Evening star., 1915-04-05
EUROPE IN APRIL, 1875,
AND EUROPE OF TODAY
Making Over a Map Was in Progress
Then, as It Is
Now.
Return Of Napoleon From Elba Has.
tened Congress Of Vienna in
Reaching Agreement.


war;" says a statement issued by tho
National Geographic Society. at is in
teresting to contrast tho Europe Of
April I. 1915, with the Europe of April
1. 1915. Then Europe was at war just
as 1t is now. Then one great nation
was standing Off host Of allies just as
today the brunt of the present war
falls on one great power against
field of allies. The same five great
European nations that are at war now
were fighting then. Only the lineup
was different.
Then, it was Europe-Great Britain,
Prussia, Austria and Russia-against
France and Napoleon. Then, as now,
the vast armies Of the allies were max
ing ready for a spring campaign of in
vasion. and, much as is the case today.
the fields within present Belgium were
first choice for a war theater. More
over. century Of politics and diplo-
macy have made little change in the
questions about which wars are waged
in Europe. One important difference
was that the Europe of April 1, 1915,
mad about progressed. through score
of years of trouble, to a state of dis
satisfied, peaceful exhaustion.
Ended at Waterloo.
Napoleon made his Waterloo cam
paign In the spring Of 1915. and by
July IS it had been decided in the ia
vor of the allies. During the great
emperor's Punishment to Elba the pow
ers that had brought about his abdica-
ton and in whose hands the settlement
or Europe's troubles lay. placed the
work of reorganizing boundaries, the
remaking of the map. before a con-
gress. which was called at Vienna in
September, 1914. The efforts of this
moves for impossible bargains, and its
deliberations had almost resulted in
war among the bargainers, when Napo-
leon returned from Elba, and began his
march on Paris, March l. 1915. Thus
stimulated, the congress FASTENED with
its task. and. by June 9. the final act,
embodying the treaties of Vienna, was
signed.
The map of Europe. April |. 1915.
then, was as indeterminate q thing as
is that map today. France had been
crowded back within the borders of
Roman Gaul Her boundaries were the
Pyrenees in the south. Piedmont Savoy,
Switzerland and Baden on the west, and
the Netherlands and Prussia on the
northeast. 1t was the France OF Louis
XIV, the France Of before the revolu-
ton; and 1t had lost the Netherlands. a
great section Of central Germany, and
d SlTlp OIL COdStdl GeIWdNy, winch Nd-
poleon had included In the empire. But
April 1 the little corporal was plan
ming to defeat the armies Of England,
Prussia, Russia and Austria in detail,
and to re-establish his imperial France.
New German Confederation.
While the. congress in Vienna had
not reached final action in its work, the
boundaries of the new German con-
federation had practically been decided.
The new confederation included all of
German Europe, with the exclusion of
the Netherlands and Denmark. Aus
tria was given the presidency Of the
federal diet. The former grand duchy
Of Warsaw was made constitutional
kingdom under the Russian crown. and
the congress confirmed Russia's pos
session of Finland, which 1t had con-
quered from Sweden in 1903 Swedish
Pomerania was ceded to Prussia. The
modern German empire. with the ex-
clusion of Austria and the addition of
the province of Schleswtg. German Po-
the boundaries placed by the Vienna
congress to the German confederation.
Thus the tentative rearrangementa
of post-Napoleon Europe stood
through April, while the emperor of
the French was feveishly engaged In
which to meet his enveloping enemies.
1t was only by his remarkable enter
prise that he was able to get together
army of 100000 by June l. In the
meantime, an Austrian army of 21O,-
600 had been assembled upon the Rhine
frontier, and n Russian army OF $780,
900 was moving up to cooperate with
the Austrians. Another Austrian force
menaced from the southeast, and the
Prussian and English armies were
concentrated in Belgium. Napoleon be-
gan his final strategic moves June s.
Unification Of Like Peoples.
Since the overthrow Of Napoleon
and the work of the congress of
Vienna, the changes in Europe have
been those making toward the unifca-
tion Of like peoples. thus the two great
changes were the establishment of the
German empire and of the kingdom of
Italy. Italy was formed by the con-
gross of Vienna as crazy quilt of
small states, largely under the domi-
nance of Austria. France found her
self within her historic boundaries.
with the excitable unquiet OF demo-
cratic leaven. Russia emerged as an
equal member OF the European con-
cert of powers, and Great Britain be-
gan her career as the undtsputed mis-
tress Of the seas
turkey, having kept her hand out
Of the international pie. got through
with a whole hide, although Russia
sought to have the Turkish question
brought before the congress. Holland
was confirmed in the possession OF
belgium, and Sweden was compensated
yor bar loss of Finland by having Nor