290 



EUROPE. 



to receive very soon the consent of the Federal 

 Council, which consists of the plenipotentiaries 

 of the German governments. But, though there 

 may be differences of opinion on the relative 

 functions of the central power and the par- 

 ticular states, the political unity of Germany 

 is a fact cordially welcomed by all parties. 

 While thus the political history of Germany 

 was one of unusual quiet, a new religious 

 movement commenced which attracted some 

 attention. It was the Congress which in Sep- 

 tember was held at Munich, for organizing 

 throughout the Catholic Church an active op- 

 position to the doctrine of papal infallibility. 



The complication between Eussia and Tur- 

 key, which, at the close of 1870, seemed to 

 threaten Europe with a new Eastern war, was 

 peaceably settled by the London Conference, 

 at which the great powers agreed upon a new 

 treaty regulating the Eastern question. (See 

 EASTERN QUESTION.) 



The success of the radical revolutionists in 

 Paris convinced the statesmen of Europe that 

 the International Society of Working-men had 

 acquired a greater strength than has common- 

 ly been believed, and deserved more attention 

 than had been heretofore bestowed upon it. 

 (See INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY.) 



The Germans of Austria entered upon the 

 year 1871 in great despondency ; for, although 

 Bismarck and Beust had exchanged peaceable 

 dispatches, the home policy of the empire 

 appeared to be controlled by influences de- 

 cidedly anti-German. On February 7th the 

 Hohenwart ministry was formed, whose chief 

 task was to satisfy the demands of the Slavic 

 nationalists at the expense of the German 

 centralists, and to strengthen the jurisdiction 

 of the Diets of the several crown-lands at the 

 expense of the general cis-Leithan Eeichsrath. 

 But, at the moment when the extensive de- 

 mands of the Czechs brought matters to a 

 crisis, the vacillating Emperor yielded to the 

 earnest remonstrances and warnings of Beust 

 and Andrassy, dismissed the Hohenwart Cabi- 

 net, and returned to a policy which has the 

 joint support of the Germans and the Magyars. 

 These two nations appear to be firmly united, 

 and to resist in common the demands made 

 by several Slavic tribes of the empire for an 

 autonomy equal to that obtained by Hun- 

 gary. 



The English Government, at length, so far 

 yielded to the persistent demands of the United 

 States for a settlement of the Alabama claims 

 as to conclude a treaty (signed on May 8th), 

 which submits the American claims to a mixed 

 commission. At home, the Government con- 

 tinued to pursue a reformatory policy, and 

 created, in reality, quite a sensation by ad- 

 vising, in June, the Queen to sign a warrant 

 cancelling the regulation price of purchasing 

 offices in the army. The vote of censure on 

 the Government, which the House of Lords, 

 on this account, passed by a majority of 80, 

 only revealed the anti-liberal tendency of this 



House, and greatly strengthened the popular 

 clamor for its radical reform. Even an outright 

 republican organization appeared toward the 

 close of the year to assume notable dimen- 

 sions. 



Italy has at length attained the goal so long 

 aimed at by the national party. Rome has 

 become the capital of the kingdom. The Gov- 

 ernment indulged the hope of reconciling the 

 Pope with the new state of affairs by offering 

 to him an entire independence in all matters 

 purely ecclesiastical, and an ample dotation ; 

 but the Pope maintained, in the most decided 

 manner, his protest against the annexation of 

 the States of the Church to Italy, and refused 

 all recognition of its acts. 



The young King of Spain has been tolerated 

 by a vast majority of the Spanish people ; 

 but he has been no more able than his pred- 

 ecessors on the throne to form a strong and 

 stable Cabinet. 



Switzerland has again revised the Federal 

 Constitution, and, as in 1848, has strengthened 

 the jurisdiction of the Federal authorities. 



The Diet of Norway has rejected the new 

 treaty for a union with Sweden ; the Diet of 

 Sweden, to the great dissatisfaction of the 

 King, rejected the proposed reorganization of 

 the army. Denmark is gradually recovering 

 from the wounds which the war of 1864 in- 

 flicted upon it, and is still waiting for the res- 

 toration of Northern Schleswig. There are 

 signs of an important change of public opinion 

 as regards the relation to Germany, and promi- 

 nent writers and newspapers strongly advise 

 the people of Denmark, at any price, to estab- 

 lish friendly relations with Germany. 



The following table shows the area and pop- 

 ulation of Europe, at the close of the year 1871, 

 and also the number of inhabitants per square 

 mile 



