THE NATIONAL REVIEW No. 349. MARCH 1912 Cassel EPISODES OF THE MONTH ANY careful student of the twisting and turning of German diplomacy could have foretold the probability of some such episode at the present moment as Lord Haldane's The Haldane-mission" to Berlin, which was designed by its authors to make this country an object of ridicule and suspicion in other capitals, and to revive the brend of Perfide Albion, upon whom no one can rely. A period of German intimidation, especially when that intimidation has egregiously failed, is invariably followed by a period of Potsdam cajolery. In order to achieve her objective-the suzerainty of Europe it is vital for Germany to destroy the Triple Entente, ensisting of Russia, France and Great Britain, whose close and cardial co-operation, of which we had a wonderful object-lesson last year, is the single solid guarantee of the peace of Europe, which is threatened by Prussian Junkerdom and by Prussian Junkerdom alone. A Power which would add naval supremacy to military supremacy and is feverishly building armaments by kan, though surrounded by pacific neighbours who obviously and to lose infinitely more than they could possibly hope to gain by picking a quarrel with so formidable a nation as the German Empire, is clearly on the war path. Peace may be on the lips. • Lord Haldane, according to the newspapers, was accompanied by Sir Ernest Cueel, which would prompt a judge to inquire; "Who is Sir Ernest Cassel?" VOL LIX 1 of her spokesmen but war is in the heart of the ruling minority, though we doubt whether it is in the heart of the helpless majority, who have recently exhibited unexpected resistance to the incendiary efforts of their Kaiser's Government. War is openly advocated by influential Berlin organs, and has been, moreover, a normal incident in the evolution of Prussia from a petty State to a powerful Empire. The doctrine is expounded in the "Recollections" of Bismarck, who avowedly brought on war as a British Minister brings in a Bill. It is coolly and deliberately planned and ruthlessly executed at the appointed hour, after the victim has been cleverly lulled into a false sense of security, completely isolated, and the wells of public opinion craftily poisoned to the point of making the attacked appear in the eyes of the world as the aggressor. Denmark, Austria-Hungary, and France, all fell into the various traps cleverly baited by the Prussian Machiavelli, and neutral Powers abounded at the outset, at any rate, of these conflicts with sympathy for “ poor, dear Prussia," who typified the injured innocent and was merely defending herself against wicked or impossible neighbours, just as to-day British simpletons are discussing "poor dear Germany-how can we help her to her rightful place in the sun?" Denmark was successfully despoiled in order that the Kiel Canal might be constructed so as to double Prussian sea-power whenever Prussian ambition turned seawards. Then Austria was cast into outer darkness in order that Germany might be governed from Berlin instead of from Vienna and the German Empire consolidated under Prussian auspices. Finally France was fallen upon in 1870 and dismembered amid the general effacement of Europe, which has paid dearly for its criminal ineptitude, and will pay still more dearly in the future. 66 THE German Empire was created by blood and iron, and embarked, with the assistance of the French milliards, on a long spell of prodigious prosperity, safeguarded by the double The Wilhelmstrasse guarantee of a nation in arms and the extraordinary diplomacy of Bismarck, the grand Agent-Provocateur of Europe, who, like all great men, worked on a very simple plan, namely, to separate Powers with common interests whose combination might conceivably thwart German aims, and thus |