Karen’s View of History -
World War I - continued
Europe prior to World War I
was a hodgepodge of Kings - and many were descendants of Queen Victoria of
England.
Tsar Nicholas of Russia was
married to Princess Alix (a granddaughter of Queen Victoria); Kaiser Wilhelm of
Germany - a grandson of Queen Victoria.
The article stated:
“Luckily, she (Queen Victoria) had plenty of family members with which to do
it. Victoria had nine children and 42 grandchildren. Eventually, seven of them
sat on European thrones in Russia, Greece, Romania, Britain, Germany, Spain and
Norway”
But these cousins didn’t
get along well.
Then, there were alliances.
“A number of alliances
involving European powers, the Ottoman Empire, Russia and other parties had
existed for years, but political instability in the Balkans (particularly
Bosnia, Serbia and Herzegovina) threatened to destroy these agreements.”
“The spark that ignited
World War I was struck in Sarajevo, Bosnia, where Archduke Franz Ferdinand—heir
to the Austro-Hungarian Empire—was shot to death along with his wife, Sophie,
by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914. Princip and other
nationalists were struggling to end Austro-Hungarian rule over Bosnia and
Herzegovina.”
Serbia was part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, but Russia had interest in the Balkan states.
Balkan states under Austro-Hungarian Empire could block Russian access from the
Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, Russia was opposed to
Austrian aims in Serbia. And being opposed to Austrian aims also
translated into Austria being opposed to Russia, and Germany as an ally of
Austria was therefore an enemy of Russia!!!
And each side thought they
were justified with fighting. France was mad at Germany for taking
Alsace-Lorraine in a previous fight. Britain wanted to remain the most
powerful over the seas.
So, Germany and Austria
wanted to stop nationalism (and the desire for a Serbian state); Russia didn’t
want Austria and Germany to come too close to Russia. France was allied
with Russia. And it was a big mess.
Seemingly each side thought
they could win a war - some even predicted that they would have victory in only
a few months.
And … who fought in the
war? Generally, the commoners - especially in Russia - where commoners
were (generally) treated like peons and slaves.
*****
So, an assassination in
Serbia of the (supposed) heir to the Austria-Hungary led Austria to demand
retribution (aka “revenge”) on the Serbians, which was harsher than expected,
caused millions of men to be killed, and millions of dollars spent - and ultimately
lead to another harsh penalty on Germany, which eventually lead to terrible
inflation in Germany - which was somehow related to the Jews, which led to
Hitler and World War II.
*****
How about a scriptural
perspective on this? From Romans chapter 12
“Do
not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of
everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at
peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but
leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will
repay,” says the Lord.
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is
thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning
coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil
with good.”
There were no winners in World War I – but – IT HAD TO
HAPPEN!!! (That is written by a person
who is both a Pollyanna, and a bit of a pacifist). The entire world changed, common people and
women got the right to vote. Kings and
nobility became more of a historical factor and not (generally) important
today.
Is our world loving and forgiving today? Are all people free? Are women, Jews, Blacks, and other minorities
better off today? I think so!! Is it
perfect? Not yet!! Will it ever be
perfect? Nope!!!
Love one another is still a foreign concept to much of
the world. But, like the second time
Pandora opened her box, there is HOPE!!!
Hugs!!
Karen
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