220

THE  SOCIALISM  OF  TO-DAY.

ground.  Nevertheless,  Belgium  presents  conditions  exceptionally ­
  favourable  to  its  development.  The  number  of
working  men  is  very  considerable,  and  as  the  population  is  the
most  dense  in  Europe,  wages  are  lower  than  in  the  other
western  countries.
The  International  did  not  penetrate  into  Holland  until
towards  1869.  A  section  was  constituted  at  Amsterdam  with
a  paper.  De  Standaari  des  Volks.  It  soon  began  to  radiate  and
to  found  other  sections  in  the  principal  towns—at  Arnhem,
Utrecht,  Haarlem,  Leeuwaarden,  and  Rotterdam.  A  general
association,  Ifet  Nederlandsch  IVerklieden-Verband,  was  established ­
  with  the  intention  of  grouping  all  the  working  men’s
societies  of  the  country.  But  the  local  spirit  of  individuality,
which  is  very  pronounced  in  Holland,  put  numerous  obstacles
in  the  way.  After  the  first  period  of  expansion  and  enthusiasm,
the  International,  even  before  its  disappearance,  lost  a  portion
of  its  conquests.  The  Socialistic  movement  is  still,  however,
represented  by  a  few  groups  and  by  the  newspapers  Oosi  en
JVesl  and  Heekl  voor  alien.  Here,  too,  complete  liberty  has
prevented  any  explosion.
Socialism  percolated  from  Germany  into  Austria  as  early  as
1866.  The  International  endeavoured  to  organize  it  as  early
as  1868,  principally  by  means  of  the  apostolate  of  Bernardt
Becker.  In  order  to  demand  universal  suffrage,  it  instigated,
on  several  occasions,  meetings  at  which  thousands  of  working
men  were  present.  Its  organ  was  the  Arbeiter  Blatt.  In
January,  1869,  the  number  of  members  was  at  least  twenty
thousand,  of  whom  Vienna  supplied  ten  thousand.  In  February
of  this  same  year  the  great  association  of  Tehee  working  men
joined  it  and  extended  its  ramifications  to  Prague.  In  February
the  Socialists  convoked  a  great  gathering  in  which  about  thirty
thousand  persons  took  part.  On  the  13th  of  December,  the  day
of  the  opening  of  Parliament,  more  than  a  hundred  thousand
working  men  congregated  in  front  of  the  palace  where  the  Parliament ­
  met,  and  eleven  delegates  were  admitted  to  present  a  petition ­
  to  the  president  of  the  council.  Count  I'aafe.  This  caused
alarm.  Prosecutions  were  ordered  and  some  sentences  pronounced. ­
  The  police  left  the  Socialist  journals  and  associations