These negotiations mark indeed a most important change in Bismarck’s own attitude.  Hitherto he had thought and acted as a Prussian; he had deliberately refused on all occasions to support or adopt the German programme.  He had done this because he did not wish Germany to be made strong until the ascendancy of Prussia was secured.  The battle of Koeniggraetz had done that; North Germany was now Prussian; the time had come when he could begin to think and act as a German, for the power of Prussia was founded on a rock of bronze.

This change was not the only one which dates from the great victory.  The constitutional conflict had still to be settled.  The Parliament had been dissolved just before the war; the new elections had taken place on the 3d of July, after the news of the first victory was known.  The result was shewn in a great gain of seats to the Government and to the Moderate Liberal party.  The great question, however, was, how would Bismarck use his victory over the House? for a victory it was.  It was the cannon of Koeniggraetz which decided the Parliamentary conflict.  The House had refused the money to reorganise the army, and it was this reorganised army which had achieved so unexampled a triumph.  Would the Government now press their victory and use the enthusiasm of the moment permanently to cripple the Constitution?  This is what the Conservative party, what Roon and the army wished to do.  It was not Bismarck’s intention.  He required the support of the patriotic Liberals for the work he had to do; he proposed, therefore, that the Government should come before the House and ask for an indemnity.  They did not confess that they had acted wrongly, they did not express regret, but they recognised that in spending the money without a vote of the House there had been an offence against the Constitution; this could now only be made good if a Bill was brought in approving of what had happened.  He carried his opinion, not without difficulty; the Bill of indemnity was introduced and passed.  He immediately had his reward.  The Liberal party, which had hitherto opposed him, broke into two portions.  The extreme Radicals and Progressives still continued their opposition; the majority of the party formed themselves into a new organisation, to which they gave the name of National Liberals.  They pledged themselves to support the National and German policy of the Government, while they undertook, so far as they were able, to maintain and strengthen the constitutional rights of Parliament.  By this Bismarck had a Parliamentary majority, and he more and more depended upon them rather than his old friends, the Conservatives.  He required their support because henceforward he would have to deal not with one Parliament, but two.  The North German Confederation was to have its Parliament elected by universal suffrage.  Bismarck foresaw that the principles he had upheld in the past could not be applied in the same form to the whole of the