ABSTRACT
Public opinion cannot be said to have taken a conspicuous part in the genesis of the present war; but its influence was nevertheless a very real one, for it was greatly considered by the diplomats of all the various countries. Public opinion was created outright by the Government in peace-loving England, whose interest in Serbia was of the slightest. Public opinion is more powerful than the will of kings, and no one is strong enough to oppose it when it has expressed itself distinctly. Germans antipathy has recently been increased by various circumstances, especially by the Morocco troubles, which were skilfully exploited by the German Press, and which were of the greatest assistance in inflaming public opinion against France. France and England looked upon the menace of war and its subsequent declaration as an inevitable evil which they must endure.
