422 A BRIEF SURVEY OF HUMAN HISTORY

felt earlier; but her scope for expansion was circumscribed.
Hence her struggle for existence became increasingly des-
perate. Hence her philosophers like Nietzsche began to in-
culcate the doctrine of " real politik" ; and the patriotic
aspirations of a united Germany turned from love of coun-
try to the love of more country. Her new " kultur " tried
to find expression in diplomacy and war.

France was not likely to reconcile herself to her loss of
Alsace-Lorraine, the humiliation of Sedan, the German occu-
pation of Paris, and the terms of the Treaty of Frankfort
(1871). Bismarck knew that France would continue to be
Prussia's deadliest enemy. So he began to weave a sinister
web of diplomacy, every line of which was calculated to
keep France isolated and weak. ' To obviate a rapproche-
ment between France and Russia—a thing which above all
others he dreaded—he encouraged France to establish a re-
publican rather than a monarchical form of government.
To alienate France from Italy he supported the French
annexation of Tunis. To embroil France with Britain he
favoured the British occupation of Egypt. To prevent
Austria being drawn into an anti-Prussian fellowship with
France he cultivated her friendship himself, and found means
to bind the Central Empires together in the bonds of a close
alliance. Throughout the whole of the remainder of Bis-
marck's career as a statesman (1871-90) France was kept
solitary and impotent/*

Bismarck's mantle of leadership was soon assumed by
Kaiser Wilhdm II who came to the throne in 1888. " Im-
pulsive, imperious, dramatic, a militarist from his cradle,
a statesman trained in ' the indirect, crooked ways' of Bis-

.1. Heamshaw, Main Currents of European History (1815-
1915), p. 272.