t disastrous defeats that any European nation had ever
suffered, France was able, in 1878, to invite the rest of the world
to witness at Paris the most wonderful international exposition that
had ever been staged in the history of mankind. Early in the
following year President MacMahon resigned, having been practically
forced to this step by public sentiment which disapproved of and
feared his monarchistic leanings. M. Grevy was elected as his
successor. The early summer of this year (1879) brought death to the
only son of Napoleon III while he was fighting under the English
flag during the campaign against the Zulus in South Africa, and this
event practically ended all danger of a Napoleonic restoration,
because the representatives of the Napoleonic family left were
neither closely enough related to Napoleon III nor possessed the
necessary ability to accomplish a change of government.

The year 1880 brought the beginning of a strong anti-Catholic
movement in France. At first this movement was directed only against
the Jesuits, but it rapidly spread and in a way may be considered
the forerunner of the radical legislation along this line which was
passed in recent years. Throughout these years the life of the
different ministries was very short and in most instances measured
by months rather than by years. To go deeper into the causes for
this condition is not necessary; but one of its results undoubtedly
was that France continued to refrain from active participation in
European politics because it stands to reason that a continuous
change of the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs made it more
or less difficult, if not impossible, for France to establish a
definite foreign policy. However, in 1881 France began again to take
a more lively interest in its colonial affairs. It was in that year
that Tunis gave up its resistance to French occupation and from that
time on dates the preponderating influence which France has held
ever since in north Africa. For our purposes it is important only to
remember the fact of this preponderancy, although it may be
difficult to understand why this condition should exist, for
neither then nor during the years to come has France shown any
particular adaptability to colonial problems nor was it able to
register in its colonies successes such as England and Germany had
to show. The colonial expansion of France, however, continued. In
1882 new territory was acquired in Annam and, in 1