SAXONY (DRESDEN) Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.8, on 26 Sep 2021 at 18:11:58, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960116318000283 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.8, on 26 Sep 2021 at 18:11:58, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960116318000283 DRESDEN FO /: George Strachey to Earl Granville, No , Dresden, January [Received January by post. For: The Queen / X, Ch.W.D. [Charles Wentworth Dilke]; G[ranville]] Press views of Bismarck’s foreign policy and Germany’s leading role in Europe; England’s marginal role On the occasion of the New Year, the Saxon Press has spoken in very optimist language of the state of Europe, as guaranteeing a continu- ance of peace. The Germans seem to have a belief in the existence of a separate diplomatic faculty, to whose agency they ascribe events due more to the natural evolution of affairs than to the forethought and contrivance of statesmen. Prince Bismarck is credited with the monopoly of this force, with which he regulates at will the European alliances, bringing the continent into an international sys- tem controlled by Germany. The feeling that the Reichskanzler has created a German hegemony in Europe, is expressed in the ‘Dresdner Nachrichten’ in some remarks of which the following is the purport. ‘With admirable moderation and self-restraint, Prince Bismarck has so used the military and diplomatic preponderance of Germany, as to establish a certain moral order amongst the European states, which is maintained against all interrupters by the menace of the interference of the Empire. This gives it’s impor- tance to the German-Austrian Alliance of . Originally directed against France and Russia, the central European League of Peace has grown to be “the sole decisive factor and regulator of Europe”. Furthermore, around the central sun it has been possible to gather a circle of satellites. Into this European system even Russia herself has now been drawn, and France, standing aloof, is held to peace by the absorption of her energies in distant enterprises. On January . In the protocol of March Austria-Hungary and Germany prolonged their Dual Alliance of October (see n. in Berlin section). Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.8, on 26 Sep 2021 at 18:11:58, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960116318000283 DRESDEN It is characteristic of such articles in the German press, that they generally efface England from the international map. We may be named as exercising a certain indirect influence on Europe, through some Egyptian, or Chinese, incident, but, on the whole, the diplo- matic position assigned to us is that indicated in the well-known line of Virgil ‘penitus toto divisos orbe Britannos’. FO /: George Strachey to Earl Granville, No , Dresden, February [Received February by post. For: The Queen; X; G[ranville]] Spirited participation of Social Democrats in Saxon Landtag debates; other politicians begin- ning to tire of it The Social-Democrats in the Landtag are discharging their assumed duties as Tribunes of the People with an activity not shewn by them in any previous session. They intervene in every sitting with ques- tions, motions, remonstrances, and explanations, denouncing things and persons in language which, but for the privilege of Parliament would involve them in endless prosecutions for libel and sedition. Lt. von Vollmar is a ready & incisive debater: Liebknecht would be an ornament to the most illustrious of Assemblies: and such is the elo- quence of Bebel, that no topic is so mean that he cannot raise it in a few sentences to first-rate interest and importance. Hitherto the combined majority of Conservatives (), National- Liberals (), and Progressists (), has heard them with attention and tolerance, the President, who is a Conservative, shewing himself admirably impartial, and a determined stickler for the liberty of debate. However the daily Philippics of this ‘fourth Party’–their defiant manner, interruptions, and altercations with the chair – their invec- tives against officials – their hardly covered appeals to eventual Revolution – (I am using the language of Saxon politicians) – all this which, in effect, if not in intention, is obstruction, is tiring the Chamber. Accordingly, the majority are beginning to resort to the clôture, for which justification might be given on other grounds. I find, for Latin: ‘The Britons, separated from all the world’ (Virgil, Ecl..). Ludwig Haberkorn. French: ‘close’ (of session). Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.8, on 26 Sep 2021 at 18:11:58, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960116318000283 SAXONY instance, that of speeches delivered in certain recent debates, were made by the Social-Democrats. The other members can hardly be expected to go on submitting to this, especially, as the tor- rent of Bebel’s and Liebknecht’s eloquence far overflows the limits of time traditional for parliamentary speaking here. Their oratory can never influence the house: its’ object is the utilisation, for the benefit of their partizans out of doors, of the only place except the Reichstag where Social Democracy is not gagged. FO /: George Strachey to Earl Granville, No , Dresden, April [Received April by post. For: The Queen / Qy: Berlin; G[ranville]] General Fabrice on Saxon initiative in the Federal Council against suggestion to form an imperial ministry General Fabrice told me yesterday, in reply to a question of mine as to the real authorship of the debate in the Bundesrath on the respon- sible Imperial Ministry, that this step had been provoked by himself and his colleagues on their own initiatives. They had not acted on suggestions from any other quarter, but on their own sense of the necessity and policy of some such interchange of ideas between the Governments of Germany. The interpellation had not been pre- ceded by any correspondence with other Courts: the only prelim- inary was, that the King’s agents in the Bundesrath had, to a certain extent, felt the pulse of some of the other representatives before moving in the matter. When the General went on to speak of the motives of Saxony for taking this step, his expressions were so chaotic and incoherent, and his delivery was so ejaculatory and intermittent, that I could only obtain glimpses of his meaning. He talked with a certain emphasis of the necessity of shewing the German public, on the eve of the forthcoming election, that the allied Governments took their stand on Treaties, and were determined to resist the encroachments of the Democrats and Socialists. By ‘Democrats’ His Excellency meant Liberals in general, and, in particular, the new liberal party whose programme was next door to Socialism. The Democrats Federal Council. For the debate in the Federal Council on April , see pp. –. Elections to the Reichstag were to be held on October . Deutsche Freisinnige Partei. See n. in Berlin section. Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.8, on 26 Sep 2021 at 18:11:58, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960116318000283 DRESDEN were giving trouble in Prussia, and Saxony thought it desirable to keep the cause of Government and order in the way supposed. I remarked, that the ostensible accusation against the United Liberals was, that they wanted to centralize, whereas His Excellency had now been denouncing them as Democrats: must I, then, understand, that the Saxon move in the Bundesrath was, after all, a mere electioneering manoeuvre designed in view of the coming appeal to the constituencies? The General replied –‘well! not absolutely that:’–but, nevertheless, refrained from claiming for his policy that higher political purpose affirmed in the Bundesrath as the basis of the whole proceeding. FO /: George Strachey to Earl Granville, No , Dresden, May [Received May by post. For: The Queen; X, Ch.W.D. [Charles Wentworth Dilke]; G[ranville]] Conditions and constraints on the Social Democrats in Germany; attitudes of crown adherents towards this party General Fabrice expects the Reichstag to pass the Bill for renewing the repressive measures of against Social-Democracy. In Germany the persons in the service of the Crown form a caste apart, no individual of which dares, or desires, to differ from the opinions which they all profess. The views of every one about every- thing political or administrative are absolutely identical with those of every one else in the given State, and of this rule the question on which I am writing is a signal exemplification. There is a perfect con- sensus of official opinion here, not only that under the law of Social Democracy has been silenced, but that the influence of Bebel and Liebknecht has been partly broken, and that the numbers and enthusiasms of their followers have diminished. Not long ago, the Saxon employé who is best versed in the subject assured me that the Catiline restlessness, the obstructive parliamentary tactics, The Anti-Socialist Law (Law against the Publicly Dangerous Endeavours of Social Democracy) of October banned social democratic and socialist societies, associ- ations, meetings, and publications which aimed at ‘the overthrow of the existing political or social order’. The law, which was originally limited to two and a half years, was pro- longed by the Reichstag on May .