That opposition was withdrawn; and though the most violent effect was
produced in Germany, though there were threats of war, pitiable quarrels
within the French Cabinet and a moment of grave danger, the pact was
accomplished, and Morocco, all save the strip opposite Gibraltar, became
French, while all that Germany had to show for her share was an
irregularly shaped and not valuable couple of slices cut out of tropical
Africa in the Congo Basin from the vast French possessions there, and
added to her own still insufficient share.
Another group of arrangements was that with Russia, and here again
England willingly paid a heavy price, and again completely reversed her
traditional policy. She gave all that is vital in Persia to Russian
control. She forgot her old anxiety about the Indian frontier; she lost
her old and hitherto unbroken policy of supporting Turkey in Europe.
When the war came she was with the French in supporting the Balkan
powers, "The Little Nations."
Finally, in the matter of Italy, she supported or permitted the Italian
attack upon and annexation of Turkish territory in North Africa, and
consistently, before and after that event, worked for the strengthening
of Italy in the Triple Alliance and for securing the neutrality of that
country, at least in case of a European war.
There were many other arrangements besides these three principal and
typical ones, but all, small or great, were based upon the same idea,
and pointed in the same direction.
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