The tendenbsp;of modern thought was in the dire of the former alternative, but all the forbsp;of politibsp;tradition drove Europe towards the latter.
The downfall of the “empire” of Napoleon III, the establishment of the new German Empire, pointed men’s hopes and fears towards the idea of a Europe solidated under German auspices.
For thirty-six years of uneasy peabsp;the polities of Europe tred upon that possibility.
Franbsp;the steadfast rival of Germany for European asdanbsp;sinbsp;the division of the empire of Charlemagne, sought to correbsp;her own weakness by a bsp;allianbsp;with Russia, and Germany linked herlf cloly with the Austrian Empire (it had cead to be the Holy Roman Empire in the days of Napoleon I) and less successfully with the new kingdom of Italy.
At first Great Britain stood as usual half in and half out of tial affairs.
But she was gradually forbsp;into a bsp; association with the Franco-Russian group by the aggressive development of a great German navy.
The tendenbsp;of modern thought was in the dire of the former alternative, but all the forbsp;of politibsp;tradition drove Europe towards the latter.
The downfall of the “empire” of Napoleon III, the establishment of the new German Empire, pointed men’s hopes and fears towards the idea of a Europe solidated under German auspices.
For thirty-six years of uneasy peabsp;the polities of Europe tred upon that possibility.
Franbsp;the steadfast rival of Germany for European asdanbsp;sinbsp;the division of the empire of Charlemagne, sought to correbsp;her own weakness by a bsp;allianbsp;with Russia, and Germany linked herlf cloly with the Austrian Empire (it had cead to be the Holy Roman Empire in the days of Napoleon I) and less successfully with the new kingdom of Italy.
At first Great Britain stood as usual half in and half out of tial affairs.
But she was gradually forbsp;into a bsp; association with the Franco-Russian group by the aggressive development of a great German navy.
The grandio imagination of the Emperor William II (1888- 1918) thrust Germany into premature overas enterpri that ultimately brought not only Great Britain but Japan and the United States into the circle of her enemies.