question of the "freedom of the
seas." Obviously, if the Allies were to control the seas after the
war, as they had during the war, Germany could make no plans for the
re-establishment of her world commerce unless there were some
assurances that her merchant fleet would be as free on the high seas as
that of any other nation. During the war Germany had talked a great
deal about the freedom of the seas. When the _Lusitania_ was torpedoed
von Jagow said in an interview that Germany was fighting for the free
seas and that by attacking England's control, Germany was acting in the
interests of the whole world. But Germany was really not sincere in
what she said about having the seas free. What Germany really desired
was not freedom of the seas in peace time because the seas had been
free before the war. What Germany wanted was free seas in war
time,--freedom for her own merchant ships to go from Germany to any
part of the world and return with everything except absolute
contraband. Germany's object was to keep from building a navy great
enough to protect her merchant fleet in order that she might devote all
her energies to army organisation. But the freedom of the seas was a
popular phrase. Furthermore it explained to the German people why
their submarine warfare was not inhuman because it was really fighting
for the freedom of all nations on the high seas!
[Illustration: This is the photograph of von Hindenburg which very
German has in his home.]
While these public discussions were going on, the fight on the
Chancellor began to grow. It was evident that when the Reichstag met
again in September that there would be bitter and perhaps a decisive
fight on von Bethmann-Hollweg. The division in Germany became so
pronounced that people forgot for a time the old party lines and the
newspapers and party leaders spoke of the "Bethmann parties" and the
"von Tirpitz party." Whether the submarine should be used ruthlessly
against all shipping was the issue which divided public sentiment. The
same democratic forces which had been supporting the Chancellor in
other fights again lined up with the Foreign Office. The reactionaries
supported Major Bassermann, who really led the fight against the
Chancellor. During this period the Chancellor and the Foreign Office
saw that the longer the war lasted the stronger the von Tirpitz party
would become because the people were growing more desperate and were
enthused by the propa
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