II died in 1890 his minor daughter became
queen under the regency of Queen Emma. Luxemburg, however, descended
to the Duke of Nassau, who, upon his death was succeeded by his son,
and upon the latter's death by his granddaughter, the present Grand
Duchess Marie Adelaide. Queen Wilhelmina, the idol of her people,
assumed the reins of government upon reaching her majority in 1898
after her mother's skillful regency of eight years. In 1901 she
married a German prince, Henry, Duke of Mecklenburg. This marriage was
blessed with one daughter, Princess Juliana, who is heir apparent to
the throne of Holland. Otherwise, though, it did not prove very happy,
and, therefore, did certainly not increase Dutch friendship for
Germany.

CHAPTER XI

SUMMARY OF POLITICAL HISTORY

From the preceding narration of the political histories of Europe's
nations during the last half century there stand out very clearly
two facts. All the bigger countries and even one or two of the
smaller ones displayed a strong desire for expansion and the
gratification of this desire resulted in a crude form of
international cooperation between various groups of nations, crude
because each separate nation at all times was guided primarily by
its own interests and demanded cooperation on the part of some other
nation or nations much more readily than it was willing to grant
cooperation to its ally or allies.

The motive of this desire for expansion, it is true, was in all cases
chiefly an economic need. But the very fact that the various efforts at
expansion, at least in their early stages, found almost always popular
approval, shows that there usually was a secondary motive, a desire for
aggrandizement. For it is very rare, indeed, that public opinion
possesses sufficient foresight to either appreciate or be guided by
economic necessities, while undertakings which can be made to appeal to
the sentiments of jealousy, of nationalism, and of rivalry, readily find
public support. The second of these--nationalism--especially was
reawakened and in many an instance grew into chauvinism, endangering
frequently the peace of the world. This, in a way, was very remarkable;
for hand in hand with the increase of nationalism went an increase of
internationalism to a degree that never before had been achieved in the
history of the world. Indeed, for a considerable period it looked as if
the world nations were rapidly approaching that happy state when war
would b