to fight to obtain its ends —Meanwhile it would struggle in diplomacy—Boer War—Asia Minor—Turkey to be a vassal State—Kaiser the Protector of Islam—The foolishness of it—The Balkans—Agadir —The Failure of the coup—Germany's final determination to fight—Treitschke— Nietzsche—He was not a Pan-Germanist.

THE peoples over whom the Kaiser reigns are of a varied character—not only Germans, but Poles, Danes, and French are found within the territories of the German Empire. One must not, however, understand that the various races represented by these peoples have come into, and become part of, the German Empire of their own free will; as a fact they are there in spite of themselves. The German Empire owes much of what she is to a systematic Prussian policy of cunning and deceit, of violence and conquest.

The Eastern Provinces were stolen from Poland, the operation involving complicity in a foul murder of a great civilised nation; Silesia was wrested from Austria, and Hanover taken from her legitimate rulers. Schleswig-Holstein was taken from Denmark by Austria and Prussia on a mutual understanding (incorporated in a treaty) which ignored a previous guarantee by Britain and France that the territorial integrity of Denmark should not be violated. Ultimately Prussia turned upon her brother robber Austria and seized, under conditions which have been termed, humorously we suppose, "an outrage upon Austria," that part of Schleswig-Holstein which had been arranged to be retained by