It would be impossible to make a list of all the causes which led
Germany from time to time to take such action as would tend to force war
on one or another of the nations of Europe. For besides questions of
national honor or of national rights there were the writings of German
philosophers, historians, and scientists, a great majority of whom
maintained that war was a necessity if men were to continue to live in
large groups or societies. These writers were chiefly Prussian, but
Prussia, including more than half of Germany, dominated the rest of the
empire through the organization of its government. The following
paragraphs present what seem to be the chief reasons why Germany, and
especially Prussia, wanted war.

WAR AS A PROFITABLE BUSINESS.--According to those German writers there
are two results from a successful war. First, the victors take more or
less territory from the vanquished; second, the victors may demand a
large sum of money, called an indemnity, from the defeated people, who
thus have to pay their conquerors for having taken the trouble to defeat
them.

In both of these instances the result is advantageous to the winner of
the war, and particularly to the governing class of that nation. Through
the taxes from the new territory more money flows into the national
treasury, and a great many new officials must be appointed. These, of
course, for many years are appointed by the rulers of the victorious
nation. Besides this not only do we find new markets opened up for the
manufacturers and merchants, but the conquered territory frequently
contains great stores of raw materials. In both cases the goods can now
pass to and fro without the drawbacks of possible embargoes or import
taxes which interfere with the freedom of trade. This is well