8 witnessed a series of violent acts which brought in their
train serious consequences. In that year an attempt was made upon the
life of King Humbert of Italy; and, while driving in Berlin with his
daughter, the Grand Duchess of Baden, Emperor William was shot at by a
half-witted youth named Hoedel. Three weeks later Dr. Karl Nobiling fired
at the Emperor from an upper window overlooking the _Unter den Linden_.
These assaults were made to serve as the pretext for a series of
brutally repressive measures against the German socialists, although the
authorities were unable to connect either Hoedel or Nobiling with the
anarchists or with the socialists. An excellent opportunity, however,
had arrived to deal a crushing blow to socialism, and "Bismarck used his
powerful influence with the press," August Bebel says, "in order to lash
the public into a fanatical hatred of the social-democratic party.
Others who had an interest in the defeat of the party joined in,
especially a majority of the employers. Henceforth our opponents spoke
of us exclusively as the party of assassins, or the 'Ruin all' party--a
party that wished to rob the masses of their faith in God, the monarchy,
the family, marriage, and property."[11] The attempt to destroy the
German socialist organization was only one of the many repressive
measures that were taken by the governments of Europe in the midst of
the panic. To the terrorism of the anarchists the governments responded
by a terrorism of repression, and this in itself helped to establish
murderous assaults as a method of propaganda.

Up to this time Germany had been comparatively free from anarchist
teachings. A number of the Lassalleans had advocated violent methods.
Hasselmann had several years before launched the _Red Flag_, which
advocated much that was not in harmony with socialism, and eventually
the German socialist congress requested him to cease the publication of
his paper. A few individuals without great influence had endeavored at
various times to import Bakounin's philosophy and methods into Germany,
but their propaganda bore no fruit whatever. It was only when the German
Government began to imitate the terrorism of the Russian bureaucracy
that a momentary passion for retaliation arose among the socialists. In
fact, a few notable socialists went over to anarchism, frankly declaring
their belief in terrorist tactics. And one of the most striking
characters in the history of terrorism, Joha