The Kaiser; A Book about the Most Interesting Man in Europe

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1914 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER X THE KAISER AND THE SOCIALISTS f I AHE responsibility for this calamity falls upon those who are I responsible for the imperial policies that led to it. We absolutely decline all responsibility. The Social Democrats fought this policy with all their might. At this moment, however, the question before us is not war, or no war. The war is here. The question now is one of defence of the country. Our nation and the future of its liberty are jeopardized by a possible victory of Russian despotism, the hands of which are stained with blood of the best of its own nation. Against this danger it is our duty to secure the culture and independence of our land. Thus spoke the German Social Democrats through Deputy Haase in the Reichstag, in those tense days of the first week of August, 1914, when the whole of Europe was trembling upon the brink of war. Bitterly opposed to this war they were. Consistent with their philosophy and their programme they did all in their severely limited power to avert it. They failed, acknowledged the situation, and without further repinings cast all of their 111 votes in favour of the war budget. Much has been said recently and much will be said in future of the attitude of the German Socialists in the war. More strongly organized and with a greater numerical force than the Socialists in any other nation, people generally looked to the Socialists of Germany to do something else than they did. Just what they were expected to do is hard to say. The diversity of these expectations is as great as the diversity of opinion upon Socialism as a general proposition. But the fact is that the Socialists, war once declared, shouldered their rifles, and hundreds of thousands of them are fighting to-day with the German army. And this in spite ...