The Influence of Domestic Policy on Foreign Affairs in France, 1898-1905

Abstract

T TIE recent collapse of France has made us aware, as never before, of the close relationship between domestic affairs and foreign policy. To weigh fairly the extent of the influence exercised by internal factors upon national foreign policy is an exceedingly difficult task. It is, however, the purpose of this article to attempt to throw some light on this problem in France for the years prior to the war of 1914. Between 1898 and 1914 the control of the government by the Radical-Socialist party is the dominant fact in the domestic history of France. In foreign affairs the volte-face, which, in opposition to the tradition of centuries, resulted in the formation of the entente with England and the subsequent unsatisfactory relations with Germany, was the cardinal development-one which cannot be overestimated. The outburst of nationalism, which followed in the wake of the Entente Cordiale and which was one of the contributing factors to the war of 1914, impresses one as being paradoxical in view of the fact that the government was controlled by a political party which professed pacifism. An analysis of the history of these years shows, however, that the seeming incongruity was more apparent than real. From the point of view of French foreign policy the years between 1898 and 1914 fall into two clearly defined periods: the first is that from 1898 to 1905; the second, that from 1905 to 1914. Owing to the limits of space, it will be possible in this article to examine only the first of these periods. During these years the portfolio of foreign affairs was in the hands of one minister, Theophile Delcasse, who, in the opinion of this writer, had his ear closer to the ground and was more sensitive to the currents of popular sentiment than has generally been conceded; he was, however, autocratic and secretive and carried out his