第 69 节
作者:
点绛唇 更新:2021-02-21 16:26 字数:9321
complete victory for the Russians who ‘‘established order along
the banks of the Vistula'' in the well…known Russian fashion
Nicholas the first; who had succeeded his brother Alexander in
1825; firmly believed in the Divine Right of his own family;
and the thousands of Polish refugees who had found shelter
in western Europe bore witness to the fact that the principles
of the Holy Alliance were still more than a hollow phrase in
Holy Russia。
In Italy too there was a moment of unrest。 Marie Louise
Duchess of Parma and wife of the former Emperor Napoleon;
whom she had deserted after the defeat of Waterloo; was
driven away from her country; and in the Papal state the
exasperated people tried to establish an independent Republic。
But the armies of Austria marched to Rome and soon every
thing was as of old。 Metternich continued to reside at the Ball
Platz; the home of the foreign minister of the Habsburg
dynasty; the police spies returned to their job; and peace
reigned supreme。 Eighteen more years were to pass before a
second and more successful attempt could be made to deliver
Europe from the terrible inheritance of the Vienna Congress。
Again it was France; the revolutionary weather…cock of
Europe; which gave the signal of revolt。 Charles X had been
succeeded by Louis Philippe; the son of that famous Duke of
Orleans who had turned Jacobin; had voted for the death of his
cousin the king; and had played a role during the early days
of the revolution under the name of ‘‘Philippe Egalite'' or
‘‘Equality Philip。'' Eventually he had been killed when
Robespierre tried to purge the nation of all ‘‘traitors;'' (by
which name he indicated those people who did not share his own
views) and his son had been forced to run away from the
revolutionary army。 Young Louis Philippe thereupon had
wandered far and wide。 He had taught school in Switzerland
and had spent a couple of years exploring the unknown ‘‘far
west'' of America。 After the fall of Napoleon he had returned
to Paris。 He was much more intelligent than his Bourbon
cousins。 He was a simple man who went about in the public
parks with a red cotton umbrella under his arm; followed by a
brood of children like any good housefather。 But France had
outgrown the king business and Louis did not know this until
the morning of the 24th of February; of the year 1848; when
a crowd stormed the Tuilleries and drove his Majesty away and
proclaimed the Republic。
When the news of this event reached Vienna; Metternich
expressed the casual opinion that this was only a repetition
of the year 1793 and that the Allies would once more be obliged
to march upon Paris and make an end to this very unseemly
democratic row。 But two weeks later his own Austrian capital
was in open revolt。 Metternich escaped from the mob through
the back door of his palace; and the Emperor Ferdinand was
forced to give his subjects a constitution which embodied most
of the revolutionary principles which his Prime Minister had
tried to suppress for the last thirty…three years。
This time all Europe felt the shock。 Hungary declared itself
independent; and commenced a war against the Habsburgs
under the leadership of Louis Kossuth。 The unequal
struggle lasted more than a year。 It was finally suppressed by
the armies of Tsar Nicholas who marched across the Carpathian
mountains and made Hungary once more safe for autocracy。
The Habsburgs thereupon established extraordinary
court…martials and hanged the greater part of the Hungarian
patriots whom they had not been able to defeat in open battle。
As for Italy; the island of Sicily declared itself independent
from Naples and drove its Bourbon king away。 In the Papal
states the prime minister; Rossi; was murdered and the Pope
was forced to flee。 He returned the next year at the head of a
French army which remained in Rome to protect His Holiness
against his subjects until the year 1870。 Then it was
called back to defend France against the Prussians; and
Rome became the capital of Italy。 In the north; Milan and
Venice rose against their Austrian masters。 They were supported
by king Albert of Sardinia; but a strong Austrian army
under old Radetzky marched into the valley of the Po; defeated
the Sardinians near Custozza and Novara and forced
Albert to abdicate in favour of his son; Victor Emanuel; who
a few years later was to be the first king of a united Italy。
In Germany the unrest of the year 1848 took the form of a
great national demonstration in favour of political unity and a
representative form of government。 In Bavaria; the king who
had wasted his time and money upon an Irish lady who posed as
a Spanish dancer(she was called Lola Montez and lies buried
in New York's Potter's Field)was driven away by the enraged
students of the university。 In Prussia; the king was
forced to stand with uncovered head before the coffins of those
who had been killed during the street fighting and to promise a
constitutional form of government。 And in March of the year
1849; a German parliament; consisting of 550 delegates from
all parts of the country came together in Frankfort and proposed
that king Frederick William of Prussia should be the
Emperor of a United Germany。
Then; however; the tide began to turn。 Incompetent Ferdinand
had abdicated in favour of his nephew Francis Joseph。
The well…drilled Austrian army had remained faithful to their
war…lord。 The hangman was given plenty of work and the
Habsburgs; after the nature of that strangely cat…like family;
once more landed upon their feet and rapidly strengthened
their position as the masters of eastern and western Europe。
They played the game of politics very adroitly and used the
jealousies of the other German states to prevent the elevation
of the Prussian king to the Imperial dignity。 Their long train…
ing in the art of suffering defeat had taught them the value of
patience。 They knew how to wait。 They bided their time
and while the liberals; utterly untrained in practical politics;
talked and talked and talked and got intoxicated by their own
fine speeches; the Austrians quietly gathered their forces; dismissed
the Parliament of Frankfort and re…established the old
and impossible German confederation which the Congress of
Vienna had wished upon an unsuspecting world。
But among the men who had attended this strange Parliament
of unpractical enthusiasts; there was a Prussian country
squire by the name of Bismarck; who had made good use of his
eyes and ears。 He had a deep contempt for oratory。 He knew
(what every man of action has always known) that nothing
is ever accomplished by talk。 In his own way he was a sincere
patriot。 He had been trained in the old school of diplomacy
and he could outlie his opponents just as he could outwalk
them and outdrink them and outride them。
Bismarck felt convinced that the loose confederation
of little states must be changed into a strong united country
if it would hold its own against the other European powers。
Brought up amidst feudal ideas of loyalty; he decided that
the house of Hohenzollern; of which he was the most faithful
servant; should rule the new state; rather than the incompetent
Habsburgs。 For this purpose he must first get rid of the
Austrian influence; and he began to make the necessary
preparations for this painful operation。
Italy in the meantime had solved her own problem; and had
rid herself of her hated Austrian master。 The unity of Italy
was the work of three men; Cavour; Mazzini and Garibaldi。
Of these three; Cavour; the civil…engineer with the short…sighted
eyes and the steel…rimmed glasses; played the part of the careful
political pilot。 Mazzini; who had spent most of his days
in different European garrets; hiding from the Austrian police;
was the public agitator; while Garibaldi; with his band of red…
shirted rough…riders; appealed to the popular imagination。
Mazzini and Garibaldi were both believers in the Republican
form of government。 Cavour; however; was a monarch…
ist; and the others who recognised his superior ability in such
matters of practical statecraft; accepted his decision and sacrificed
their own ambitions for the greater good of their beloved
Fatherland。
Cavour felt towards the House of Sardinia as Bismarck
did towards the Hohenzollern family。 With infinite care and
great shrewdness he set to work to jockey the Sardinian King
into a position from which His Majesty would be able to assume
the leadership of the entire Italian people。 The unsettled
political conditions in the rest of Europe greatly helped him in
his plans and no country contributed more to the independence
of Italy than her old and trusted (and often distrusted)
neighbour; France。
In that turbulent country; in November of the year 1852;
the Republic had come to a sudden but not unexpected end。
Napoleon III the son of Louis Bonaparte