AFTER THE WAR Of 1870-1871. 163 



tion of public writers, for the re-arrangement of terri- 

 tory which took place at that period extended to the 

 greater part of Europe, and something like a fresh 

 equilibrium of the "Western world came into existence. 

 In 1870 we had to treat with Germany alone, the rest 

 of Europe being content to look on. The diplomatic 

 agreements were, no doubt, less numerous than in 

 1815. but the political reconstitution of France, which 

 was recovering, not only from a foreign war, but from 

 an internal revolution and a formidable insurrection- 

 one, it may be said, without precedent in her history, 

 plus quam civilia bella ! necessitated an immense 

 number of operations connected more or less directly 

 to peace. As a case in point, let me instance the 

 making good of the damages arising from the invasion. 

 Of course, it was impossible to indemnify everyone, 

 and most of those who received pecuniary grants did 

 not recover all that they had lost. The whole of the 

 public fortune would not have sufficed for that, and, 

 moreover, there are losses which no money can make 

 good. But the sacrifices which France has made since 

 1871 for the victims of the war is the best proof of 

 the progress of civilisation and of national harmony 

 which have been exhibited since the beginning of the 

 century. In previous wars, and after those of the 

 First Empire, it never occurred to anyone that the 

 citizens of a country, being inter-dependent the one 

 upon the other, were in duty bound to form a sort of 

 mutual assistance fund for those who had suffered the 



