The treaties of the Paris conference are crumbling politically and economically because they had no solid foundations. Politically they assumed that the group of countries which won the war could remain for an indefinite period a compact body of overwhelming force able to assert their united authority in any part of Europe—an assumption contrary to the nature of things. Economically they gave way to passion and greed, and became blinded to the real facts of the economic structure of Europe and even to their own self-interest.

This book offers proposals towards a solution of the difficulty created by the economic blunders of the treaty. Roumania's direct interest in these proposals is not great. But the indirect interest in the basic settlement of a situation which is impovershing everyone is enormous. I am glad, therefore, that my friends in Roumania have thought it worth while to introduce this book to the Roumanian public.