French Public Opinion in Regard to the Events Leading to the Spanish American War

At the beginning of this thesis it would be well to try to to determine in just what province of History this study belongs, and what is the value of a study of French Public Opinion in Regard to the Spanish-American War. Although the issue of the War had no far-reaching effects upon the history of France, the French people were intensely interested in the fate of their trans-Pyrenean neighbors. The French watched intently every development of the Cuban insurrection, the attitude of the Spanish people and the American people, the progress of hostilities, every move of both governments, and any action or contemplated action on the part of the Great Powers. On some occasions, especially during the final conflict, this subject bid fair to monopolize the attention of the French press, so completely were the papers filled with news and opinions about it. Sven the Dreyfus affair was crowded from the front page for considerable periods. The French had plenty of opinions on the subject. Some of the moderate papers maintained the more or less dispassionate attitude of an outside spectator, while some of the more extreme papers, both conservative and radical, and even a number of the "moderate" republican journals, felt so strongly over various issues which they thought concerned France, that their opinions frequently bordered upon passion. A study of these reactions should give an Insight into the French mind, and lead to a better comprehension of the French national outlook. Hence, this thesis might be considered as distinctly a part of the study of French history.The chief usefulness of a study like this must necessarily lie in the exact opinions themselves, so a large portion of this paper is quoted directly from the French newspapers, hence, the thesis can still be considered as largely source material. An effort has been made to place in the text itself sufficient summaries and characterizations to enable a cursory reader to get a general idea of French opinion, although he might not take time to read all the quotations. For the thorough reader however, it is hoped that this seeming duplication will not be superfluous, but will lead to a more complete, simpler and clearer general impression.