with brilliant bravery.

Our most recent ally in battle who has been obliged to join us is the
Ottoman Empire, which knows well that with the destruction of the German
Empire it, too, would lose its national right to control its own
destiny. As our enemies have formed a powerful coalition against us,
they will, I hope, find that the arm of our brave allies reaches the
weak spots in their world position.

On Aug. 4 the Reichstag expressed the firm resolution of the whole
people to undertake the war which had been forced upon them and to
defend their independence to the utmost.

Since then great deeds have been accomplished. The incomparable
gallantry of our troops has carried the war into the enemy's country.
There we still stand firm and can regard the future with every
confidence, but the enemy's resistance is not broken.

We are not yet at the end of our sacrifices. The nation will continue to
support those sacrifices with the same heroism as hitherto, for we must
and will fight to a successful end our defensive war for right and
freedom. We will then remember how our defenseless compatriots in
hostile countries were maltreated in a manner which is a disgrace to all
civilization. The world must learn that no one can hurt a hair on the
head of a German subject with impunity.

It is evident to us who is responsible for this--the greatest of all
wars. The apparent responsibility falls on those in Russia who ordered
and carried out the mobilization of the Russian Army; the real
responsibility, however, falls on the British Government. The Cabinet in
London could have made the war impossible if it had without ambiguity
declared at Petrograd that Great Britain would not allow a Continental
war to develop from the Austro-Servian conflict.

Such a declaration would also have obliged France to take energetic
measures to restrain Russia from undertaking warlike operations. Then
our action as mediators between Petrograd and Vienna would have been
successful, and there would have been no war.

But Great Britain did not act thus. Great Britain was aware of the
bellicose machinations of the partly irresponsible but powerful group
around the Czar. She saw how the ball was rolling, but placed no
obstacle in its path. In spite of all its assurances of peace London
informed Petrograd that Great Britain was on the side of France and,
consequently, on the side of Russia.

The Cabinet of London allowed this monstrous worldwide w