CHAPTER VII.
THE CHARACTER OF OUR NEXT WAR The social necessity of maintaining the power of the nation to defend itself, the political claims which the State puts forward, the strength of the probable hostile combinations, are the chief factors which determine the conditions of preparation for war.
I have already tried to explain and formulate the duties in the spheres of policy and progress which our history and our national character impose on us.

My next task is to observe the possible military combinations which we must be prepared to face.
In this way only can we estimate the dangers which threaten us, and can judge whether, and to what degree, we can carry out our political intentions.

A thorough understanding of these hostile counter-movements will give us a clear insight into the character of the next war; and this war will decide our future.
It is not sufficient to know the military fighting forces of our probable antagonists, although this knowledge constitutes the necessary basis for further inquiry; but we must picture to ourselves the intensity of the hostility with which we have to reckon and the probable efficiency of oar enemies.

The hostility which we must anticipate is determined by the extent to which mutual political schemes and ambitions clash, and by the opposition in national character.

Our opinion as to the military efficiency of our rivals must be based on the latest data available.
If we begin by looking at the forces of the individual States and groups of States which may be hostile to us, we have the following results: According to the recent communications of the French Finance Minister Klotz (in a speech made at the unveiling of a war memorial in Issoudan), the strength of the French army on a peace footing in the year 1910 amounted in round figures to 580,000 men.