NOTEBOOK “ν” (“NU”)

TARDIEU, FRANCE AND THE ALLIANCES

André Tardieu (honorary first secretary of the Embassy). France and the Alliances. The Struggle for Equilibrium , Paris, 1909. ((Very useful book!))

| when? N.B. where? | | | On p. 17 the author recalls: “M. Jaurès in his sacrilegious [!!] letter on ‘the Triple Alliance, a necessary counterbalance to Franco-Russian chauvi- nism’, was the only person who in defiance of history and geography, did not recognise this obvious truth” (the necessity of the Franco-Russian alliance). |

| sic! | | | | “M. Jaurès himself—who since then, it is true, has changed his mind” (when? where?), “declared on January 23, 1903, that he had no objection in principle to the alliance with Russia” (p. 29).... |

Wars of England against France for domination: 1688-97; 1701-11; 1742-48; 1754-63; 1778-83; 1793-1815 (p. 41).

Germany against England:

| treaty | of June 14, 1890 | } | division of Africa. |
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| ” | of November 15, 1893 |

| !! | | | | The secret treaty of 1898, “the conditions of which were little known, disposed of the future of the Portu- guese colonies” (52). |

Italy laid claim to North Africa long ago (Mazzini in 1838! p. 95 ). Bismarck wrote about this to Mazzini in 1866. Hatred over Tunisia (1881) impelled Italy towards Germany.

Setbacks in Abyssinia and financial crisis caused her to turn away from Germany. In 1900 the French banks “saved the Rome market” (101) 1 ).

“The German economic crisis made it necessary for Italy to seek political rapprochement with France” (102) 1 ). “The German money market was not in a position to act as the banker of Italy” (102) 1 )...

December 1900: exchange of amicable notes between France and Italy.

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| | N.B. dates 1882-1900: Italy the ally of Germany: p. 105. | |
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“What would have happened if Italy’s attitude towards us in 1905 had been the same as in 1889?” (109)....

Spain ... the “aid” of “French capital” (113)....

October 6, 1904, agreement between France and Spain (division of Morocco)....

The struggle between France and Germany (after 1870) was “on the one hand, a struggle for equilibrium and, on the other, a struggle for supremacy” (344)....

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| | Mentioned, where? Crispi was formerly a “red” and has been zealously living this down!! |
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The author—Tardieu—is himself a diplomat, an expert! Many indications of the part played by finance. His survey of events is complete, good. Useful and necessary as a history of diplomacy from the French point of view.

Literature:

Rouire, Anglo-Russian Rivalry in Asia .

De Caix, Fashoda .

1 ) G. M. Fiamingo, The Financial Reasons for Franco-Italian Friendship .

A. Billot (our ex-ambassador in Rome), France and Italy .

Luigi Ghiala (or Chiala?), Pages from Contemporary History .

Victor Bérard, The Moroccan Incident .

René Pinon, The Mediterranean Empire .