The German Constitution

[p. 531]

|531| this war the German Empire did indeed declare war on one of its fellow estates, but the latter did not do it the honour of recognizing it. It does happen that a state with which war is actually being waged is not recognized; yet already by the deed, through the fact that war is waged with it, it is recognized, and it becomes so completely when peace is concluded with it; but to the German Empire the honour was scarcely done by its enemy of war being waged with it, and its war has not been recognized by a peace; for no peace has been concluded with the German Empire.

This war had in common with older ones the character of being an internal war of the German estates with one another. One part of the estates, in accordance with the resolutions of the Imperial Diet, let its troops join the army of execution of the Empire; another part, on the other hand, abstracted entirely from this relation to the German Empire and, as sovereign estates, allied itself with Prussia. No general interest counted any longer; an old jealousy of the Protestants towards Austria brought religion too partly into play, which found nourishment in the well-known zeal of the Empress for the Catholic religion, which had in part exposed her otherwise maternal heart to intrigues, whereby Protestants in her states were oppressed, and in some other circumstances, such as that the Pope had consecrated the sword of the Austrian commander-in-chief, etc. The part of animosity that came from this side, however, existed on both sides only as public spirit; the war itself concerned no such more general interest, it concerned only the private interest of the belligerent powers.

Since then the Prussian power has enlarged itself in Poland. The number of the estates of Germany has again been diminished by three, Bavaria, Ansbach and Bayreuth. The results of the war with France in this respect have not yet reached their full development.

Thus, on the one hand religion and the progress of culture,

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