The Problem of the French Birth Rate on the Eve of World War I

Abstract

In all societies the attainment of political ideals must be reconciled with practical necessity. In the France of 1913 the perfection of democratic and social institutions was being limited by long-standing economic and demographic factors of vital importance as well as by differences of opinions on the ideals themselves. The most distractive problem at that time, however, was the increasingly powerful and evident threat of imminent attack by Germany. Under the circumstances, the French people and their representatives in parliament could not devote their full attention to idealistic