The Peace Treaty saw the application of the principle of self-determination of the na tions which made very important changes in the map of Eurcpe. Finland became independent. Poland, which had disappeared as a country a century before, divided by Prussia, Austria and Russia, was now restored to its former status, the seaport of Dantzig on the Baltic being given to it. A new state, Czecho-Slovakia, consisting of the former provinces of the Austrian Em pire, Bohemia and Moravia, was established. Hungary became independent of Austria; it was thus limited to a very small territory around Vienna. The Eastern Slays formed Jugo Slavia, consisting of Serbia, Croatia and Sla vonia with Bosnia and Dalmatia. Race char acters were made the foundation of boundaries in the Balkans. Greece acquired territory in Macedonia. Rumania had its territorial bound aries rearranged to include people of similar race. Bulgaria was restricted in its frontiers, and the Ottoman Empire in Europe disappeared.
At the beginning of this century the Irish problem, so thorny for several generations, seemed to approach solution. Land bills passed by Parliament had given the tenantry rights and the Congested District Boards solved hous ing problems. One of the first important appli cations of the elimination of the veto power of the House of Lords was made for a Home Rule bill, which passing the Commons three times and rejected by the Lords was signed by the king, thus becoming a law (September 1914). Because of the war it was suspended. For some time Ulster, the northern part of Ire land, though represented in Parliament by a majority of Home Rule members, had been threatening at least in and around the city of Belfast, to revolt if Home Rule were granted. They bought arms from Germany and openly drilled recruits. When the order was given to mobilize against them a number of the most important officers in the army refused to serve. In spite of this situation Redmond, leader of the Home Rulers, announced that the National ists would support the war. The continued suspension of the Home Rule Law caused grave discontent and in April 1916 an insurrection broke out in Dublin led by the Sinn Fein (Gaelic for aWe ourselves,)) pronounced shin fine), and proclaimed an Irish Republic with its own flag. The rebellion was suppressed, the leaders captured and ruthlessly put to death, though clemency to the Boers under similar circumstances had proved the value of a con ciliation policy. The Irish people were ren dered thoroughly disaffected and peace in Ire land has since been maintained by coercion. Though self-determination has come for prac tically all the other peoples of Europe, as the result of the war, it has not come for the Irish in spite of their age-long struggle for it.
A very prominent feature of the history of the century centres around votes for women. Certain of our Western States and New Zealand and Australia granted the suffrage to women in the later 19th century and with the establishment of The Commonwealth of Aus tralia full Parliamentary suffrage was granted to women (1901). Finland (1906), Norway
(1907), Sweden (1912), Denmark (1915) en acted woman suffrage. In England the suf frage leaders, tired of Parliamentary methods for securing the for women, resorted to violence. From 1905 to 1910 this policy was continued and, as has been the case with regard to manhood suffrage in the first half of the 19th century, proved more effective so that in 1910 a woman suffrage bill passed a second reading of the House of Commons but was then shelved. Violence continued but without legislative fesult though the question was being forced upon many minds. With the outbreak of the war the militant suffragists announced suspension of agitation so that the women might devote themselves to the country's needs. They rendered such service to the country in many ways that opposition to woman suffrage largely diminished. The Reform Bill of 1918 granted the ballot to women over 30 years of age with certain real estate conditions. This gives the franchise to some 6,000,000 of women. In the United States the Western States, which granted votes to women, had been well satisfied with the legislation and the suffrage movement was spreading even before the war. With the magnificent devotion to national purposes ex hibited by the women of the country during the war other States granted the vote and op position to woman suffrage in America notably lessened. Congress passed a bill authorizing an amendment to the Constitution granting the vote to women. This has to be approved by the legislatures of three-fourths of the States, but there• is almost assured prospect of such approval.
Education suffered severely from the war. Attendance at European universities in the countries at war fell to a small percentage of what it had been before for all healthy young men were at the front. For a time it seemed as though university professors would have little to do but the war called many of them to do special work connected with their department for war purposes. The application of science so as to make war more destructive than ever sadly diminished the prestige of intellectual attainments. Soon another derogatory element exerted its influence. Most of the professors in German universities signed a document di rected to the educated classes of the world, proclaiming that the war was not of Germany's making but was made by her enemies for her humiliation in jealousy of herificent progress during the past generation. Germany was waging defensive war for the Fatherland. A manifesto signed by 3,500 German teachers, professors and lecturers proclaimed the belief that the salvation of the culture of Europe de pended upon the victory which Germany was about to achieve. The word culture became equivocal. German education was thrust from the pedestal which it had occupied in the academic world and lost the prestige which it had acquired, particularly here in America, during the preceding generation.