Germany and the Next War by Friedrich von Bernhardi
page 54 of 339 (15%)
page 54 of 339 (15%)
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He who determines upon war accepts a great responsibility.
It is therefore obvious that no one can come to such a decision except from the most weighty reasons, more especially under the existing conditions which have created national armies. Absolute clearness of vision is needed to decide how and when such a resolution can be taken, and what political aims justify the use of armed force. This question therefore needs careful consideration, and a satisfactory answer can only be derived from an examination of the essential duty of the State. If this duty consists in giving scope to the highest intellectual and moral development of the citizens, and in co-operating in the moral education of the human race, then the State's own acts must necessarily conform to the moral laws. But the acts of the State cannot be judged by the standard of individual morality. If the State wished to conform to this standard it would often find itself at variance with its own particular duties. The morality of the State must be developed out of its own peculiar essence, just as individual morality is rooted in the personality of the man and his duties towards society. The morality of the State must be judged by the nature and _raison d'ĂȘtre_ of the State, and not of the individual citizen. But the end-all and be-all of a State is power, and "he who is not man enough to look this truth in the face should not meddle in politics." [F] [Footnote F: Treitschke, "Politik," i., p 3, and ii., p 28.] Machiavelli was the first to declare that the keynote of every policy was the advancement of power. This term, however, has acquired, since |
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