Part 1

THE CRIMES OF ENGLAND

BY GILBERT K. CHESTERTON

MCMXVI

1916

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

SOME WORDS TO PROFESSOR WHIRLWIND

The German Professor, his need of Education for Debate--Three Mistakes of German Controversialists--The Multiplicity of Excuses--Falsehood against Experience-- Kultur preached by Unkultur--The Mistake about Bernard Shaw--German Lack of Welt-Politik--Where England is really Wrong.

CHAPTER II

THE PROTESTANT HERO

Suitable Finale for the German Emperor--Frederick II. and the Power of Fear--German Influence in England since Lather--Our German Kings and Allies-- Triumph of Frederick the Great.

CHAPTER III

THE ENIGMA OF WATERLOO

How we helped Napoleon--The Revolution and the Two Germanics--Religious Resistance of Austria and Russia--Irreligious Resistance of Prussia and England--Negative Irreligion of England--its Idealism in Snobbishness--Positive Irreligion of Prussia; no Idealism in Anything--Allegory and the French Revolution--The Dual Personality of England; the Double Battle--Triumph of Blucher.

CHAPTER IV

THE COMING OF THE JANISSARIES

The Sad Story of Lord Salisbury--Ireland and Heligoland--The Young Men of Ireland--The Dirty Work--The Use of German Mercenaries--The Unholy Alliance--Triumph of the German Mercenaries.

CHAPTER V

THE LOST ENGLAND

Truth about England and Ireland--Murder and the Two Travellers--Real Defence of England--The Lost Revolution--Story of Cobbett and the Germans--Historical Accuracy of Cobbett--Violence of the English Language--Exaggerated Truths versus Exaggerated Lies--Defeat of the People--Triumph of the German Mercenaries.

CHAPTER VI

HAMLET AND THE DANES

Degeneration of Grimm's Fairy Tales--From Tales of Terror to Tales of Terrorism--German Mistake of being Deep--The Germanisation of Shakespeare--Carlyle and the Spoilt Child--The Test of Teutonism-- Hell or Hans Andersen--Causes of English Inaction--Barbarism and Splendid Isolation-- The Peace of the Plutocrats--Hamlet the Englishman--The Triumph of Bismarck.

CHAPTER VII

THE MIDNIGHT OF EUROPE

The Two Napoleons--Their Ultimate Success--The Interlude of Sedan--The Meaning of an Emperor--The Triumph of Versailles--The True Innocence of England-- Triumph of the Kaiser.

CHAPTER VIII

THE WRONG HORSE