Collapse and Reconstruction

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: NOTES TO INTRODUCTION Note On Imperial Violation Of German Constitution The apparently cynical effrontery of the German Declaration of War to France reminded one at first sight of the provocation of the Capulets. It read: The German administrative and military authorities have established a certain number...
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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: NOTES TO INTRODUCTION Note On Imperial Violation Of German Constitution The apparently cynical effrontery of the German Declaration of War to France reminded one at first sight of the provocation of the Capulets. It read: The German administrative and military authorities have established a certain number of flagrantly hostile acts committed on German territory by French military aviators. Several of these have openly violated the neutrality of Belgium by flying over the territory of that country; one has attempted to destroy buildings near Wesel; others have been seen in the district of the Eifel; one has thrown bombs on the railways near Carlsruhe and Ntirnberg. I am instructed and I have the honour to inform Your Excellency, that in presence of these acts of aggression the German Empire considers itself in a state of war with France in consequence of the acts of this latter Power. Louis XTV would have said: C'est mem ban plaisir, but there was a reason for this nonsense not very flattering to the political intelligence of those to whom it was addressed. The Imperial Constitution (Reichs-Verfas- sung) provides (Article 11) that the Emperor declares war and concludes peace in the name of the Empire. For the declaration of war, however, the consent ofthe Imperial Council (Bundesrat) is requisite, except in case of attack on imperial territory or on the coast. Article 63 adds that the whole armed force of the Empire, in time of war as in time of peace, is under the orders of the Emperor. It is not without significance, therefore, that the denial, later on, that any bombs were thrown near Ntirnberg or elsewhere in Bavaria came from the country whose concurrence in the War was thus forced. Note On Diplomacy During The War With the progress of the War...