Conditions and Terms of Use
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Conditions and Terms of Use Copyright © Heritage History 2012 Some rights reserved This text was produced and distributed by Heritage History, an organization dedicated to the preservation of classical juvenile history books, and to the promotion of the works of traditional history authors. The books which Heritage History republishes are in the public domain and are no longer protected by the original copyright. They may therefore be reproduced within the United States without paying a royalty to the author. The text and pictures used to produce this version of the work, however, are the property of Heritage History and are subject to certain restrictions. These restrictions are imposed for the purpose of protecting the integrity of the work, for preventing plagiarism, and for helping to assure that compromised versions of the work are not widely disseminated. In order to preserve information regarding the origin of this text, a copyright by the author, and a Heritage History distribution date are included at the foot of every page of text. We require all electronic and printed versions of this text include these markings and that users adhere to the following restrictions. 1. You may reproduce this text for personal or educational purposes as long as the copyright and Heritage History version are included. 2. You may not alter this text or try to pass off all or any part of it as your own work. EUROPE, 1914. 3. You may not distribute copies of this text for commercial purposes. 4. This text is intended to be a faithful and complete copy of the original document. However, typos, omissions, and other errors may have occurred during preparation, and Heritage History does not guarantee a perfectly reliable reproduction. Permission to use Heritage History documents or images for commercial purposes, or more information about our collection of traditional history resources can be obtained by contacting us at [email protected] Original Copyright 1919 by Charles Morris 2 Distributed by Heritage History 2012 PREFACE armies of Napoleon spread these radical ideas throughout Europe until the oppressed people of every nation began to look upward with hope and see in the distance before them a The year 1914 will stand out prominently in future haven of justice in the coming realm of human rights. history as the date of the most stupendous war in the history of mankind. In its special character, also, it may come to be These new conceptions took time to disseminate regarded as the most atrocious of all wars, at least of all fought themselves. The oppressed peoples had to fight their way by civilized nations. Flashing out suddenly like a bolt from the upward into the light, to win their progress step by step to the blue, unannounced, unexpected, unexplained, unprecedented heights of emancipation. It was a hard struggle. Time and in suddenness and enormity, it hurled nearly the whole of again they were cast downward in their climb. The powers of Europe within a week's time from a state of profound peace privilege, of the "divine right of kings," fought hard to into one of continental war. The ringing of church bells was preserve their ascendency, and only with discouraging drowned by the roar of cannon, the voice of the dove of peace slowness did the people move onward to the haven they so by the blare of the trump of war, and throughout the world ran earnestly sought. a shudder of terror as these unwonted and ominous sounds The story of this upward progress is the history of the greeted men's ears. nineteenth century, regarded from the special point of view of But in looking back through history, tracing the course political progress and the development of human rights. This of events during the past century, following the footsteps of is definitely shown in the present work, which is a history of men in war and peace from that day of upheaval when the past century and of the twentieth century so far as it has medieval feudalism went down in disarray before the arms of gone. Gradually the autocrat has declined in power and the people in the French Revolution, some explanation of the authority, and the principle of popular rights has risen into great European war of 1914 may be reached. Every event in view. But the autocrat has not been fully dethroned. history has its roots somewhere in earlier history, and we need Medievalism still has its hold on a few of the thrones of but dig deep enough to find them. Europe, notably those of Germany, Russia and Austria. Is the present war a final effort of medievalism to regain its hold, to Such is the purpose of the present work. It proposes to put down the doctrine of popular rule and replace it by the old lay down in a series of apposite chapters the story of the past system of absolute government? This, at least, in the absence century, beginning, in fact, rather more than a century ago of apparent causes for the present war, may be offered as one with the meteoric career of Napoleon and seeking to show to conceivable explanation. If so, we can but hope that the what it led, and what effects it had upon the political evolution prediction given at the end of this work may come true, and of mankind. The French Revolution stood midway between that the close of the war may witness the complete downfall of two spheres of history, the sphere of medieval barbarism and autocracy as a political principle and the rise of the rule of the that of modern enlightenment. It exploded like a bomb in the people in every civilized nation of the earth. midst of the self-satisfied aristocracy of the earlier social system and rent it into fragments which no hand could put together again. In this sense the career of Napoleon seems CHARLES MORRIS. providential. The era of popular government had replaced that of autocratic and aristocratic government in France, and the Original Copyright 1919 by Charles Morris 3 Distributed by Heritage History 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS ALL EUROPE PLUNGED INTO WAR .................................. 5 UNDERLYING CAUSES OF THE GREAT WAR ................... 15 STRENGTH AND RESOURCES OF WARRING POWERS ...... 26 PAN-SLAVISM VERSUS PAN-GERMANISM ..................... 41 EUROPE AT THE CLOSE OF THE 18TH CENTURY ............. 49 THE EARTHQUAKE OF NAPOLEONISM ............................ 54 NELSON AND WELLINGTON ........................................... 70 DECLINE AND FALL OF NAPOLEON'S EMPIRE................. 80 THE CONGRESS OF VIENNA ........................................... 92 THE HOLY ALLIANCE AND ITS UNHOLY WORK ............. 98 THE REVOLUTION OF 1830 .......................................... 104 EUROPE IN ARMS IN 1848 ............................................ 113 RUSSIA AND THE CRIMEAN WAR ................................. 120 THE AMBITION OF LOUIS NAPOLEON .......................... 127 GARIBALDI AND ITALIAN UNITY ................................. 136 THE EXPANSION OF GERMANY .................................... 144 THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR ..................................... 151 BISMARCK AND THE NEW GERMAN EMPIRE ................ 167 GLADSTONE AS AN APOSTLE OF REFORM .................... 173 THE FRENCH REPUBLIC ............................................... 181 GREAT BRITAIN AND HER COLONIES ........................... 191 THE OPEN DOOR IN CHINA AND JAPAN ....................... 200 TURKEY AND THE BALKAN STATES ............................. 213 WHERE THE BATTLES OF WESTERN EUROPE HAVE BEEN FOUGHT METHODS IN MODEM WARFARE ................................. 223 Original Copyright 1919 by Charles Morris 4 Distributed by Heritage History 2012 CHAPTER I sea, spreading terror and devastation in their path. Such energies of hostility are not confused to the elements. They exist in human communities. They underlie the political ALL EUROPE PLUNGED INTO WAR conditions of the nations, and their outbreak is at times as sudden and unlooked-for as that of the winds and waves. Such DRAMATIC SUDDENNESS OF THE OUTBREAK—TRADE AND was the state of political affairs in Europe at the date COMMERCE PARALYZED—WIDESPREAD INFLUENCES—DILEMMA OF mentioned, apparently calm and restful, while below the THE TOURISTS—AN OCEAN INCIDENT—CLOSING THE STOCK MARKETS—TERRIBLE EFFECTS OF WAR—THE TIDE OF surface hostile forces which had long been fomenting unseen DESOLATION—WHO CAUSED THE CONFLICT?—COST OF MODERN were ready to burst forth and whelm the world. WARFARE. At the opening of the final week of July, 1914, the DRAMATIC SUDDENNESS OF THE OUTBREAK whole world—with the exception of Mexico, in which the smouldering embers of the revolution still burned—was in a On the night of July 25th the people of the civilized state of profound peace. The clattering hammers and whirling world settled down to restful slumbers, with no dreams of the wheels of industry were everywhere to be heard; great ships turmoil that was ready to burst forth. On the morning of the furrowed the ocean waves, deep-laden with the world's 26th they rose to learn that a great war had begun, a conflict products and carrying thousands of travelers bent on business the possible width and depth of which no man was yet able to or enjoyment. Countless trains of cars, drawn by smoke- foresee; and as day after day passed on, each day some new belching locomotives, traversed the long leagues of iron rails, nation springing into the terrible arena until practically the similarly laden with passengers engaged in peaceful errands whole of Europe was in arms and the Armageddon seemed at and freight intended for peaceful purposes. All seemed at rest