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Blood and Iron Newspaper Clipping, September 7, 1950
Observer 9.750
TE
BLOOD AND IRON
By HAROLD NICOLSON
Bismarck and the German Empire. By Erich Eyck. (Allen
and
Unwin. 18s.)
I
we wish to appreciate the
diplomacy as war by other means,
virtues of the Germans we
in national egoism, in the destiny
should read a great amount of
of the weak to be devoured by the
Goethe. If we desire to under-
strong"; his contempt for inter-
stand their defects we should study
national faithfulness and contrac-
the ideas and methods of Bis-
tual obligations; his inoculation of
marck. The British public should
his people with a false and strident
be grateful to Dr. Erich Eyck for
sense of national honour and a
providing them with a condensed
self-pitying desire to assume the
version of his three-volume work
role of the injured ' all these
upon the great Chancellor. His
erroneous ideas (and with him they
BISMARCK AND THE GERMAN EM-
became idées fixes) transformed the
PIRE is authoritative, illuminating,
equable Germans within a space of
and easy to read.
twenty years into neurotic animals
Dr. Eyck, like all good his-
-restless, suspicious, discontented.
torians, has a definite theme in
envious, vaunting, and frightened
mind. He does not seek to deni-
of the violence which, in their
grate Bismarck; in fact, he takes
hysteria, they had themselves
for granted the astounding strength
evoked.
of his personality, his singular
*
greatness and his everlasting glory."
His methods also, although
What he wishes to elucidate are the
effective when controlled by his
stages by which Bismarck's re-
own iron will, became disastrous
peated successes transformed the
when applied by men of lesser
political philosophy of his contem-
strength. The vindictiveness with
poraries. He shows us how the
which he would denounce even his
Chancellor's successive diplomatic
mildest critics as Reichsfeinde, the
triumphs discredited the old Ger-
personal animosity which he dis-
man virtues of humanitarianism
played to such opponents as the
and liberalism, and destroyed the
Empress Augusta, the Empress
traditional belief in the Rechtsstaat,
Frederick, Gortchakoff and Arnim,
or the rule of law. He explains,
poisoned two generations with the
more lucidly than it has been ex-
venoms of political pugnacity, ruth-
plained before, how Bismarck's
lessness and intrigue. His actual
pupils, successors, and imitators be-
trickery degraded the hitherto
came mesmerised by his prodigious
accepted standards of political and
virtuosity; and why they sought,
diplomatic honesty. His secretiveness
with such disastrous results, to per-
created a constant state of suspicious
petuate his ideas and methods
anxiety and originated the dangerous
without possessing either the will
method of a war of nerves. His
or the skill to control the ventures
diversionary tactics (as when he
and the hazards to which by oppor-
encouraged French ambitions in
North Africa, British ambitions in
tunism the State became exposed.
Egypt, and Russian ambitions in the
Bismarck committed many crimes
Black Sea) were deliberately calcu-
and a few mistakes; but his greatest
lated to maintain Europe in a state
error was to inculcate a theory of
of tension. And his passion for keep-
statesmanship which could produce
ing five plates in the air at the same
so evil a lunatic as Holstein and so
time furnished a disastrous temptation
sham a virtuoso as Bülow.
to his successors, who did not
possess his astonishing manipulative
skill. He convinced his people that
The destructive influence which
the only standard of statesmanship
Bismarck exercised upon the politi-
was that of success; and at the same
cal thoughts and habits of Ger-
time he taught them methods in which
many was due partly to errors of
only he could succeed.
principle, partly to mistakes of
His fundamental fault was an in-
method, and partly to faults of
capacity to estimate correctly the
understanding. His confidence in
deep moral forces by which men
and nations are moved. He thus
his own genius was so overweening
wholly misinterpreted the force of
that it induced in him a cynical
Catholicism, Socialism. nationalism,
contempt not merely for the in-
economic needs, or ordinary human
tellectual weakness of his fellow
pride. He was the greatest political
mortals but also for their moral
genius since Napoleon, but. as his
strength. Even Treitschke, who
predecessor. he allowed his brains to
was certainly not a liberal senti-
go to his head. Upon his people he
mentalist, could exclaim in horror
conferred immense material benefits;
Of the moral powers in the world
but he left them a spiritual and
he has not the slightest notion."
political heritage, a turmoil of violent
Even as a young man he had
ideas, which they were wholly unable
freed himself from allegiance to
to interpret or control. Dr. Eyck. in
his excellent book. has exposed the
any doctrine, excepting that of
many fallacies of which the Bismarck
power politics." His belief in Real-
legend is compounded. His analysis
politik, in Blood and Iron, in
is tragic and austere.
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Blood and Iron Newspaper Clipping, September 7, 1950
Details
09/07/1950