ntanes readily adopted anti-Semitism, partly to
maintain their monopoly, and partly to avenge themselves on the Jewish
and Liberal supporters of the _Kulturkampf_. In this way a formidable
body of public opinion was recruited for the anti-Semites. Violent
debates took place in the Prussian diet. A petition to exclude the Jews
from the national schools and universities and to disable them from
holding public appointments was presented to Prince Bismarck. Jews were
boycotted and insulted. Duels between Jews and anti-Semites, many of
them fatal, became of daily occurrence. Even unruly demonstrations and
street riots were reported. Pamphlets attacking every phase and aspect
of Jewish life streamed by the hundred from the printing-press. On their
side the Jews did not want for friends, and it was owing to the strong
attitude adopted by the Liberals that the agitation failed to secure
legislative fruition. The crown prince (afterwards Emperor Frederick)
and crown princess boldly set themselves at the head of the party of
protest. The crown prince publicly declared that the agitation was "a
shame and a disgrace to Germany." A manifesto denouncing the movement as
a blot on German culture, a danger to German unity and a flagrant
injustice to the Jews themselves, was signed by a long list of
illustrious men, including Herr von Forckenbeck, Professors Mommsen,
Gneist, Droysen, Virchow, and Dr Werner Siemens (_Times_, November 18,
1880). During the Reichstag elections of 1881 the agitation played an
active part, but without much effect, although Stocker was elected. This
was due to the fact that the great Conservative parties, so far as
their political organizations were concerned, still remained chary of
publicly identifying themselves with a movement which, in its essence,
was of socialistic tendency. Hence the electoral returns of that year
supplied no sure guide to the strength of anti-Semitic opinion among the
German people.

The first severe blow suffered by the German anti-Semites was in 1881,
when, to the indignation of the whole civilized world, the barbarous
riots against the Jews in Russia and the revival of the medieval Blood
Accusation in Hungary (see _infra_) illustrated the liability of
unreasoning mobs to carry into violent practice the incendiary doctrines
of the new Jew-haters. From this blow anti-Semitism might have recovered
had it not been for the divisions and scandals in its own ranks, and the
artificial form