ABSTRACT
During his prolonged leave, spent mostly at Varzin, Bismarck was not only keeping a grip on the essentials of foreign policy, he was also exploring ways of dealing with the pressures of domestic politics so that his own semidictatorial and independent position would be preserved. To many of those who came to see him he gave the impression that he might never return to a full resumption of his duties. Central to the future of domestic political developments was the question on what support in the Reichstag the chancellor should in future base himself. Without such support the many problems requiring settlement, such as the shape of the central Reich administration after Delbrück, and the financial viability of the Reich government, could not be solved. In trying to move towards solutions Bismarck had been frequently frustrated by the National Liberals. On matters connected with creating a common judicial system for the Reich, including the law on press freedom and subversion, they had gone against the chancellor. On other issues, for example his long-running attempt to bring the railway system under the control of the Reich, even the Lasker wing had supported him. Like him they wanted to strengthen the Reich, but unlike him they also wanted to strengthen parliamentary control.
