elf with the National-Liberal party, which strongly
opposed the chancellor's foreign policy. The new emperor, however,
had been stricken with a mortal disease, which in 1878 was diagnosed
as cancer of the throat, and which resulted in his death on June 15,
1888, less than four months after he had become emperor.

His son and successor, William II, was less than thirty years old, a
more or less unknown quantity, with little experience, but
possessing a very strongly individual temperament. The break between
him and Bismarck came soon, and resulted in the latter's resignation
on March 18, 1890. Germany could ill spare the master hand that had
guided so successfully its destinies since 1870, and at no time
since has Germany's international position been so strong or its
foreign policies as purposeful as under its first chancellor.

The second incumbent of this office was General von Caprivi,
1890-1894, whose accomplishments were chiefly of a military and
economic nature. Of the former the most important was the change to
the two years' term of army service, of the latter the conclusion of
commercial treaties with Austria-Hungary, Russia, Italy, and
Rumania. In the field of foreign relations his term of office
yielded the important result of a better understanding with England,
accompanied, however, by a lessening of friendly relations with
Russia. This period also brought to Germany the island of Helgoland
in exchange for certain readjustments of boundaries in Africa.
Bismarck's work in regard to cementing the German-Russian relations
was undone by the refusal of Germany to renew the secret neutrality
treaty which expired in 1890, and in 1891 Russia concluded an
alliance with France which from then on considerably reduced the
influence of the Triple Alliance. The menace of a France recovered
and supported by a strong ally again loomed up, and the
dissatisfaction of German public opinion, increased by the severe
criticism of the retired "iron chancellor," resulted finally in the
resignation of Von Caprivi.

His successor, Prince Chlodwig Hohenlohe-Schillingfuerst, 1894-1900,
was an experienced diplomat, distantly related to the emperor, and
possessing much stronger convictions of his own. By this time
Germany's industrial development had made immense strides. From an
agricultural country it had changed to a nation deeply interested in
industry and commerce. Its merchants contended everywhere for the
world's trade. Artic