The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-08-20
THE FORCES BEHIND THE EURO.
PEAN CONFLICT

SHIN NOINT IN
The nations of Europe, after ten
years increase of ornaments have
clashed in the greatest struggle since
the days of Napoleon. With modern
ornaments and the larger populations
of the Europe of today, this war
promises TO be the greatest that the
world has yet seen, an im~measurable
calamity and a retrogade step in
civilization. The ostensible cause of
the present conflict was the assassina-
ton of the Archduke Francis Ferdin-
and OF Austria and his wife at Sara
jevo on June p by a Servian youth.
Austria seized the occasion I o attack
Servla. Russia, a Servian Big Brother,
determined to support Servia against
Austria and ordered a partial mobiliza-
ton of her army. Germany demanded
of Russia that the latter cease mobil-
izing. Russia replied by ordering the
complete mobilization of her army.
Germany, regarding this action by
Russia as a threat against herself de
clared war upon that country August
/. Thus was started the great conflict
which soon involved France, Great
Britain and Belgium in it's scope and
has caused practically every nation of
Europe to place its army upon a war
footing.
The issues involved in the present
conflict are only specifically simple.
Europe is confronted with ~dynastic
ambitions, racial entanglements and
commercial rivalries that are be-
wilderingly complex, The so-called
balance of power" came into exist
ence only after a group of strong ma
tional states had emerged out of the
disruption and confusion of feudal
Europe. Wrests upon the pernicious
theory that the pronounced prosperity
and growth of one nation was an in
jury to others, The European balance
of power may be likened to a pyramid
poised upon its apex and propped up
by a series of intricate alliances and
~ententes such as now enmesh Europe.
These arrangements are often secret
and the peoples of the nations con
cerned may be and are called to sup.
rA-+ I1,N Yr;tI thAfr 1txrnc without
knowing the terms of the agreements
to which they have been pledged. The
rise of new great powers, such as the
Prussia of Frederick the Great, mod
ern Germany and modern Japan was
accompanied by great armed conflicts
with one or more of the great EurOp
can nations and a consequent rear
rangement of alliances and ententes
The triple alliance was entered into by
Germany and Austria because both OF
these nations had incurred the i'll vii
of Russia when the congress of Berlin
in 1873 tore up the treaty of San
Stefano and deprived Russia of most
of the fruits of her wal against Turkey
in 1877, while France was the i'm
placable foe of Germany because OF
the loss of Alsace-Loraine in the war
of 1901. Italy entered the alliance
because she felt hat her position as a
Mediterranean power was menaced by
France. The dual alliance of France
and Russia was formed counter to the
triple alliance. France needed the
| support of Russia's great army, while
Russia needed French gold. England
entered into a good understanding
with France and Russia a few years
since-because of the German deter
mination to build a colossal navy,
which England regarded as a chal'
lenge to her sea power. England and
Japan are also allies for the defense
of their Asiatic interests against at
tack by a third power. This alliance
served Japan we'll in her war with
Russia, and may prove useful to Eng
land in the present conflict. Italy is al
present a lukewarm member of the
triple alliance. Her interests and
those of France no longer clash. She
has wrested from Turkey a section OF
North Africa-which satisfies her am
bitions in that quarter, while her in
~terests and those of Austria run coun
Ter to each other along the eastern
coast of the Adriatic. Italy is attempt
ing to maintain her neutrality.
The eastern question is involved in
the present conflict. This question
which involves the disposition of the
Turkish possessions in Europe, has