THE WORLD TO-DAY 423

marck, governed by one passion, the passion to make his
land great and powerful, how can we cast his horoscope ?"
asks Mr. A. G. Gardiner ; and he answers: " Here was a new
Napoleon, filled with dreams of glory, armed with the most
gigantic military weapon in history." His ambition was
ominously announced by him in his first address to his
army : " I solemnly vow always," he declared, " to be mind-
ful of the fact that the eyes of my ancestors are looking
down upon me from the other world, and that one day
I shall have to render to them an account both of the glory
and the honour of the army/5 The Great War of 1914-18
was the fulfilment of this 'solemn vow.'

Bismarck had already in the year of Wilhelm's accession
(1888) increased the German army by 800,000 'in shining
armour/ The new Kaiser therefore set himself to the task
of creating a great German navy; for without it his ambi-
tion of the Teutonic domination of the world (in commerce
and colonisation) could not be achieved. So Heligoland was
purchased from England herself in 1890, to form a splendid
naval base for Germany ; the excellent Kiel Canal was con-
structed ; and strong naval stations were also built at Bor-
kum, Cuxhaven, and Wilhelmshaven. A series of Naval
Bills were passed to carry out the Kaiser's naval programme.
In 1900, at the Paris Exhibition, the Germans openly pro-
claimed to the world in gold letters "Our futwe lies on
the water"

The ' peaceful penetration' of the world by German mis-
sionaries and merchants in the meanwhile had proceeded
apace. For instance, while there were not more than 16,000
Germans in all their colonies at the accession of Wilhdm II,
in Brazil alone there were not less than 350,000 Germans
on the eve of the Great War. " At *home science was put
in commission to do its Best—or worst... All their know-