a remarkable siege of four months, Paris was starved out and obliged to surrender to the Germans.

France was absolutely crushed. Germany took from her the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine and compelled the French people to pay to the Germans an immense war indemnity of a billion dollars.

GERMANY

The work of making Germany a united nation was now practically done. While the German army was still in Paris a communication was sent UNITED to King William of Prussia by the King of Bavaria, asking King William to become Emperor of Germany. We now know that the letter was written by Bismarck. In 1871 in the great hall of the palace of Versailles, which was then occupied by the German army, William was crowned and given the title of German Emperor.

But in realizing his ambition, Bismarck had made some mistakes. Although his ideal of uniting the German states into one great power was a good one, he had done an irreparable wrong to France. He had provoked the war with France and then forced the French to pay the cost. An indemnity of a billion dollars was a terrible burden in those days, but the French people worked industriously and paid it off in a few years.

The thing the French nation never forgave Germany was the taking of its territory. Germany has been for forty years trying to Germanize the two provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. She forbade them to use their native language of French in their schools and churches. It was as if they had taken the New England states from us and tried to convert all the people into Germans. Now we know that any people clings to its mother tongue with a death grip, and no amount of force will compel them

to give it up gracefully. France promised herself that some day she would recover these provinces from Germany and, looking forward to another war, sought an ally in Russia.

RULE

Bismarck's work now seemed to be done. He had accomplished what seemed at the outset to be an BISMARCK'S impossibility. He had made from the thirty-nine small German states a nation greater even than Russia or Austro-Hungary. He was looked upon as the greatest German statesman since the days of Charlemagne. But the day has now come when we heartily condemn him for his criminal action in robbing a neighboring country and causing a bitterness which had to be redeemed in the blood of this generation.

Bismarck was the real ruler of Germany for more than thirty years, though he was merely called the Chancellor. He has been given the name of the "Iron Chancellor" because of his grim determination to make his country great no matter what the cost. What was right was not the consideration in his mind. His only question was: "Is Germany strong enough to do this thing?" His gospel was: "Might makes right," which is the gospel of a savage, and this is the creed of German war lords today. They are trampling upon weaker nations with astounding cruelty.

Bismarck, knowing that France was longing for revenge, made a triple alliance with Russia and Austria against France. But this did not last for both Russia and Austria had been ambitious to get control of Constantinople and the straits leading from the Black Sea into the Mediterranean. Russia wished it for a warm waterway for her commerce and Germany and Austria both desired to possess

the Balkan states of Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Roumania, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

THE DUAL AND

After a time war occurred between Russia and Turkey. Russia was about to take Constantinople when Germany and Austria interTRIPLE ALLIANCES vened and robbed Russia of her victory over Turkey. A part of Turkey, which had been conquered by the Russians, was given to Austria. The Czar said: "Bismark has forgotten his promise of 1870." The provinces which fell to Austrian control were Bosnia and Herzegovina, both of which were peopled with Slavs or natives of Russia and should have gone to Serbia or Russia or some other Slav country.

Then Russia was ready to break with Germany and to make an alliance with France. Italy at this time was angered at France for seizing Tunis, as Italy wanted that part of Africa for a colony, so Italy joined the alliance of German and Austria. Thus we have the Dual Alliance of France and Russia and the Triple Alliance of Germany, AustroHungary and Italy. This was the line-up of friends and enemies when this great world war broke out.

Bismarck was still Chancellor when the present Kaiser William II. came to the throne of the German Empire in 1888. William II. was young, able and full of ambition to rule. He believes his right to rule comes from heaven and not from the people and as he did his own thinking he soon quarreled with Bismarck and dismissed him.

CHAPTER II

THE KAISER'S DREAM OF WORLD EMPIRE

Since 1890 the Kaiser has been the deciding voice in all German affairs. During these last twenty-five years Germany has developed her industries and her commerce in a remarkable manner. In both these respects she has become the rival of England and the United States. In fact, she has been rapidly outstripping them in trade and industry.

In this time Germany has acquired a number of colonies in Africa, China and the Eastern seas. But though her colonies have cost her a great deal, she has not known how to develop them with the success of England. The Kaiser has also in this time built up a large navy. He is ambitious to have the German Empire as powerful on the seas as she has been on the land for the last fifty years, so that nothing shall be done on sea or on land without her consent.

Thus Germany is a great country, rich and powerful, with an industrious and splendidly educated GERMANY people. But her citizens are not free. NOT FREE "The German nation," said Prince von Bulow, who was for many years Chancellor of Germany, "has been denied the right to rule itself." Germany has a constitution and a parliament but they do not give self-rule to the people. Vast power is bestowed upon the emperor. The Kaiser has even the right to declare war or make peace. This is a dangerous power to put in the hands of one

man. In our country only Congress, which directly represents the people, can declare war. Kaiser William is responsible to no one. He has said: "There is only one master of the nation. That is I. I will abide no other," and again, "I look upon the people and the nation as a responsibility conferred upon me by God. Those who try to interfere with my task I shall crush."

As a sample of his spirit he is quoted as saying to a regiment of his soldiers: "I would rather see my forty-five million Prussians dead on the field of battle than to see one foot of the soil taken in 1870 from the French restored to them.” At another time in addressing a body of recruits the Kaiser is reported to have said: "Now that you have donned my uniform it must be your pleasure and duty to follow my wishes, realizing that I rule Germany by the direct will of God. You must willingly obey my commands even though I require you to shoot down your own fathers and brothers in response to my dictates." And so submissive have become the millions of German soldiers after years of this training that today they would probably fire upon their own people if ordered to do so by their officers. This kind of obedience makes good soldiers, but unthinking citizens.

When Bismarck drew up the constitution of the Empire he fashioned the government so that Prussia PRUSSIAN should have the balance of power and the NOBILITY Kaiser might rule. "Prussia," said Prince von Bulow, "is to this day a state of soldiers and officials." The Kaiser appoints nobles, and nobles only, to his high offices. Only a noble can be chancellor or minister. The Kaiser chooses only nobles as officers of his army and navy. He makes