New York Times Current History: The European War from the Beginning to March 1915, Vol 1, No. 2 - Who Began the War, and Why?

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• Publié par: dizuh
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 35
• Langue: English

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The Project Gutenberg EBook of New York Times Current History: The European War from the Beginning to March 1915, Vol 1, No. 2, by Various This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: New York Times Current History: The European War from the Beginning to March 1915, Vol 1, No. 2 Who Began the War, and Why? Author: Various Release Date: July 19, 2005 [EBook #16331] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NEW YORK TIMES CURRENT *** Produced by Juliet Sutherland, David Gundry and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Transcriber's Note: Table of Contents and List of Illustrations have been compiled by the transcriber. Current History: The European War. From the Beginning to March 1915. "Who Began the War, and Why?" Published by the New York Times. TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER PageNo WHO BEGAN THE WAR, AND WHY? THE CASE FOR GERMANY 209 Speeches by Kaiser Wilhelm II. FORGIVES ENEMIES. SPEECH FROM THE THRONE. TO THE GERMAN ARMY AND NAVY. "TO THE LAST BREATH OF MAN AND HORSE." TO GERMAN WOMEN. JOY IN GLORIOUS VICTORY. FIRST SUCCESSFUL BATTLE. A PRAYER FOR VICTORY. "UP AND AT THE FOES." ON VICTORY NEAR METZ. THE SPIRIT OF THE MEN. HIS INDISCRETION WAS "CALCULATED." WILHELM II.'S LETTER TO LORD TWEEDMOUTH. 209 210 210 211 212 211 212 212 212 212 213 213 213 216 The Mighty Fate of Europe "YOUR HEARTS FOR GOD, YOUR FISTS ON THE ENEMY." AS ONE MAN FOR THE KAISER. DECLARES FOR WAR. STATEMENT TO AMERICA. GERMANY'S ARMAMENTS. 219 219 219 219 222 223 Austria-Hungary's Version of the War MANIFESTO. DECLARATION OF WAR. "DAYS OF WORLD'S HISTORY." WILL OF WILHELM II. THAT SWUNG THE SWORD. A PURELY DEFENSIVE WAR. A DISCORDANT NOTE. 225 226 226 226 226 227 227 A German Review of the Evidence I. THE RUSSIAN MOBILIZATION II. GREY'S OMISSIONS AND ERRORS III. THE AGREEMENT WITH FRANCE IV. BELGIAN NEUTRALITY 228 229 233 239 242 "Truth About Germany" HOW THE WAR CAME ABOUT. REICHSTAG AND EMPEROR. THE GERMAN MOBILIZATION. ARMY AND NAVY. THE ATTITUDES OF GERMANY'S ENEMIES. LIES ABOUT GERMANY. GERMANY AND THE FOREIGNER. COMMERCE AND TRADE RELATIONS WHO IS TO BE VICTORIOUS? 244 247 251 253 255 260 263 267 269 271 Speculations About Peace, September, 1914 Report to President Wilson. WHO BEGAN THE WAR, AND WHY? CASE FOR THE TRIPLE ENTENTE FIRST WARNINGS OF EUROPE'S PERIL. Speeches by British Ministers. "A CLOUD OVER EUROPE." AUSTRO-SERVIAN CRISIS. A GRAVE SITUATION. RISK OF A CATASTROPHE. OPPOSITION CONCURS. PEACE THE GREAT OBJECT. RUSSIA'S MOBILIZATION. THE GERMAN INVASION. PEACE OF EUROPE CANNOT BE PRESERVED. Sir Edward Grey's Speech in the House of Commons Aug. 3. GERMANY AND BELGIUM. UNHESITATING SUPPORT. CHANGED IRISH FEELING. GREAT BRITAIN'S ULTIMATUM TO GERMANY. PENETRATION OF BELGIAN TERRITORY. 273 276 276 277 278 278 279 279 279 280 280 282 290 291 291 292 293 Great Britain's Mobilization KING TO BRITAIN'S FLEET. NAPOLEONISM ONCE AGAIN. PACT OF TRIPLE ENTENTE. A COUNTERSTROKE. IMPERIAL MESSAGE TO THE BRITISH DOMINIONS. 438,000 MEN RECRUITED. EARL KITCHENER'S SPEECH ON RECRUITS PARLIAMENT PROROGUED. 294 294 295 297 298 298 299 304 307 Summons of the Nation to Arms PRIME MINISTER'S LETTER. MR. ASQUITH IN LONDON. GERMANY SPEAKS. GREAT BRITAIN REPLIES. MR. ASQUITH AT EDINBURGH. MR. ASQUITH AT DUBLIN. MR. ASQUITH AT CARDIFF. LORD CURZON'S EXPERIENCE. NOW THE WAR HAS COME. THE GREAT WAR. 308 309 309 314 314 316 320 325 329 331 336 Teachings of Gen. von Bernhardi Entrance of France Into War NEUTRALIZED STATE RESPECTED. THE NATION IN ARMS. POSITION OF THE REPUBLIC. BEFORE THE MARNE BATTLE. 343 350 350 351 351 357 Russia to Her Enemy Slav Emperor Announces New Policies. A MANIFESTO. CZAR AT THE KREMLIN. APPEAL TO THE POLES. THE POLISH RESPONSE. 358 358 359 359 359 NO ALLIANCE WITH GERMANY POLISH AMERICAN OPINION. RUSSIA AGAINST GERMANY. DUMA'S MESSAGE TO BRITAIN. NEW POLICY AND THE JEWS. WAR ON GERMAN TRADE. FOE TO GERMAN MILITARISM. NOT A QUESTION OF SLAV PREDOMINANCE. RUSSIA'S "LITTLE BROTHER." 360 360 361 361 361 362 363 363 365 "The Facts About Belgium" Belgo-British Plot Alleged by Germany GREAT BRITAIN'S DENIAL. REPLY TO GREAT BRITAIN. GRAY BOOK'S TESTIMONY. BELGIUM'S ANSWER. 365 369 370 371 371 372 WHO BEGAN THE WAR, AND WHY? Atrocities of the War THE POPE'S DYING WORDS. GERMAN KAISER'S PROTEST. REPLY TO THE KAISER. CHARGE AGAINST GERMANY. M. DELCASSE'S NOTE. THE BELGIAN MISSION. M. DE WIART'S ADDRESS. PRESIDENT WILSON'S REPLY. OFFICIAL SUMMARY. Belgian Royal Commission Report presented to President Wilson at Washington, Sept. 16. I. Acts at Linsmeau and Orsmael. II. Report on Aerschot. III. Destruction of Louvain. FURTHER REPORTS. A SUPPLEMENT. "NOT A WORD OF TRUTH." GERMANY'S VERSIONS. 374 374 374 375 375 376 376 376 377 378 378 379 381 385 385 388 388 LOUVAIN'S ART TREASURES. 390 Bombardment of Rheims Cathedral POPE BENEDICT SILENT. ATTACK NOT WILLFUL. "SPARE THE CATHEDRAL." THE FRENCH ARE BLAMED THE DAMAGE DONE. 392 392 392 392 393 393 WHO BEGAN THE WAR, AND WHY? The Socialists' Part HOW INTERNATIONAL SOCIALISTS ARMED AGAINST EACH OTHER. "ENVOY OF MY PARTY." MINISTER JULES GUESDE. "REVOLUTION!" COMPOSURE IS NECESSARY. PRESSURE FOR PEACE. HUGO HAASE AT BRUSSELS. HAASE IN THE REICHSTAG. GERMAN SOCIALISTS DIVIDED. SOCIALISTS STILL GERMANS. "CRITIQUE OF WEAPONS." SOCIALISTS OF ITALY FIRM. BRITISH MANIFESTO. KEIR HARDIE'S QUESTIONS. REPLY TO MINISTER GREY. MR. MACDONALD REPENTS. 397 397 398 398 399 400 401 401 401 402 402 405 408 409 410 411 411 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. WILHELM II. AUGUSTA VICTORIA T. VON BETHMANN-HOLLWEG COUNT LEOPOLD BERCHTOLD. SIR EDWARD GREY W.L. SPENCER CHURCHILL RENE VIVIANI STATE COUNCILLOR SAZONOF HIS HOLINESS THE LATE POPE PIUS X. WOODROW WILSON ALBERT KING OF THE BELGIANS CARTON DE WIART PHILIPP SCHEIDEMANN JULES GUESDE EMIL VAN DER VELDE KEIR HARDIE M.P. WHO BEGAN THE WAR, AND WHY? THE CASE FOR GERMANY [Pg 209] SPEECHES BY KAISER WILHELM II. From the Balcony of the Palace, Berlin, July 31, 1914. A fateful hour has fallen for Germany. Envious peoples everywhere are compelling us to our just defense. The sword is being forced into our hand. I hope that if my efforts at the last hour do not succeed in bringing our opponents to see eye to eye with us and in maintaining peace we shall with God's help so wield the sword that we shall restore it to its sheath again with honor. War would demand enormous sacrifices of blood and property from the German people, but we should show our enemies what it means to provoke Germany. And now I commend you to God. Go to church. Kneel down before God and pray for His help for our gallant Army. FORGIVES ENEMIES. [Pg 210] Kaiser Wilhelm's Speech from the Balcony of the Palace, Berlin, Aug. 2. I thank you for the love and loyalty shown me. When I enter upon a fight let all party strife cease. We are German brothers and nothing else. All parties have attacked me in times of peace. I forgive them with all my heart. I hope and wish that the good German sword will emerge victorious in the right. SPEECH FROM THE THRONE. Kaiser Wilhelm II., Opening Special Session of the Reichstag in White Room of the Royal Palace, Berlin, Aug. 4. Honored Sirs: It is in an hour fraught with fate that I have assembled about me all the representatives of the German people. For almost half a century we have been able to keep to the path of peace. The attempts to attribute a warlike temperament to Germany and to circumscribe its position in the world have often put to severe tests the patience of our people. With unswerving honesty, my Government, even in provoking circumstances, has pursued as its highest aim the development of all moral, spiritual, and economic powers. The world has been witness how tirelessly we strove in the first rank during the pressure and confusion of the last few years to spare the nations of Europe a war between the great powers. The very grave dangers which had arisen owing to the events WILHELM II., German Emperor. in the Balkans appeared to (Photo from Charles E. Ritzmann.) have been overcome, but then the murder of my friend, the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, opened up a great abyss. My high ally, the Emperor and King Francis Joseph, was compelled to take up arms to defend the security of his empire against dangerous intrigues from a neighboring State. In the pursuit of her proper interests the Dual Monarchy has found her path obstructed by the Russian Empire. Not only our duty as an ally calls us to the side of Austria-Hungary, but on us falls also the mighty task of defending the ancient community of culture of the two kingdoms and our own position in the world against the attack of hostile powers. With a heavy heart I have been compelled to mobilize my army against a neighbor with whom it has fought side by side on so many fields of battle. With sincere sorrow I saw a friendship broken of which Germany had given faithful proofs. The Imperial Russian Government, yielding to the pressure of an insatiable nationalism, has taken sides with a State which by encouraging criminal attacks has brought on the evil of this war. That France, also, placed herself on the side of our enemies could not surprise us. Too often have our efforts to arrive at friendlier relations with the French Republic come in collision with old hopes and ancient malice. Honored Sirs: What human insight and power could do to arm a people against the last extremities has been done with your patriotic help. The hostility which has been smouldering for a long time in the East and in the West has now burst into bright flames. The presen