Armageddon--And After | Page 5

perilous position
in the centre of Europe by skilful diplomatic means of sowing
dissension amongst its neighbours. Thus Bismarck discouraged
colonial extensions. He thought they might weaken Germany. On the
other hand, he encouraged French colonial policy, because he thought it
would divert the French from their preoccupation with the idea of
revanche. He played, more or less successfully, with England,
sometimes tempting her with plausible suggestions that she should join
the Teutonic Empires on the Continent, sometimes thwarting her aims
by sowing dissensions between her and her nearest neighbour, France.
But there was one empire which, certainly, Bismarck dreaded not so
much because she was actually of much importance, but because she
might be. That empire was Russia. The last thing in the world Bismarck
desired was precisely that approximation between France and Russia
which ended in the strange phenomenon of an offensive and defensive
alliance between a western republic and a semi-eastern despotic
empire.
KAISER WILHELM
Kaiser Wilhelm II had very different ideals for Germany, and in many
points he simply reversed the policy of Bismarck. He began to develop
the German colonial empire, and in order that it might be protected he
did all in his power to encourage the formation of a large German navy.
He even allowed himself to say that "the future of Germany was on the
sea." It was part of that peculiar form of personal autocracy which the
Kaiser introduced that he should from time to time invent phrases
suggestive of different principles of his policy. Side by side with the
assertion that Germany's future was on the sea, we have the phrases
"Germany wants her place in the sun" and that the "drag" of Teutonic
development is "towards the East." The reality and imminence of "a
yellow peril" was another of his devices for stimulating the efforts of
his countrymen. Thus the new policy was expansion, evolution as a
world-power, colonisation; and each in turn brought him up against the
older arrangement of European Powers. His colonial policy, especially
in Africa, led to collisions with both France and Great Britain. The
building of the fleet, the Kiel Canal, and other details of maritime

policy naturally made England very suspicious, while the steady drag
towards the East rendered wholly unavoidable the conflict between
Teutonism and the Slav races. Germany looked, undoubtedly, towards
Asia Minor, and for this reason made great advances to and many
professions of friendship for the Ottoman Empire. Turkey, indeed, in
several phrases was declared to be "the natural ally" of Germany in the
Near East. And if we ask why, the answer nowadays is obvious. Not
only was Turkey to lend herself to the encouragement of German
commercial enterprise in Asia Minor, but she was, in the judgment of
the Emperor, the one power which could in time of trouble make
herself especially obnoxious to Great Britain. She could encourage
revolt in Egypt, and still more, through the influence of
Mahommedanism, stir up disaffection in India.[2]
[2] Turkey has now joined Germany.
AN AGGRESSIVE POLICY
And now let us watch this policy in action in recent events. In 1897
Germany demanded reparation from China for the recent murder of two
German missionaries. Troops were landed at Kiao-chau Bay, a large
pecuniary indemnity of about £35,000 was refused, and Kiao-chau
itself with the adjacent territory was ceded to Germany. That was a
significant demonstration of the Emperor's determination to make his
country a world-power, so that, as was stated afterwards, nothing
should occur in the whole world in which Germany would not have her
say. Meanwhile, in Europe itself event after event occurred to prove the
persistent character of German aggressiveness. On March 31, 1905, the
German Emperor landed at Tangier, in order to aid the Sultan of
Morocco in his demand for a Conference of the Powers to check the
military dispositions of France. M. Delcassé, France's Foreign Minister,
demurred to this proposal, asserting that a Conference was wholly
unnecessary. Thereupon Prince Bülow used menacing language, and
Delcassé resigned in June 1905. The Conference of Algeçiras was held
in January 1906, in which Austria proved herself "a brilliant second" to
Germany. Two years afterwards, in 1908, came still further proofs of
Germany's ambition. Austria annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina. Russia

immediately protested; so did most of the other Great Powers. But
Germany at once took up the Austrian cause, and stood "in shining
armour" side by side with her ally. Inasmuch as Russia was, in 1908,
only just recovering from the effects of her disastrous war with Japan,
and was therefore in no condition to take the offensive, the Triple
Alliance gained a distinct victory. Three years later occurred another
striking event. In July 1911 the world was startled by the news that the
German gunboat Panther, joined shortly afterwards by