ny for the transit commerce of Europe; and that all these
outposts ought to be included either in an economic Zollverein or in a
political confederation.[10]

[10] In Justus Perthes's widely scattered "Alldeutscher
Atlas," edited by Paul Langhans, and published by the
Alldeutscher Verband, both Holland and Flemish Belgium are
considered and "coloured" as an integral part of the future
German Empire.

But Germany wisely realized that those northern ambitions would meet
with absolute resistance on the part of other Powers, that she was not
yet strong enough to defy that resistance, and that this fulfilment of
her aspirations must be postponed until she was prepared to fight for
the mastery of the sea. In the meantime, she contented herself with
_peacefully_ annexing the commerce of the Flemish and Dutch ports,
with building up a mercantile and a war navy, with advocating the
historical maritime philosophy of Captain Mahan, and with repeating on
every occasion the famous note of warning: '_Unsere Zukunft ist auf
dem Wasser._' Biding her time, and following the line of least
resistance, Germany for the last twenty years therefore extended
steadily towards the south and towards the east. Towards the south
she saw two decaying empires, Austria-Hungary and Turkey, which seemed
to be a natural prey for her political and commercial ambitions: two
conglomerates of hostile races which are waiting for a master. Towards
the east she saw one of the most ancient seats of human civilization,
a huge and rich territory, which is the one great country, in close
proximity to Europe, which is still left unoccupied and undeveloped.
On those three empires Germany set her heart, and with the method and
determination which always characterize her she set to work. And with
an equally characteristic spirit this gigantic scheme of commercial
and political absorption of three empires, from the Upper Danube to
the Persian Gulf, was being explained away and justified by an all
comprehensive watchword: the _Drang nach Osten_. It was only in
response to this irresistible call and impulse, this _Drang_ and
pressure, it was only to obey an historical mission, that the Teuton
was going to regenerate the crumbling empires of Austria, of Turkey,
and of Asia Minor.

In the first place, let us consider for one moment the
Austrian-Hungarian Empire. It is now fifty years since, through the
Battle of Sadowa, Austria-Hungary was ousted fro