g results of invasion been more
terrible. Belgium and East Prussia speak plainly.

[Footnote 74: "Die Internationalitaet und der Krieg." Berlin, 1915; p.
32.]

"The increased size of the armies greatly extends the unavoidable
desolation of war, and in addition to this a second strongly-working
popular motive decides the attitude of a nation to war, viz., the
interest of the entire people in the fate of an army in which every
family is represented."

It thus becomes evident that no motives of justice, right or wrong, or
politics played any part in the decision arrived at, but merely a great
fear which impelled the Social Democrats to consider first and foremost
how to save their own skins.

All protest meetings were cancelled on August 1st, and the Press
restricted itself to chronicling rumours and events. The sitting of the
Reichstag was awaited with impatience as that was expected to bring more
light on the crisis. The effect which Bethmann-Hollweg produced upon his
hearers was to convince them that Russia alone was to blame. "The
question of supporting the war by voting a loan was all the easier for
us to decide, because the provocation had come, not from France or
England, but from Russia. I admit openly that while I was travelling to
Berlin to the Reichstag I had very little time to hunt for precedents in
the party's history to determine my vote. For me the force of
circumstances alone was decisive; the material interests of the working
classes and the entire nation; common sense and the realization of a
practical policy."[75]

[Footnote 75: "Die Kriegssitzung des deutschen Reichstags" ("The War
Sitting of the Reichstag"), by Karl Hildenbrand, Member for Stuttgart.
Published 1915; p. 13.]

"At the time of voting on August 4th, we were not in a position to take
England into consideration, because at the moment she had not yet
declared war. But by England's intervention our attitude on August 4th
has been still more emphatically justified."[76]

[Footnote 76: Ibid., p. 16.]

This statement is a gross distortion of the truth. It is true that
England had not yet declared war, but Sir Edward Grey had made England's
attitude quite clear on the previous day. His speech had been published
in the Berlin papers. Furthermore, the Chancellor informed the Reichstag
that England's position was perfectly clear, although he suppressed the
fact that Germany had begun preparations for war with this country five
days before