Page:Paul Samuel Reinsch - Secret Diplomacy, How Far Can It Be Eliminated? - 1922.djvu/71



IV. NAPOLEON III, DISRAELI, BISMARCK
WE have so far been dealing primarily with the methods of diplomacy. During the old regime both the methods and the general policy of diplo- matic action were controlled by the secret coun- cils of the monarch and of a few ministers. With the growth of representative government public opinion began to concern itself more directly with foreign affairs. There grew up gradually, al- though with many relapses and with many breaks of continuity, a consensus that while the methods of diplomatic action might be secret, the general trend of policy should regularly be laid before the representatives of the people who should also be informed of any individual action involving the responsibilities of the nation. When, therefore, in contemplating the history of the last one hun- dred years, secret diplomacy is spoken of in con- demnatory terms, the attempted secrecy of na- tional foreign policy, rather than of methods, is usually thought of. When important engage- ments are undertaken which involve the nation in