f the republic. They vowed that although the necessity of the
moment had forced them to submit they would never forget the "lost
provinces," and this spirit, this demand for restitution, was fostered
and nourished throughout the years to come. From time to time it
seemed as if the great masses of people in the two countries would
finally reach an understanding. But whenever the cry for restitution
seemed to have been stilled, politicians of one kind or another
succeeded in making it sound again. Germany on the other hand claimed
that Alsace-Lorraine had originally been a German province, had been
taken from Germany by force, and that the French had neither a legal
nor moral claim to the territory.

Internally the new chancellor of the German Empire had a great many
battles to fight in order to achieve the financial, social, and
military reforms which he deemed necessary for the safety and
upbuilding of the empire. It is not necessary for our purposes to go
into these struggles in detail. It suffices to note in passing that
they resulted in increases and in vast improvements of the German
army, and laid the foundation for the marvelous industrial and
commercial expansion of the German Empire.

The leading men of the German Empire fully appreciated the need of
their country of a long period of peace in order to work out the
many problems which the unification had brought about. In every
possible way the diplomats, politicians, and rulers of the various
German states did their best to make it clear to the other nations
that they had no desire for further conquests and were, to say the
least, as anxious as their neighbors to maintain peace. In 1872 the
three emperors of Russia, Austria, and Germany met together with
their ministers at Berlin, and although no treaty was concluded at
that time, the conferences which took place then and throughout the
following years had a powerful influence on the continuation of
European peace. About the same time Italy also attempted to show its
good will toward Germany by sending the crown prince of the new
kingdom on a visit to the German Emperor, and it seemed at that time
as if the fate of all of Europe and, indeed, of the entire civilized
world, was in the hands of the central European states--Germany,
Austria, Russia, and Italy. Both France and England seemed to be
isolated.

However, it was not long before clouds appeared on the firmament,
and they came, as they had come before,