Story of the world war, for young people

Foreword

A complete and impartial history of the World War cannot be written for some years, but the main facts, including the causes of the terrible struggle, are known today. Inasmuch as our soldiers are risking their lives on European battlefields, our boys and girls are eager to know what it is all about. They want to read about the war in language that they can understand. Teachers are bewildered with the great mass of material not yet put in small enough compass for pupil and teacher to use in the school room.

The author of this book asked his upper grade teachers to teach the facts of this war even if the history of other wars had to be eliminated to do it, and met with this reply: ''How can we teach what we ourselves do not know? Give us a book to guide us." Realizing that few teachers have either the time or the historical training needed to sift and organize the mass of information in print about the war today, the author has prepared this volume as a foundation upon which to build a study of the conflict that is occupying our deepest interests.

We are no longer an isolated nation. We must teach our children the main facts and tendencies of world events. The study of the War can be made the basis of a wider study of present world history so that we may all understand the part we are playing in international affairs.

So at the risk of some revision upon the raising of the censorship, the author has ventured to write this account for the boys and girls about the momentous affairs of today.

William L. Nida.

Contents

Chapter Page

1 — The Rise of the German Empire 5

2 — The Kaiser and His World Dream 14

Chapter I The Rise Of The German Empire

In August, 1914, a terrible world calamity took place. All the great nations of Europe were declared to be at arms. On July 22nd of that year the world was at peace, but from this time one event followed another with lightning speed and within twelve days all Europe was ablaze. The Central Powers of Germany and Austria were at war with the Allies, Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia and Belgium. Some time later Turkey and Bulgaria joined the Germans, while Japan, Italy and Roumania entered the war on the side of the Allies. Now after nearly three years of horrible strife our own United States has entered the conflict on the side of the Allies and very recently Greece has declared war with Germany.

In order to understand what this awful world war is about we must know something of the history of Germany during the last fifty years, for it is largely the ambition of the German Kaiser and his war lords to rule Europe that has brought on this terrible conflict. And we must also know a brief story of the Balkan country, that great peninsula lying between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, for it is this country of the Balkans that the German war lords are determined to possess and rule as their first step toward world dominion.

Let us go back a few years and find how Germany came to be the great united Empire she is today.

6 STOEY OF THE WORLD WAR

When the wars of Napoleon closed there were in Germany thirty-nine different states and four independ- PRUssiA AND ent cities, each with its own ruler. Of AUSTRIA these thirty-nine different govern-

ments there were two leading ones. They were the Kingdom of Prussia and the Empire of Austria. Austria was then the strongest fighting power and for that reason was able to force its wishes upon all the other German states. Prussia was only a little kingdom and, though it had been considered one of the five great powers of Europe, it had been greatly weakened by long wars and had lost many thousands of its men.

But from this little Kingdom of Prussia came the power that built up the united Empire of Germany. This was done through the wonderful mind and leadership of one man, Otto von Bismarck.

In 1862 King William I. of Prussia made Bismarck his adviser. For the next thirty years BISMARCK AS Bismarck was the greatest figure in CHANCELLOR Europe. He came from an obscure family of the country landed aristocracy. He believed that it was the Prussian kings and not the Prussian people that had made his own kingdom great, so he favored giving the king more power and was firmly opposed to allowing the people any voice in their government. Wlien William I. granted a constitution to Prussia, Bismarck was enraged. He said he hated democracy and the rule of the common people. He was an aristocrat to his finger tips.

Bismarck seemed to be the one German that understood the cause of his country's weakness. He also had been an exceedingly keen observer of all German affairs and he had come to feel it was a mistake to have so many small states in Germany. Many years

THE RISE OF THE GERMAN EMPIRE 7

before he had said that there was not room in Germany for both Prussia and Austria and that one or the other must bend. He kept saying there were too many little states and he would have them all united in one nation with Prussia as its head. He argued that the only way to bring about this union was by war, for he believed that the great questions of the day are settled by blood and iron.

When Bismarck came into power as adviser to the King of Prussia, the first thing he advised was to smash Austria. To do this he needed a strong new military tool. So Bismarck and King William proceeded to get this tool ready. They built up a great army by demanding military service of every man. Every able-bodied young Prussian was called to serve for at least two years in the army. Some of the people of Prussia objected to this forced military service, but the King, encouraged by Bismarck, had his own way about it.

In good time Bismarck thought Prussia was strong enough to master Austria so they looked for some WAR ON excuse to begin the trouble. The people DENMARK of the two Danish provinces of Schleswig and Holstein were trying to throw off the rule of Denmark. This was Bismarck's chance to test his new army with little risk and also his opportunity to pick a quarrel with Austria. Sixty thousand Prussians and Austrians seized the territory in dispute. They easily defeated Denmark and forced her to give up the two provinces. But then Austria and Prussia could not agree about who should have them. Austria wished to make them into a separate state and this was also the wish of the people of the conquered provinces, but Bismarck was determined to add them to Prussia so as to extend her coast line and secure some excellent harbors, especially the one at Kiel. He said there were too many small states in Germany already. This dispute soon led to war between Austria and Prussia as Bismarck had foreseen.

Bismarck had great faith that his new army could fight. The next thing was to prove it to the Austrians. The Prussians had adopted as their field rifle the breech-loading weapon known as the needle gun. It had a long range, considerably beyond that of the old-fashioned, smooth-bore musket. When a zealous young Austrian officer reported this to his superiors the only answer was, "The battalions of Austria will sweep away these piff-paff soldiers like dust."

In 1866 the opportunity came to "sweep away'* the Prussians. Prussia forced the war upon Austria, PRUSSIA AND AUSTRIA and Italy helped Prussia. The AT WAR, 1866 marvelous new military sys-

tem of the Prussians worked like a clock, and Prussia struck her enemy with such speed as to amaze Europe. The great general of this war was Von Moltke. In the years before the war he had planned all the campaigns, and he now saw them come out just as he had planned them.

Von Moltke sent three armies into Austro-Hungary by different routes. They met the Austrians at Sadowa. King William, Bismarck, and Von Moltke took up their position on a hill from which they could view the battle. The struggle was long and doubtful. It began in the early morning. For hours the armies fought with terrific fury. Up until two o 'clock it seemed to be an Austrian victory. But then the Prussian Crown Prince arrived with his army and turned the tide. At half past three the

THE RISE OF THE GERMAN EMPIRE 9

Austrian army was beaten and had begun the retreat. They had lost about 40,000 men, while the Prussians had lost but 10,000. Austria acknowledged her defeat, and Bismarck, who feared France might join Austria, gladly gave her easy terms. The war lasted only about six weeks.

Now that the war was over and Austria subdued, what was Bismarck's next step? Prussia was anxious to punish Austria by taking the Bohemian frontier from her. When Bismarck learned this, it is said he burst into a torrent of weeping. He declared it would wreck all his plans and make Austria a lasting enemy of Prussia. He thought Prussia would some day need Austria's help. The King finally listened to Bismarck and the only penalty exacted from Austria was that she should leave the other German states alone and let Prussia manage them as best she could. Thus Austria was forced out of German affairs and Prussia became the leading state in Germany.

Prussia now got all the north German states, twenty-two in all, to form a North German Confederation. The King of Prussia was made President of the Federation. Bismarck wrote up the constitution and was careful to see that Prussia had enough power to control all important matters.

Still Germany was not yet a unit. There were several independent south German states that were FRANCO-PRUSSIAN influenced by Austria on the east WAR, 1870 and by France on the west.

France was then supposed to be the strongest military power in Europe, but Prussia had no fear of France, single-handed. Bismarck made the south German states believe that the French were going to take some of their territory and thus gained their

10 STOEY OF THE WORLD WAB

consent to join hands with the German Confederation in a war. Bismarck said that the way to complete the union of the German states was to engage them all in a war against some other nation. Accordingly, he trumped up a quarrel with France as to who should sit on the throne of Spain. When Bismarck published in the press the story of this trouble with France, he told it in a way that was most insulting to France. He said he "intended it to be a red rag for the French bull. ' ' His plan was to anger France so she would declare war. Then Germany might pose before the world as merely fighting in self-defense. France declared war in 1870 and the south German states joined the North German Confederation as Bismarck had planned.

The French army was poorly prepared compared with the splendidly drilled Prussian soldiers. One French army was shut up in the strong fortress of Metz and besieged. The other French army surrendered at Sedan, and the French emperor was taken prisoner. Within six weeks the French empire had fallen and a republic was proclaimed in that country. In eight weeks the Germans were at the gates of Paris.

Immense stores had been collected at Paris, and the citizens were armed to defend their capital city. The French astonished the world with their splendid defense. It is interesting to know that aircraft figured in this siege when Gambetta and other leaders escaped from Paris by balloon and organized new armies outside. But they had no time to drill the new recruits, and they failed to break through the great circle of iron that surrounded the city. After

THE EISE OF THE GERMAN EMPIRE 11

a remarkable siege of four months, Paris was starved out and obliged to surrender to the Germans.

France was absolutely crushed. Germany took from her the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine and compelled the French people to pay to the Germans an immense war indemnity of a billion dollars.

The work of making Germany a united nation was now practically done. While the German army was GERMANY still in Paris a communication was sent UNITED to King William of Prussia by the King of Bavaria, asking King William to become Emperor of Germany. We now know that the letter was written by Bismarck. In 1871 in the great hall of the palace of Versailles, which was then occupied by the German army, William was crowned and given the title of German Emperor.

But in realizing his ambition, Bismarck had made some mistakes. Although his ideal of uniting the German states into one great power was a good one, he had done an irreparable wrong to France. He had provoked the war with France and then forced the French to pay the cost. An indemnity of a billion dollars was a terrible burden in those days, but the French people worked, industriously and paid it off in a few years.

The thing the French nation never forgave Germany was the taking of its territory. Germany has been for forty years trying to Germanize the two provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. She forbade them to use their native language of French in their schools and churches. It was as if they had taken the New England states from us and tried to convert all the people into Germans. Now we know that any people clings to its mother tongue with a death grip, and no amount of force will compel them to give it up gracefully. France promised herself that some day she would recover these provinces from Germany and, looking forward to another war, sought an ally in Eussia.

Bismarck's work now seemed to be done. He had accomplished what seemed at the outset to be an BISMARCK'S impossibility. He had made from the RULE thirty-nine small German states a

nation greater even than Russia or Austro-Hungary. He was looked upon as the greatest German statesman since the days of Charlemagne. But the day has now come when we heartily condemn him for his criminal action in robbing a neighboring country and causing a bitterness which had to be redeemed in the blood of this generation.

Bismarck was the real ruler of Germany for more than thirty years, though he was merely called the Chancellor. He has been given the name of the "Iron Chancellor" because of his grim determination to make his country great no matter what the cost. What was right was not the consideration in his mind. His only question was: "Is Germany strong enough to- do this thing?" His gospel was: "Might makes right," which is the gospel of a savage, and this is the creed of German war lords today. They are trampling upon weaker nations with astounding cruelty.

Bismarck, knowing that France was longing for revenge, made a triple alliance with Russia and Austria against France. But this did not last for both Russia and Austria had been ambitious to get control of Constantinople and the straits leading from the Black Sea into the Mediterranean. Russia wished it for a warm waterway for her commerce and Germany and Austria both desired to possess

THE RISE OF THE GERMAN EMPIRE 13

the Balkan states of Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Eoumania, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After a time war occurred between Russia and Turkey. Russia was about to take Constantinople THE DUAL AND wheu Germany and Austria inter- TRiPLE ALLIANCES veued and robbed Russia of lier victory over Turkey. A part of Turkey, which had been conquered by the Russians, was given to Austria. The Czar said: ''Bismark has forgotten his promise of 1870. ' ' The provinces which fell to Austrian control were Bosnia and Herzegovina, both of which were peopled with Slavs or natives of Russia and should have gone to Serbia or Russia or some other Slav country.

Then Russia was ready to break with Germany and to make an alliance with France. Italy at this time was angered at France for seizing Tunis, as Italy wanted that part of Africa for a colony, so Italy joined the alliance of German and Austria. Thus we have the Dual Alliance of France and Russia and the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austro- Hungary and Italy. This was the line-up of friends and enemies when this great world war broke out.

Bismarck was still Chancellor when the present Kaiser William II. came to the throne of the German Empire in 1888. William II. was young, able and full of ambition to rule. He believes his right to rule comes from heaven and not from the people and as he did his own thinking he soon quarreled with Bismarck and dismissed him.

Chapter II The Kaiser's Dream Of World Empire

Since 1890 the Kaiser lias been the deciding voice in all German affairs. During these last twenty-five years Germany has developed her industries and her commerce in a remarkable manner. In both these respects she has become the rival of England and the United States. In fact, she has been rapidly outstripping them in trade and industry.

In this time Germany has acquired a number of colonies in Africa, China and the Eastern seas. But though her colonies have cost her a great deal, she has not known how to develop them with the success of England. The Kaiser has also in this time built up a large navy". He is ambitious to have the German Empire as powerful on the seas as she has been on the land for the last fifty years, so that nothing shall be done on sea or on land without her consent.

Thus Germany is a great country, rich and powerful, with an industrious and splendidly educated GERMANY people. But her citizens are not free. NOT FREE "The German nation," said Prince von Bulow, who was for many years Chancellor of Germany, "has been denied the right to rule itself." Germany has a constitution and a parliament but they do not give self-rule to the people. Vast power is bestowed upon the emperor. The Kaiser has even the right to declare war or make peace. This is a dangerous power to put in the hands of one

THE KAISER'S DREAM OE WORLD EMPIRE 15

man. In our country only Congress, wliicli directly represents the people, can declare war. Kaiser William is responsible to no one. He has said : "There is only one master of the nation. That is I. I will abide no other, ' ' and again, ' ' I look upon the people and the nation as a responsibility conferred upon me by God. Those who try to interfere with my task I shall crush."

As a sample of his spirit he is quoted as saying to a regiment of his soldiers: "I would rather see my forty-five million Prussians dead on the field of battle than to see one foot of the soil taken in 1870 from the French restored to them." At another time in addressing a body of recruits the Kaiser is reported to have said : '^Now that you have donned my uniform it must be your pleasure and duty to follow my wishes, realizing that I rule Germany by the direct will of God. You must willingly obey my commands even though I require you to shoot down your own fathers and brothers in response to my dictates." And so submissive have become the millions of German soldiers after years of this training that today they would probably fire upon their own people if ordered to do so by their officers. This kind of obedience makes good soldiers, but unthinking citizens.

When Bismarck drew up the constitution of the Empire he fashioned the government so that Prussia PRUSSIAN should have the balance of power and the NOBILITY Kaiser might rule. ''Prussia," said Prince von Bulow, "is to this day a state of soldiers and officials." The Kaiser appoints nobles, and nobles only, to his high offices. Only a noble can be chancellor or minister. The Kaiser chooses only nobles as officers of his army and navy. He makes the Prussian nobility the ruling caste. Through Prussia these officials and war lords rule the Empire. The noble class is in turn ruled by the Kaiser, but they are content. This is what we mean when we speak of German militarism. We mean a government by the Kaiser and his soldier class.

In America and other democratic countries we hold that one man is as good as another, and that all shall have an equal voice in the government. We would not tolerate being ruled by a class of soldiers and aristocrats.

Now if you will look at the map you will observe that Germany has very little sea coast except that on GERMANY the Baltic Sea. This lack of good ports HEMMED IN hinders her world trade. The Empire is too much hemmed in to suit its rulers. A great and powerful nation must have room to grow. Germany is a manufacturing country and in order to trade freely with other nations needs more convenient harbors.

England controls the sea. All the strategic sea routes of the world except the newly completed Panama Canal, belong to England. She has Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, Singapore and innumerable islands the world over that have naval bases on them. These give England a great advantage in trade and commerce, and these are the very things Germany wishes to develop.

Since Germany has not been very successful in establishing colonies, and as England has always kept her navy far in advance of that of the Germans, there was nothing else for Germany to do but to look forward to a better sea coast outlet for her trade and to become a great land empire. The Kaiser was determined to extend his frontiers and he kept the

THE KAISER'S DREAM OF WORLD EMPIRE 17

largest army of the world ready for the first opportunity to strike for more territory. In fact, the war lords were more than willing to make an opportunity on the slightest excuse.

They have looked with eager eyes on the coal and iron lands of Belgium and northern France and WOELD coveted the fine harbors of these coun- GEBMANY tries. They long to get control of the wheat and oil lands of Eoumania and they want a chance to overflow into the garden spot of the Tigris and Euphrates valleys which are only waiting for irrigation to make them some of the most fruitful regions of the world. Above all, they have desired the Dardanelles with its strategic position dominating the whole of the Black Sea country.

In short, the German dream has long been to build up a great empire extending from the Baltic Sea to the Persian Gulf. It was to be held together by a line of railroad which descends from Hamburg through Berlin to Vienna and thence to Constantinople. From here it passes through Asia Minor, where it forks, one branch going down to the Persian Gulf through Bagdad and' the other to Suez and Mecca. Germany secured secret permission from Turkey to build the Bagdad railway. This railway is not yet complete, but it is designed to bring German armies to the frontier of Egypt and eventually to India, where they may threaten the British Empire by land. Germany's railroad to the Persian Gulf would be shorter than England's sea route and would give the Germans the advantage in trade with the East.

But in order to carry out this dream it was necessary for Germany to gain possession of Turkey and the Balkans. Austria is an ally of Germany and is dominated by her. Together they exerted every effort to get the Turks and Bulgars to join them in the war. In fact, we now feel sure that Germany had secret treaties binding these countries to aid her. The object in coveting the Balkans was to get control not only of the land, but of the railroad to Constantinople. Germany also planned to conquer Belgium and extend her rule as far south as Calais or Brest in France so that she might have a port on the English Channel or the Atlantic. Eiga on the Baltic was an Eastern port that she desired.

In short, there seemed to be no limit to the ambition and conceit of this German dream. Perhaps it is only natural for them to feel that their nation and training are superior to all others on earth, but their ambition to encircle the earth and Germanize other countries by sheer force, destroying weaker nations without mercy or excuse, does not meet with the sympathy of the rest of the world.

This scheme of German leaders has long been urged. The war lords have written many books and distributed them among their people urging the extension of their territory. The citizens of Germany are trained to listen to the voice of the ruling class and they were beginning to feel that they had a perfect right to seize the best portions of Europe for themselves.

In many respects we all admit the greatness of Germany and her people. German cities are better GERMAN governed than ours. There is less

ErnciENCY graft and more efficiency in their

methods than in ours. The Germans have reduced many things to a science besides war. They put experts in charge of all their work. They use scientific methods in manufacture and in business. Now

THE KAISER'S DREAM OF WORLD EMPIRE 19

science leads to thoroughness and efficiency and so the Germans excel other peoples in many ways.

But the Germans have come to worship science until they think of nothing else. The questions of right and wrong, peace, and love and sympathy for the weak and helpless — in a word. Christian behavior — is far more to be worshipped than science. "We stand for right, for brotherly love and a square deal, for a chance for every nation to live its life in its own way. Upon all these principles of right Germany has trampled with unheard of cruelty to carry out her ambition based upon ' ' Might makes right. ' ' Against this ambition the world fights, fourteen nations against four.

Chapter III The Story Of The Balkan Countries

In order to understand this war we must also know something of the history of the Balkan countries which occupy the whole of the great peninsula between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea. In this peninsula are now the nations of Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Roumania, Serbia, Montenegro and the two provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which Austria has seized.

The Turks captured Constantinople in 1453 and laid hold upon nearly all of the Balkan countries. This date is an important one in our history, for it was this that closed the trade route of Genoa to the East and finally brought about the discovery of America. The Turks not only seized the Balkans, but they threatened and terrified all western Europe. In time they were checked by European armies, but they placed a heavy yoke upon the Balkan states.

The Turks had only contempt for the people whom they had conquered. They did not try to mould them into a nation, but were satisfied to make them their subjects and exploit them. The Christian peoples were oppressed by the Mohammedan Turks for several hundred years. Their property was taken and their lives also, whenever it suited their Turkish rulers. They bore their ills as best they might, longing for liberation and hating the Turks with a deathless hatred.

In the next two hundred years Turkey steadily

THE STORY OF THE BALKAN COUNTRIES 21

lost ground. Eussia and Austria first despoiled her THE SICK MAN of some of her valuable land. Then or THE EAST ]ier own subjects arose to throw off her galling yoke. The Balkan country has from this time been a knotty problem for all of Europe. It has been clear that the savage Turks were in the end to be driven from Europe and the burning question has been when this should happen who would get possession of her empire and particularly who would control Constantinople and the outlet from the Black Sea, otherwise known as the Dardanelles. This has been spoken of as the Eastern Question and Turkey has for years been known as the ''Sick Man of the East." Many nations of Europe have aspired to control the Dardanelles and to possess Constantinople.

The Serbians first threw off the Turkish rule after a long, hard contest. The Turks were driven out of Serbia, and Belgrade became the capital. Next the Greeks arose against their oppressor and for six years bitterly fought the Turks alone. Then other nations came to the rescue, and Greece became a nation independent of Turkey in 1829.

In 1853 Russia started to drive the Turks from Europe, but England and France, to their shame, THE CRIMEAN Came to the aid of Turkey. England W-^^ did this because she feared with Rus-

sia in control of Constantinople, England's route to the east through the Suez Canal would be in peril. France had a grudge against Russia for defeating Napoleon years before, so she stooped with England to help the cruel Turks. This war was known as the Crimean War. It did not solve the Eastern question, for Turkey was left in possession of the Dardanelles and Russia was defeated. The Sultan

22 STOEY OF THE WOKLD WAR

of Turkey promised better treatment of his Christian subjects if he were allowed to keep his territory. He did not keep his promise, however, but treated them even worse than before.