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* EUROPE. 293 EUROPE. The Triple Alliance thus established has several times been renewed, and still exists. In the nineties Russia and France drew together, and in 1897 it was announced that, an alliance existed between these Powers. From these Continental alliances (ileal liritain has held aloof; hut ar- rangements for common action in the .Mediter- ranean have long existed between Great liritain I Italy. Both the Triple Alliance and the Franco-Russian alliance grew out of, and arc con- cerned chiefly with. European politics. In world politics, Germany, which embarked in 1884 upon colonial enterprises, has from time to time acted in harmony with France and with Russia. The partition of Africa between European States, the seizure of portions of China (see Chi- nese Empire), and the division of the rest of that empire into 'spheres of influence,' are the most recent steps in that extension of European power over other continents which began with Alexander the Great, was continued by the Romans, was suspended for eleven centuries by counter-attacks from Asia, and began again in the sixteenth century. Since the unification of Italy and of Germany, Europe has attained some- thing like a stable equilibrium i the Turkish ques- tion is partly solved and partly postponed ; the Austrian question has not yet arisen. The ag- gressive energy of the great European nations must find its field outside of Europe; and world questions have begun to dominate European pol- ities. Since the Congo Conference at Berlin (1884-85), there has been an increasing tendency to joint European action in this wider field. Europe in 1900. The population of Europe at the close of the nineteenth century was about 300.000,000, and during the later decades of the century the average annual increase, in spite of emigration, was about 3,000,000. The peoples of modern Europe are for the most part of mixed origin ; hut taking language as the test, and grouping cognate languages, nearly 29 per <?ent. of the inhabitants of Europe are Slavs, more than 30 per cent, are Latins, and more than 32 per cent, are Teutons — the third group including the English, the Scandinavians, the Germans, the Dutch, and the Flemings. Outside of these three groups are the Finns, the Hungarians, and the Turks (all these are Mongols), the Greeks, the Jews, and scattered representatives of other races — all these together constituting less than 9 per cent, of the total population. Roughly speaking, Europe is Slavic in the east, Teutonic in the northwest and north centre, Latin in the southwest and south. More than 96 per cent, of the inhabitants of Europe are Christians, nearly 25 per cent, belonging to the Eastern churches, about 24 per cent, to the various Protestant churches, and more than 47 per cent, to the Cath- olic Church. This triple division of the Chris- tian population of Europe corresponds, in the main, to the triple division of language groups; the Latins are nearly all Roman Catholics, the Slavs are mainly Creek Christians, and three- fourths of the Teutons are Protestants. Political- ly. Europe consists of 23 independent States, vary- ing in population from 115,000,000 (European Russia) to 5200 (Andorra). There are four em- pires, viz., Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Turkey; 11 kingdoms, viz.. Great Britain, fhe Netherlands, Belgium. Sweden-Norway, Ben- mark, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Rumania, and Servia; 4 independent principalities, viz., Monaco, Lichtenstein, Montenegro, and the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg; and four republics, viz., France, Switzerland, Andorra, and San Marino. Four of these Stall- are organized on federal lines, viz., Germany, which includes 1 kingdoms (Prussia, Bavaria, Wlirttemberg, and Saxony); Is grand duchies, duchies, and principalities, and 3 city republics; Switzerland, which consists "f 25 canton republics; and Austria-Hungary and Sweden Norway, each of which is divided into two largely autonomous port ions. In the Turkish Empire there are Slates or provinces which are under Turkish suzerainty, lint not under Turkish government; but their connection with I he Em pire is nominal. All the other States of Europe are single or unitary Slate,. Most of the Euro- pean States either have a substantially homoge- neous population or contain only a small propor- i i"u nf heterogeneous elements, as in the ease of Great Britain, Germany, and European Russia. In Austria-Hungary, European Turkey, and Swit- zerland, however, the population is so hetero- geneous that no one nationality is preponderant ; and in Belgium the French and Flemish elements are of nearly equal strength. In four European States monarchic absolutism still prevails. These are Russia, Turkey, Monaco, and Montenegro; but in Montenegro the rule of the Prince should per- haps be termed patriarchal rather than absolute. In all the other monarchic States the government is limited by constitutions granting more or less power to the representatives of the people. In the group of constitutional monarchies, princely authority is least limited in Germany, Austria- Hungary, and Denmark. In the other constitu- tional monarchies, and in the French Republic, parliamentary government obtains; but on the Continent, the working of this system is greatly embarrassed by the multiplicity of parties (see Political Parties), and in some States which nominally have parliamentary government the system actually in operation is quite unlike the English model. In few of the larger States of Europe is administration so centralized as was the ease at the beginning of the century: local self-government has been established not only in most of the Teutonic States, but also in France and in Italy. The Great Powers by whose con- certed action, when the concert can be established, the political development of Europe is controlled, are Great Britain, Germany, Russia, France, Aus- tria-Hungary, and Italy. In estimating the rela- tive strength of these States, the chief elements to be considered are: Size and character of popu- lation, economic resources, and efficiency of or- ganization. Taking all these things into consid- eration, Germany and Great Britain seem to be at present the leading Powers. With the fuller development of its resources and with a more efficient organization, Russia should become stronger than either ; but at present Russia is probably less strong than France, although stronger than Austria-Hungary. Italy is the least of the Powers, and owes her recognition as a Power mainly to her alliances. BiBLlOGRAPnY. General Works. — Ritter. Eu- ropa: Vorlesungen, edited by Daniel (Berlin. 1863); Reclus. Nouvelle giographie universelle, vols. i.-v. (Paris. 1875 — ) : Khiden, Hondbuch dt r Erdkunde (Berlin, 1882-84); Bougier, Geo graphie physique, politique ei ecpnomique de n: a rope (Paris. 1885) ; Kirchhoff. Landerkunde von Europa (Leipzig, 1887-93) ; Lanier. I/Europe