Herzlich Willkommen! Here is an example to show the attitude of the Cabinet toward me in those Bismarck days: The question came up of renewing the Socialist law, a political measure devised by Prince Bismarck for fighting socialismI was well aware that, in the unbounded de mands of the Socialist leaders, unjustified greed would be constantly developed anewThere was fear of my becoming influenced against my parents, of superconservatism, of all sorts of perils, which all sorts of tale bearers from Eng land and liberal circles, who rallied around my father, imputed against meI revered and idolized hime.As Russia saw it, Disraeli's statecraft had turned Bismarck's work as honest broker into the negotiation of an Anglo-Austrian victory over RussiaI counseled union with the Lib erals, but found little supportAgitation and rebellion, he believed, should be severely sup pressed ; by force of arms, if necessaryThe Queen agreed that her grandson was in the right; he must act in accordance with the interests of his country; she would be glad to see him, even if it were later on, at her own homeThe Ministry, in short, was nothing but a tool in the hands of Bismarck, acting solely in accord ance with his wishesI was filled with the consqious- ness of a plain duty and responsibility toward my entire people also, therefore, toward the labor ing classesThe ambassador replied that the same thing had also occurred to him and caused him to have the earlier records of the Embassy investigated, whereupon it had transpired that the Embassy had sent the full est reports on the subject to London and that thor ough reports had been forwarded home concerning every important stage in the progress of social re form; but, because they came from Germany, nobody ever read them ; they were simply pigeon holed and remained there ever since ; it is a down right shame ; Germany does not interest people at home/  Thus the Briton, with a shrug of his shouldersThe Tsar received me cordially at Brest-Litovsk and I was present there at reviews of troops and fortr!
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defensive maneuvers, which, even then, unquestionably bore an anti-German lookBy means of my social legislation I made such conditions im possible in Germany, and I caused it to be intro duced also in Belgium, during the war, by General von Bissing, in order to promote the welfare of the Belgian workersIn order to spur them on, I allowed them free rein in their various domainsI remarked that I would prepare the appropriate answer, steering the proper middle course between the grandson and the Emperor, and that I would show it to the Prince before dispatching it The answer paid heed in its outward form to the close relationship between a grandson and his grandmother, who had carried him in her arms when he was a baby and, in view of her age alone, commanded great respect but, in its essentials, it laid stress upon the position and duty of the German Emperor, compelled to carry out uncon-  BISMARCK ditionally a command of his dying father affecting Germany's most vital interestsWith Prince Bismarck I had stood on very good and trustful terms ever since my assignment at the Foreign OfficeI had observed with interest these visits of the English deputations and marveled at their igno rance of German conditionsI soon saw that the Ministers, being entirely under Bismarck's thumb, could not come out in favor of innovations or ideas of the young master of which Bismarck disapprovedThat was the soil in which, later, the World War ambitions of our foes found nourishment Revanche pour Sedan, combined with Revanche pour San StefanoThe words of the old General at Brest have re mained unforgettably engraved upon my memory ; they induced me to bring about my many meetings with Alexander III and Nicholas II, at which my grandfather's wish, impressed upon me on his deathbed, that I watch over our relations with Russia, has always been my guiding motiveThere were sharp differences of opinionOn the con trary, I received direct instructions to offer Russia Constantinople and the Dardanelles (in other words, San Stef ano and !
 the Berl

in Treaty had been dropped!) This was in contrast to the General Staff under MoltkeAn obstacle was placed in the way of carrying out this plan by a letter from Queen Victoria of England, who, upon hearing of the projected visit to StTriple) Alliance, at the time of its formationAs soon as he refused to follow your orders, it was necessary to dismiss himCrown Prince Constan- tine, and also my Constantinople impressionsI heard that he was very clever, a good worker, inordinately proud, an odd sort of man, who never showed himself anywhere and had no social relations, full of distrust, much influenced by whims, and, besides all this, a good hater, and, therefore, dangerousThe Prince, who was present during the last hours of the old Emperor and had listened with me to the latter's political testament to his grand son L e his wish as -to the special care to be lavished upon relations with Russia brought about my summer trip to StIn the THE KAISER'S MEMOIRS course of thetc, Herr von Benda held my attention by means of his independent, interesting judgment I accepted with pleasure an invitation to Benda's country seat, Rudow, near Berlin, and from this arose the custom of a regular yearly visit The hours spent in the family circle at Rudow stand out pleasantly in my memoryIn this connection it was that he gave me the first hints coi*ceramg tfee secret reinsurance treaty with Rus siaThereupon I decided to summon a general social congressIn this connection it was that he gave me the first hints coi*ceramg tfee secret reinsurance treaty with Rus siaAs soon as I had recognized the necessity for reforms, to  THE KAISER'S MEMOIRS some of which the industrial elements would not consent, I took up the cudgels for the laboring classes, impelled by a sense of justiceII a detniit Fancienne amitie entre nous, plante la mefiance dans les cceurs de la Cour et du Gou- vernement, et fourni le sentiment d'un grave tort  BISMARCK fait a 'armee russe apres sa campagne sanglante de , pour lequel elle vout sa revanche

