the story of mankind-第59部分

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（the　language　of　which　he　never　learned）　width　great　ability。　He

was　a　clever　man　and　enjoyed　the　respect　of　both　his　Swedish

and　his　Norwegian　subjects；　but　he　did　not　succeed　in　joining

two　countries　which　nature　and　history　had　put　asunder。　The

dual　Scandinavian　state　was　never　a　success　and　in　1905；

Norway；　in　a　most　peaceful　and　orderly　manner；　set　up　as　an

independent　kingdom　and　the　Swedes　bade　her　‘‘good　speed''

and　very　wisely　let　her　go　her　own　way。



The　Italians；　who　since　the　days　of　the　Renaissance　had

been　at　the　mercy　of　a　long　series　of　invaders；　also　had　put

great　hopes　in　General　Bonaparte。　The　Emperor　Napoleon；

however；　had　grievously　disappointed　them。　Instead　of　the

United　Italy　which　the　people　wanted；　they　had　been　divided

into　a　number　of　little　principalities；　duchies；　republics　and

the　Papal　State；　which　（next　to　Naples）　was　the　worst　governed

and　most　miserable　region　of　the　entire　peninsula。　The

Congress　of　Vienna　abolished　a　few　of　the　Napoleonic　republics

and　in　their　place　resurrected　several　old　principalities

which　were　given　to　deserving　members；　both　male　and　female；

of　the　Habsburg　family。



The　poor　Spaniards；　who　had　started　the　great　nationalistic

revolt　against　Napoleon；　and　who　had　sacrificed　the　best　blood

of　the　country　for　their　king；　were　punished　severely　when　the

Congress　allowed　His　Majesty　to　return　to　his　domains。　This

vicious　creature；　known　as　Ferdinand　VII；　had　spent　the　last

four　years　of　his　life　as　a　prisoner　of　Napoleon。　He　had　improved

his　days　by　knitting　garments　for　the　statues　of　his

favourite　patron　saints。　He　celebrated　his　return　by　re…introducing

the　Inquisition　and　the　torture…chamber；　both　of　which

had　been　abolished　by　the　Revolution。　He　was　a　disgusting

person；　despised　as　much　by　his　subjects　as　by　his　four　wives；

but　the　Holy　Alliance　maintained　him　upon　his　legitimate

throne　and　all　efforts　of　the　decent　Spaniards　to　get　rid　of　this

curse　and　make　Spain　a　constitutional　kingdom　ended　in

bloodshed　and　executions。



Portugal　had　been　without　a　king　since　the　year　1807　when

the　royal　family　had　fled　to　the　colonies　in　Brazil。　The　country

had　been　used　as　a　base　of　supply　for　the　armies　of

Wellington　during　the　Peninsula　war；　which　lasted　from　1808

until　1814。　After　1815　Portugal　continued　to　be　a　sort　of

British　province　until　the　house　of　Braganza　returned　to　the

throne；　leaving　one　of　its　members　behind　in　Rio　de　Janeiro

as　Emperor　of　Brazil；　the　only　American　Empire　which　lasted

for　more　than　a　few　years；　and　which　came　to　an　end　in　1889

when　the　country　became　a　republic。



In　the　east；　nothing　was　done　to　improve　the　terrible　conditions

of　both　the　Slavs　and　the　Greeks　who　were　still　subjects

of　the　Sultan。　In　the　year　1804　Black　George；　a　Servian

swineherd；　（the　founder　of　the　Karageorgevich　dynasty）　had

started　a　revolt　against　the　Turks；　but　he　had　been　defeated

by　his　enemies　and　had　been　murdered　by　one　of　his　supposed

friends；　the　rival　Servian　leader；　called　Milosh　Obrenovich；

（who　became　the　founder　of　the　Obrenovich　dynasty）　and　the

Turks　had　continued　to　be　the　undisputed　masters　of　the

Balkans。



The　Greeks；　who　since　the　loss　of　their　independence；　two

thousand　years　before；　had　been　subjects　of　the　Macedonians；

the　Romans；　the　Venetians　and　the　Turks；　had　hoped　that　their

countryman；　Capo　d'Istria；　a　native　of　Corfu　and　together

with　Czartoryski；　the　most　intimate　personal　friends　of

Alexander；　would　do　something　for　them。　But　the　Congress

of　Vienna　was　not　interested　in　Greeks；　but　was　very　much

interested　in　keeping　all　‘‘legitimate''　monarchs；　Christian；

Moslem　and　otherwise；　upon　their　respective　thrones。　Therefore

nothing　was　done。



The　last；　but　perhaps　the　greatest　blunder　of　the　Congress

was　the　treatment　of　Germany。　The　Reformation　and　the

Thirty　Years　War　had　not　only　destroyed　the　prosperity　of　the

country；　but　had　turned　it　into　a　hopeless　political　rubbish

heap；　consisting　of　a　couple　of　kingdoms；　a　few　grand…duchies；

a　large　number　of　duchies　and　hundreds　of　margravates；　principalities；

baronies；　electorates；　free　cities　and　free　villages；

ruled　by　the　strangest　assortment　of　potentates　that　was　ever

seen　off　the　comic　opera　stage。　Frederick　the　Great　had

changed　this　when　he　created　a　strong　Prussia；　but　this　state

had　not　survived　him　by　many　years。



Napoleon　had　blue…penciled　the　demand　for　independence

of　most　of　these　little　countries；　and　only　fifty…two　out　of　a

total　of　more　than　three　hundred　had　survived　the　year　1806。

During　the　years　of　the　great　struggle　for　independence；　many

a　young　soldier　had　dreamed　of　a　new　Fatherland　that　should

be　strong　and　united。　But　there　can　be　no　union　without　a

strong　leadership；　and　who　was　to　be　this　leader？



There　were　five　kingdoms　in　the　German　speaking　lands。

The　rulers　of　two　of　these；　Austria　and　Prussia；　were　kings　by

the　Grace　of　God。　The　rulers　of　three　others；　Bavaria；　Saxony

and　Wurtemberg；　were　kings　by　the　Grace　of　Napoleon；　and

as　they　had　been　the　faithful　henchmen　of　the　Emperor；　their

patriotic　credit　with　the　other　Germans　was　therefore　not　very

good。



The　Congress　had　established　a　new　German　Confederation；

a　league　of　thirty…eight　sovereign　states；　under　the　chairmanship

of　the　King　of　Austria；　who　was　now　known　as　the

Emperor　of　Austria。　It　was　the　sort　of　make…shift　arrangement

which　satisfied　no　one。　It　is　true　that　a　German　Diet；

which　met　in　the　old　coronation　city　of　Frankfort。　had　been

created　to　discuss　matters　of　‘‘common　policy　and　importance。''

But　in　this　Diet；　thirty…eight　delegates　represented　thirty…eight

different　interests　and　as　no　decision　could　be　taken　without　a

unanimous　vote　（a　parliamentary　rule　which　had　in　previous

centuries　ruined　the　mighty　kingdom　of　Poland）；　the　famous

German　Confederation　became　very　soon　the　laughing　stock

of　Europe　and　the　politics　of　the　old　Empire　began　to　resemble

those　of　our　Central　American　neighbours　in　the　forties　and

the　fifties　of　the　last　century。



It　was　terribly　humiliating　to　the　people　who　had　sacrificed

everything　for　a　national　ideal。　But　the　Congress　was　not

interested　in　the　private　feelings　of　‘‘subjects；''　and　the　debate

was　closed。



Did　anybody　object？　Most　assuredly。　As　soon　as　the　first

feeling　of　hatred　against　Napoleon　had　quieted　downas　soon

as　the　enthusiasm　of　the　great　war　had　subsidedas　soon　as

the　people　came　to　a　full　realisation　of　the　crime　that　had　been

committed　in　the　name　of　‘‘peace　and　stability''　they　began　to

murmur。　They　even　made　threats　of　open　revolt。　But　what

could　they　do？　They　were　powerless。　They　were　at　the　mercy

of　the　most　pitiless　and　efficient　police　system　the　world　had

ever　seen。



The　members　of　the　Congress　of　Vienna　honestly　and　sincerely

believed　that　‘‘the　Revolutionary　Principle　had　led　to

the　criminal　usurpation　of　the　throne　by　the　former　emperor

Napoleon。''　They　felt　that　they　were　called　upon　to　eradicate

the　adherents　of　the　so…called　‘‘French　ideas''　just　as　Philip　II

had　only　followed　the　voice　of　his　conscience　when　he　burned

Protestants　or　hanged　Moors。　In　the　beginning　of　the　sixteenth

century　a　man　who　did　not　believe　in　the　divine　right

of　the　Pope　to　rule　his　subjects　as　he　saw　fit　was　a　‘‘heretic''

and　it　was　the　duty　of　all　loyal　citizens　to　kill　him。　In　the

beginning　of　the　nineteenth　century；　on　the　continent　of　Europe；

a　man　who　did　not　believe　in　the　divine　right　of　his　king　to

rule　him　as　he　or　his　Prime　Minister　saw　fit；　was　a　‘‘heretic；''　and

it　was　the　duty　of　all　loyal　citizens　to　denounce　him　to　the　nearest

policeman　and　see　that　he　got　punished。



But　the　rulers　of　the　year　1815　had　learned　efficiency　in

the　school　of　Napoleon　and　they　performed　their　task　much

better　than　it　had　been　done　in　the　year　1517。　The　period

between　the　year　1815　and　the　year　1860　was　the　great　era　of

the　political　spy。　Spies　were　everywhere。　They　lived　in　palaces

and　they　were　to　be　found　in　the　lowest　gin…shops。　They

peeped　through　the　key…holes　of　the　ministerial　cabinet　and

they　listened　to　the　conversations　of　the　people　who　were　taking

the　air　on　the　benches　of　the　Municipal　Park。　They　guarded

the　frontier　so　that　no　one　might　leave　without　a　duly　viseed

passport　and　they　inspected　all　packages；　that　no　books　with

dangerous　‘‘French　ideas''　should　enter　the　realm　of　their

Royal　masters。　They　sat　among　the　students　in　the　lecture

hall　and　woe　to　the　Professor　who　uttered　a　word　against　the

existing　order　of　things。　They　followed　the　little　boys　and

girls　on　their　way　to　church　lest　they　play　hookey。



In　many　of　these　tasks　they　were　assisted　by　the　clergy。

The　church　had　suffered　greatly　during　the　days　of　the

revolution。　The　church　property　had　been　confiscated。　Several

priests　had　been　killed　and　the　generation　that　had　learned　its

cathechism　from　Voltaire　and　Rousseau　and　the　other　French

philosophers　had　danced　around　the　Altar　of　Reason　when

the　Committee　of　Public　Safety　had　abolished　the　worship　of

God　in　October　of　the　year　1793。　The　priests　had　followed　the

‘‘emigres''　into　their　long　exile。　Now　they　returned　in　the

wake　of　the　allied　armies　and　they　set　to　work　with　a　vengeance。



Even　the　Jesuits　came　back　in　1814　and　resumed　their

former　labours　of　educating　the　young。　Their　order　had　been

a　little　too　successful　in　its　fight　against　the　enemies　of　the

church。　It　had　established　‘‘provinces''　in　every　part　of　the

world；　to　teach　the　natives　the　blessings　of　Christianity；　but

soon　it　had　developed　into　a　regular　trading　company　which

was　for　ever　interfering　with　the　civil　authorities。　During　the

reign　of　the　Marquis　de　Pombal；　the　great　reforming　minister

of　Portugal；　they　had　been　driven　out　of　the　Portuguese　lands

and　in　the　year　1773　at　the　request　of　most　of　the　Catholic

powers　of　Europe；　the　order　had　been