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23 - Bismarck and the Foundation of the German Empire by James Headlam-Morley · Bismarck and the Foundation of the German Empire

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty three of Pismack and the Foundation of the
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  Speaker 1: German Empire by James Headlong. This liver box recording is
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  Speaker 1: in the public domain. Recording by Esseschem Soul, South Korea,
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  Speaker 1: Chapter fourteen The War with France and Foundation of the
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  Speaker 1: Empire from eighteen seventy to eighteen seventy one, Part one.
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  Speaker 1: July thirty first, eighteen seventy Pismack left Berlin with the
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  Speaker 1: King for the seat of war, for, as in eighteen
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  Speaker 1: sixty six, he was to accompany the army in the
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  Speaker 1: field for the next few months. Indeed, Germany was to
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  Speaker 1: be governed from the soil of France, and it was
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  Speaker 1: necessary for the minister to be constantly with the king.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Pismack never forgot that he was a soldier. He was
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  Speaker 1: more proud of his general's uniform than of his civil rank,
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  Speaker 1: and though not the combatant, it was his pride and
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  Speaker 1: pleasure that he should share something of the hardship and
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  Speaker 1: dangers of war. He was, as a matter of fact,
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  Speaker 1: never was so well as during the campaign. The early hours,
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  Speaker 1: the moderate and at times meager food, the long hours
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  Speaker 1: in the settle, and the open air restored the nerves
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  Speaker 1: and health which had been injured by the annoyances of
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  Speaker 1: office late hours and prolonged sedentary work. He was accompanied
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  Speaker 1: by part of the staff of the Foreign Office, and
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  Speaker 1: many of the distinguished strangers who followed the army were
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  Speaker 1: often guessed at his table. He especially showed his old
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  Speaker 1: friendliness for Americans. General Sheridan and many others of his
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  Speaker 1: countrymen found a hearty welcome from the Chancellor. It was
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  Speaker 1: not till the seventeenth of August that the headquarters came
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  Speaker 1: up with the fighting front of the army, But the
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  Speaker 1: next day, during the decisive Battle of Gravelot, Pismack watched
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  Speaker 1: the combat by the side of the King, and as
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  Speaker 1: yet kennigrets, they more than once came on the fire.
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  Speaker 1: At one period Bismarck was in considerable danger of being
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  Speaker 1: taken prisoner. His two sons were serving in the army.
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  Speaker 1: They were dragons in the cursius of the Gods, serving
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  Speaker 1: in the ranks in the same regiments whose uniform their
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  Speaker 1: father was entitled to wear. They both took part in
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  Speaker 1: the terrible cavallety charts at mass Latour. In each their
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  Speaker 1: regiment suffered so severely. The eldest Count Herbert, was wounded
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  Speaker 1: and had to be invalid home. Pismarck could justly boast
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  Speaker 1: that there was no nepotism in the Prussian government when
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  Speaker 1: his two sons were serving as privates. It was not
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  Speaker 1: till the war had gone on some weeks and they
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  Speaker 1: had taken part in many engagements that they received their commissions.
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  Speaker 1: This would have happened in no other country or army.
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  Speaker 1: This was the true equality, so different from the egggerated
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  Speaker 1: democracy of France, on equality not of privilege but of obligation.
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  Speaker 1: Every Pomeranian peasant who sent his son to fight and
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  Speaker 1: die in France knew that the sons of the most
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  Speaker 1: powerful men in the country and in Europe were fighting
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  Speaker 1: with them, not as officers, but as comrades. Bismarck was
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  Speaker 1: more fortunate than his friends in them. Neither of his
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  Speaker 1: sons nor any of his new relatives lost his life.
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  Speaker 1: One second son fell at Satan, and the bloody days
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  Speaker 1: of mas Latour and Gravelot placed the morning nearly every
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  Speaker 1: noble family in Prussia, from Gravelot to S'dan. He accompanied
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  Speaker 1: the army, and he was by the King's side on
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  Speaker 1: that fatal day when the white flag was hoisted on
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  Speaker 1: the citadel of Sa'dan, and the French general came out
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  Speaker 1: of the town with the message that Napoleon, having in Vain,
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  Speaker 1: sought that at the head of his troops, placed his
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  Speaker 1: sword in the hands of the King of Prussia. The
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  Speaker 1: surrender of Sa'dan was military events, and the conditions had
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  Speaker 1: to be arranged between world K and Vimpen, who had
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  Speaker 1: succeeded McMahon in command. But Bismarck was present at the conference,
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  Speaker 1: which was held in his quarters in case political questions arose.
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  Speaker 1: As they rode down together to Don Sheroi, he and
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  Speaker 1: mort Ke had agreed that northombs could be offered except
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  Speaker 1: the unconditional surrender of the whole army, the officers alone
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  Speaker 1: being allowed to retain their sword. Against these conditions, Vimpenn
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  Speaker 1: and his companions stroggled long but in Vain mortkez coldly
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  Speaker 1: assured them that they could not escape and that it
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  Speaker 1: would be madness to begin the fight again. They were surrounded.
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  Speaker 1: If the surrender were not complete by four o'clock the
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  Speaker 1: next morning, the bombardment of the town would begin. Vimpen
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  Speaker 1: suggested that it would be more politic of the Germans
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  Speaker 1: to show generosity. They would thereby on the gratitude of France,
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  Speaker 1: and this might be made the beginning of the lasting peace. Otherwise,
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  Speaker 1: what had they to look forward to but the long
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  Speaker 1: series of wars. Now was the time for peacemap to interfere.
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  Speaker 1: It was impossible, he declared, to reckon on the gratitude
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  Speaker 1: of nations. At times men might indeed build with confidence
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  Speaker 1: on that of the sovereign and his family. But I repeat,
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  Speaker 1: nothing can be expected from the gratitude of a nation.
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  Speaker 1: Above all? Was this true of France? The government there
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  Speaker 1: have so little power. The changes are so quick and
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  Speaker 1: so unforeseen, that there is nothing on which one can rely. Besides,
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  Speaker 1: it would be absurd to imagine that France would ever
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  Speaker 1: forgive us our successes. You are un irritable and jealous people,
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  Speaker 1: envious and jealous to the last degree. You have not
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  Speaker 1: forgiven us Sadova, and would you forgive us Saddan. Never.
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  Speaker 1: They could not therefore modify the terms in order to
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  Speaker 1: win the gratitude and friendship of France. They might have
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  Speaker 1: done so had there been prospect of immediate peace. One
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  Speaker 1: of the officers, General Castel now announced that he had
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  Speaker 1: a special message from Napoleon, who had sent his sword
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  Speaker 1: to the king and surrendered in the hope that the
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  Speaker 1: King would appreciate the sacrifice and grant the more honorable capitulation.
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  Speaker 1: Whose thought is it that the Emperor Napoleon has surrendered,
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  Speaker 1: asked Pismack. Is it the sord of France or his own?
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  Speaker 1: If it is the sword of France, the conditions can
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  Speaker 1: be greatly softened. Your message would have one extraordinary importance,
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  Speaker 1: he thought, And he hoped that the Emperor wished to
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  Speaker 1: sue for peace. But it was not so. It is
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  Speaker 1: only the sword of the Emperor, and so the general
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  Speaker 1: all then remains as it was, said Mortgue. He insisted
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  Speaker 1: on his demands jimp and asked at least that time
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  Speaker 1: might be allowed him to return to Sa'dan and consult
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  Speaker 1: his colleagues. He had only come from Algeria two days before.
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  Speaker 1: He could not begin his command by signing so terrible
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  Speaker 1: of surrender. Even this Mortke refused. Then Vimpn declared the
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  Speaker 1: conference ended. Rather than this, they would continue to better.
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  Speaker 1: He asked that his horses might be brought. A terrible
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  Speaker 1: silence fell on the room. Mortque, with Bismuck on his side,
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  Speaker 1: stood cold and impenetrable, facing the three French officers. Their
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  Speaker 1: faces were lighted by two candles on the table, be
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  Speaker 1: understood the stalwart forms of the German officers of the step,
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  Speaker 1: and from the walls of the room looked down the
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  Speaker 1: picture of Napoleon the First. Then again Bismack in the field,
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  Speaker 1: he begged Vimpen not in a moment to peak, to
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  Speaker 1: take a step which must have such horrible consequences. He
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  Speaker 1: whispered a few words to Mortke and procured from him
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  Speaker 1: a concession hostilities should not be ren till nine o'clock
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  Speaker 1: next morning, Vimpion might return to Se'dan and report to
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  Speaker 1: the Emperor and his colleagues. It was past midnight when
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  Speaker 1: the conference broke off. Before daybreak, Bismarck was roused by
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  Speaker 1: a messenger who announced that the Emperor had left Se'dan
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  Speaker 1: and wished to see him. He hastily sprang off, and
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  Speaker 1: as he was unwatched without breakfast in its undress uniform,
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  Speaker 1: his old cap and his high boots showing all the
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  Speaker 1: marks of his long day in the settle, he mounted
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  Speaker 1: his horse and rode down to the spot near the
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  Speaker 1: high road, where the Emperor in his carriage, accompanied by
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  Speaker 1: three officers and attended by a dree Mow, on horseback,
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  Speaker 1: awaited him. Bismarck rode quickly to him, dismounted, and as
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  Speaker 1: he approached, saluted and removed his cap. Though this was
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  Speaker 1: contrary to etiquette, but it was not a time when
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  Speaker 1: he wished even to appear to be wanting in courtesy.
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  Speaker 1: Napoleon had come to plead for the army. He wished
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  Speaker 1: to see the king, for he hoped that in a
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  Speaker 1: personal interview he might extract from him more favorable toms.
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  Speaker 1: Pismuck was determined just for this reason that the sovereigns
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  Speaker 1: should not meet until the capitulation was signed. He answered
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  Speaker 1: therefore that it was impossible, as the king was ten
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  Speaker 1: miles away. He then accompanied the Emperor to a neighboring cottage. There,
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  Speaker 1: in a small room ten feet square, containing a wooden
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  Speaker 1: table and two rush chairs, they sat for some time talking. Afterwards,
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  Speaker 1: they came down and sat smoking in front of the cottage.
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  Speaker 1: A wonderful contrast to our last meeting in the tuilleries,
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  Speaker 1: wrote Pismock to his wife. Conversation was difficult if I
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  Speaker 1: was to avoid matters which would be painful to the
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  Speaker 1: man who had been struck down by the might hand
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  Speaker 1: of God. He first lamented this on eppy war, which
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  Speaker 1: he said he had not desired, he had been forced
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  Speaker 1: into it by the pleasure of public opinion. I answered
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  Speaker 1: that with us also no one list of all the
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  Speaker 1: king had wished for the war. We had looked on
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  Speaker 1: the Spanish affair as Spanish and not as German. The
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  Speaker 1: Emperor asked for more favorable terms of surrender, but Bismarck
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  Speaker 1: refused to discuss this with him. It was the military
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  Speaker 1: question which must be settled between Moltke and Vimpen. On
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  Speaker 1: the other hand, when Bismuck inquired if he were inclined
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  Speaker 1: for negotiations for peace, Napoleon answered that he could not
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  Speaker 1: discuss this. He was a prisoner of war and could
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  Speaker 1: not treat. He referred Pismock to the government in Paris.
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  Speaker 1: This meeting had therefore no effect on the situation. Pismack
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  Speaker 1: suggested that the Emperor should go to the neighboring Chateau Belville,
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  Speaker 1: which was not occupied by wounded. There he would able
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  Speaker 1: to rest. Did Pismuck, now in full uniform, for he
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  Speaker 1: had hurried back to his own quarters, accompanied him and
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  Speaker 1: in the same house. The negotiations of the previous evening
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  Speaker 1: were continued, Pismack did not wish to be present at them, for,
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  Speaker 1: as he said, the military man could be harsher, and
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  Speaker 1: so gave others that after a few minutes he should
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  Speaker 1: be summoned out of the room by a message that
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  Speaker 1: the king wished to see him. After the capitulation was signed,
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  Speaker 1: he rode up with mortqu to present it to the King,
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  Speaker 1: who received it on the heights. Whence he had watched
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  Speaker 1: the battle, surrounded by the headquarters' def and all the
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  Speaker 1: princes who were making the campaign. Then, followed by a
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  Speaker 1: brilliant cavalcade, he wrote down to visit the captive Sovereign.
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  Speaker 1: Pismarck would at this time willingly have made peace, But
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  Speaker 1: there was no opportunity of opening negotiations, and it is
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  Speaker 1: doubtful whether even his influence would have been able successfully
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  Speaker 1: to combat the desire of the army to march on Paris.
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  Speaker 1: On September fourth, the march, which had been interrupted ten
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  Speaker 1: days before, was begun. Immediately afterwards, news came which stopped
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  Speaker 1: all hopes of was speedy peace. How soon was his
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: warning as to the instability of French governments to be
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: fulfilled had broken out in Paris. The dedronement of the
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  Speaker 1: Emperor had been proclaimed and the provisional government instituted. They
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  Speaker 1: at once declared that they were a government of national defense.
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  Speaker 1: They would not rest till the invaders were driven from
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  Speaker 1: the land. They appealed to the memories of seventeen ninety two.
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  Speaker 1: They were indeed ready to make peace, for the war
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  Speaker 1: they said had been undertaken not against France, but against
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  Speaker 1: the Emperor. The Emperor had fallen or free, France had origen,
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  Speaker 1: they would make peace, but they would not yield an
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  Speaker 1: inch of their country or stone of their fortress. With
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  Speaker 1: great energy, they prepared the defense of Paris and the
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  Speaker 1: organization of new armies. Missieur Thierre was instructed to visit
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  Speaker 1: the Neutral court and to beg for the support of Europe.
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  Speaker 1: Under these circumstances, it was Bismarck's duty to explain the
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  Speaker 1: German view. He did so in two circular notes of
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  Speaker 1: September thirteenth and September sixteenth. He began by expounding those
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  Speaker 1: principers he had already expressed to Viumfen principles which had
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  Speaker 1: already been communicated by his secretaries to the German press
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  Speaker 1: and been repeated in almost every paper of the country.
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  Speaker 1: The war had not been caused by the Emperor. It
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  Speaker 1: was a nation which was responsible for it. It had
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  Speaker 1: arisen from the intolerance of the French character, which looked
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  Speaker 1: on the prosperity of other nations as an insult to themselves.
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  Speaker 1: They must expect the same feeling to continue. We cannot
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  Speaker 1: seek guarantees for the future in French feeling. We must
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  Speaker 1: not deceive ourselves. We must soon expect a new attack.
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  Speaker 1: We cannot look forward to a lasting peace. And this
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  Speaker 1: is quite independent of the conditions we might impose on France.
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  Speaker 1: It is their defeat which the French nation will never forgive.
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  Speaker 1: If now we were to withdraw from France, without any
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  Speaker 1: occasion of territory, without any contribution, without any advantage, but
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  Speaker 1: the glory of our arms, there would remain in the
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: French nation the same hatred, the same split of revenge
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  Speaker 1: for the injury. Return to their vanity and to their
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: law of power. Against this, they must demand security. The
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  Speaker 1: demand was addressed not to any single government, but to
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  Speaker 1: the nation as a whole. South Germany must be protected
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  Speaker 1: from the danger of French attack. They would never be
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  Speaker 1: safe so long as Strasbourg and Mets were in French hands.
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  Speaker 1: Book was the Gate of Germany restored to Germany, these
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  Speaker 1: cities would regain their defensive character. Twenty times had France
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: made war on Germany, but from Germany, no danger of
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  Speaker 1: disturbance to the peace of Europe was to be filled.
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  Speaker 1: For the first time, he hereby officially stated that Germany
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: would not make peace without some accession of territory, that
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  Speaker 1: this would be the case everyone had known since the
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  Speaker 1: beginning of the war. At a council war directly after
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: the gravel Lot, it was determined to require alsace after
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: sa'dan the term's natural roles. The demand for at least
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: some territory was indeed inevitable. The suggestion that from confidence
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: in the peaceful and friendly character of the French nation,
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: they should renounce all the advantages gained by unperiled victories
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: scarcely deserved Silio's constellation. Had the French been successful, they
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: would have taken all the left bank of the Rhine.
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: This was actually specified in the draft treaty which General
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: Lebron had presented to the Emperor of Austria. What claim
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: had France to be treated with the leniency which she
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: has never shown to any conquered enemy. Pismarck had to
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: meet the assumption that France was privileged and special land,
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: that she had freedom to conquer, pillage and divide the
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: land over neighbors, but that every proposal to win back
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: from home what she had taken from others was a
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: crime against humanity. So long as the provisional government adopted
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: the attitude that they would not even consider peace on
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: the basis of some surrender of territory, there was no
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: prospect of any useful negotiations. The armies must advance and
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: beneath the words of Paris, the struggle be fought out
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  Speaker 1: to its bitter end. Peasmarck meanwhile treated government with great reserve.
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  Speaker 1: They had no legal status. As he often pointed out,
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  Speaker 1: the Emperor was still the only legal authority in France,
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  Speaker 1: and he would be quite prepared to enter into negotiations
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  Speaker 1: with him. When, by the medium of the English ambassador
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: they asked to be allowed to open negotiations for an
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: armistice and discuss the terms of peace, he answered by
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  Speaker 1: the question, what guarantee was there that France or the
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  Speaker 1: armies in Metz and Strasbourg would recognize the arrangements made
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: by the present government in Paris, or any that might
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: succeed it. It was a quite fair question, for, as
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: events were to show, the commanders of the army in
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: Metz refused to recognize them and wished to restore the
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: Emperor to the throne, and the government themselves had declared
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: that they would at once be driven from power if
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: they withdrew from their determination not to accept the principle
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: of accession of territory. They would be driven from power
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  Speaker 1: by the same authority to which they owed their existence,
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: the mab of Paris. It was the map of Paris
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: which from the beginning was really responsible for the war.
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: What use was there in the negotiations in each the
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: two parties had no common ground. Nonetheless, Bismarck consented to
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: receive Monsieur jul Vabre, who held the portfolio of Foreign Affairs,
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: and who, at the advice of Lord Leon, came out
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: from Paris, even at the risk of the above, to
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: see if by a personal interview he might not be
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: able to influence the German chancellor. It is well at
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: least to see what sort of man he is, was
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: the explanation which Pismuck gave. But as the interview was
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: not strictly official. He did not, by granting it bind
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: himself to recognize Fabl's authority. Juluphab met Pismock on September eighteenth.
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: They had a long conversation that evening, and it was
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: continued the next day at Fernard Baron Rothschild's house, in
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: which the King was at that time quoted. The French
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: envoy did not make a favor of impression or lawyer.
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: By profession, he had no experience in diplomatic negotiations, vain
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: for both rhetorical and sentimental. His own report of the interview,
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: which he presented to his colleagues in Paris, his sufficient
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: evidence of his incapacity for the task he had taken
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: upon himself. He spoke to me as if I were
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: at public meetings, said Bismarck afterwards, using an expression which
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: in his mouth was peculiarly contemptuous, for he had the
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: platonic dislike of long speeches. But let us here found himself.
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: Although fifty eight years of age, Count Bismarck appeared to
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: be in full vigor. His tall figure, his powerful head,
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: his strongly marked features gave him an aspect both imposing
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: and severe tempered. However, by natural simplicity amounting to good nature,
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: his manners were courteous and grave, and quite free from
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: stiffness or affectation. As soon as the conversation commenced, he
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: displayed a communicativeness and goodwill, which he preserved while it lasted.
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  Speaker 1: He certainly regarded me as a negotiator onworthy of him,
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  Speaker 1: and he had the politeness not to let this be seen,
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  Speaker 1: and appeared interested by my sincerity. I was struck with
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: the clearness of his ideas, his vigorous good sense, and
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: his originality of mind. His freedom from all pretensions was
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: no less remarkable. It is interesting to compare with this
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: account given by another Frenchman of one of the later
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: interviews between the two men. The negotiations began seriously and quietly.
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: The Chancellor said simply and seriously what he wanted, with
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: astonishing frankness and admirable logic. He went straight to the mark,
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: and every turn he is consulted. Julph Arbre, who accustomed
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: to legal quipples and diplomatic jobbery, and did not in
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  Speaker 1: the least understand the perfect loyalty of his opponents or
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: his super fashion of treating questions so different from the
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: ordinary method. The Chancellor expressed himself in French with the
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: fidelity I have never met with except among the Russians.
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: He made use of expressions at once elegant and vigorous,
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: finding the proper world to describe an idea forifying a
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: situation without effort or hesitation. I was, at the outset,
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: struck by the contrast between the two negotiators. Count Bismarck
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: bore the uniform of the white curasious, white tunic, white
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: cap and yellow band. He looked like a giant in
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: his tight uniform, with his broad chest and scale shoulders,
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: and bursting with health and strengths. He overwhelmed the stooping, thin, tall,
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: miserable looking lawyer, with his throg coat wrinkled all over
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: and his white hair falling over his color. Oh look
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: alas at the pail was sufficient to distinguish between the
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: conqueror and the conquered, the strong and the weak. This, however,
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: was four months later, when Joel Vab was doubtless much
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: broken by the anxieties of his position, and perhaps also
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: by the want of sufficient folk and con Traison is
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: not an impassion witness, for though a patriotic Frenchman. He
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: was an enemy of the Minister. Bismarck, in granting the interview,
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: had said that he would not discuss on amnestice, but
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: all the terms of peace. For the reason we have explained,
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: Favre refused to listen even to the position of the
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: only terms which Pismack was empowered to bring forward. The
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: Chancellor explained, those ideas with which we are already acqainted Strasbourg,
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: he said, is the key of our house, and we
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: must have it. Fabre protests that he could not discuss
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: conditions which was so dishonorable to France. On this expression,
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: we need only quote Chrismack's comment. I did not succeed
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: in convincing him that conditions the fufillment of which France
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: had retired from Italy and demanded from Germany without having
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: been at war, conditions which France would undoubtedly have imposed
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: upon us had we been defeated, and which had been
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: the result of nearly every war even in the latest time,
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: could not have anything dishonorable in themselves for a country
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: which had been defeated after a brave resistance, and that
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: the honor of France was now a different kind to
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: that of other countries. It was impossible to refuse to
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: discuss terms of an armistice. As in eighteen sixty six.
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: The military authorities objected to any kind of armistice because
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: from a military point of view, any sensation of hostilities
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: must be an advantage to France. It would enable them
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: to continue their preparations and get together new armies, while
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: Germany would have the enormous expense of maintaining five hundred
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: thousand men in a foreign country. Bismarck himself, from a
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: political point of view, also knew the advantage of bringing
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: the war to a rapid clause while the moral effect
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: of the Great victories had not been dissipated. However, France
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: had no government. Legal government could not be created without elections,
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: and Favre refused to constal holding elections during the progress
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: of hostilities. After a long discussion, Bismarck, other suggestions being rejected,
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: offered an armistice on conditions that the war should continue
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: around Mediz and Paris, but the Tour and Strasburg should
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: be surrendered and the Garrison of Strasbourg made prisoners of war.
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: The towns would any help fall into our hands, he said,
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: it is only a question of engineering at these worlds,
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: said Favre. I sprang into the air from pain and
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: cried out, you forget that you speak to a Frenchman.
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: To sacrifice on heroic garrison, which is the object of
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: our admiration and that of the world, would be a cowardice.
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: I do not promise even to say that you have
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: offered such a condition. Pismuck said that he had no
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: wish to offend him. If the King allowed it, the
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: article might be modified. He left the room, and after
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: a quarter of one hour, returned, saying that the King
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: would accept no alteration on this point. My powers were
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: exhausted right fars. I feared for a moment that I
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: should fall down. I turned away to overcome the tears
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: which choked me, And while I excused myself for this
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: involuntary weakness, I took leave with a few simple words.
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: He asked Pismuck not to betray his weakness. The Count,
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: who seems really to have been touched by the display
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: of emotion, attempted in some sort of way to consult him,
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: But a few days later his sympathy was changed into
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: amusement when he found that the tears which he had
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: been asked to pas over in silence, were prayed before
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: the people of Paris to prove the patriotism of the men.
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: He may have meant it, said Pismack, but people ought
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: not bring sentiment into politics. The terms which Pismack had
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: offered were, as a matter of fact, not at all harsh.
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: A week later, the garrison of Strasbourg had become prisoners
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: of war. Had the French accepted the armistice and begun
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: negotiations for peace, they would probably, though they could not
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: have saved Strasbourg, and answers, have received far better terms
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: than those to which they had to assent. Four months later, Pismarck,
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: in refusing to recognize the provisional government, always reminded them
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: that the Emperor was still the only legitimate government in France.
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: He professed that he was willing to negotiate with the Emperor,
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: and often talked of releasing him from his confinement in Germany,
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: coming to tombs with Bazin, and allowing the Emperor at
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: the head of the army at Metz to regain his
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: authority in France. We do not quite know to what
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: extent he was serious in using this language, for he
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: often threatened more than he intended to perform. It is
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: at least possible that he only used it as a
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: means for compelling the Provisional Government quickly to come to toombs,
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: and thereby to bring the war to an end. It is, however,
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: certain that negotiations went turned between him and the Empress,
• 31:45
  Speaker 1: and also with Bazin. They came to nothing, because the
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: Empress absolutely refused to negotiate if she was to be
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: required to surrender any French territory. In this she adopted
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: the language of the provisional Government in Paris, and was
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: supported by the Emperor end of Section twenty three.