Having failed to prevent the commercial treaties, Count Kanitz
introduced a motion that the state should have a monopoly of all
imported corn, and that the price at which it was to be sold should be
fixed by law. On the first occasion, in 1894, only fifty members were
found to vote for this, but in the next year ninety-seven supported the
introduction of the motion, and it was considered worth while to call
together the Prussian council of state for a special discussion. The
whole agitation was extremely inconvenient to the government. The
violence with which it was conducted, coming, as it did, from the
highest circles of the Prussian nobility, appeared almost an imitation
of Socialist methods; but the emperor, with his wonted energy,
personally rebuked the leaders, and warned them that the opposition of
Prussian nobles to their king was a monstrosity. Nevertheless they were
able to overthrow the chancellor, who was specially obnoxious to them.
In October 1894 he was dismissed suddenly, without warning, and almost
without cause, while the emperor was on a visit to the Eulenburgs, one
of the most influential families of the Prussian nobility.
Fall of Caprivi.
Caprivi's fall, though it was occasioned by a difference between him and
Count Eulenburg, and was due to the direct act of the emperor, was
rendered easier by the weakness of his parliamentary position. There was
no party on whose help he could really depend. The Military Bill had
offended the prejudices of conservative military critics; the British
treaty had alienated the colonial party; the commercial treaties had
only been carried by the help of Poles, Radicals and Socialists; but it
was just these parties who were the most easily offended by the general
tendencies of the internal legislation, as shown in the Prussian School
Bill. Moreover, the bitter and unscrupulous attacks of the Bismarckian
press to which Caprivi was exposed made him unpopular in the country,
for the people could not feel at ease so long as they were governed by a
minister of whom Bismarck disapproved. There was therefore no prospect
of forming anything like a stable coalition of parties on which he could
depend.
Chancellor Prince v. Hohenlohe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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