The first systematic study of the history of the famous combination from its beginning in 1891 to the collapse of one of its members in 1917. Starting with the present-day disillusionment of the average Frenchman, the author examines the circumstances under which the alliance was concluded and the manner in which it worked. He blows most of the pollen off the flowers, but his book is one of the most notable of recent French contributions in the field of diplomatic history.