Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-01-25

TIME actual putting into opera
ton of the peace of Paris. to
combine the several agreements
of Versailles. ST. Germain and
Neuilly under the name they will
doubtless Observation-Disclosures the
date of that application of the terms
Of peace, January 10. 1920, mark one
of the great historic moments of mod
ern history.
A new Europe has emerged. how
ever shadowy in form as yet. from
the world war, which officially ends
with the first month of 1920. Now in
the examination of this new Europe
it is essential first of all to COM
pare the present situation with that
of the continent at the moment when
the recent war broke-that is. on
August !. 1914.
At that date Europe was divided
approximately evenly between two
great groups of states. which were
themselves nations with long tradi-
tions and well defined policies. France,
Russia and Great Britain confronted
Germany, Austria and Italy. But the
adherence of the British to the
Fra Russian group was more or
less subject to a national or at least
a parliamentary referendum, before
war could be declared. while the as
ISOLATION of Italy with the Austro-
German group was based on a positive
alliance, but only for defense.
Resulted From Germnny's Rise.
This grouping of powers had result
cd from the rapid rise of Germany to
continental domination in the years
between 1870 and 1914. that is. be-
tween the Franco-Prussian war and
| the world war The association of
France. Britain and Russia was due TO
| the conflict between German pur-
poses and the policies of the three
nations. In annexing Alsace-Lorraine
in 1871. Germany had made a perma-
nent enemy of France, in joining Aus
tria in barring German pathway to
| the Balkans. to Constantinople. Ger
many had driven Russia into the OPP
posing camp. while the challenge to
| Britain on the sea had led the British
| to their historic course of Intervention
| on the continent. as the French, under
Louis xiv and Napoleon. had provok-
| ed similar intermixture.
| BY contrast, Austria despite heI
defeats of 1866. had been drawn into
| the German orbit by fear of Russia
and by the ever growing menace OF
pan-Slavism. acting upon her OWL
Slavic millions. Italy had been ma
neuvered into a similar relation by
the cleverness of Bismarck in making
use of French occupation of Tunis in
/, 1881, which closed to Italy a prom
| Used land of colonial expansion and
Mediterranean power.
| In the early years of the triple al
| lance. when it was faced by the
Franco-Russian alliance. which was
tmanifestly peaceful in character, the
groupings of powers had contributed
to the preservation of peace. Blu,
more and more the Germans perceived
that while their own rise and de.
!velopment had been more rapid thar
the Russian. their future was still du.
bious. il Russia remained united and
was able to draw to her vast camI
the smaller Slav races of Austria and
the Balkans
Germany Rfsked World War.
In the years from 1905 to 1914, a
full decade, therefore, we had a Sc
ries of incidents. clashes between al
in the Balkans. which resulted most
unfavorab1y to the triple alliance
| brought Britain into line with France
and Russia, weakened Italy's adher-
1 ence to the triple alliance and COM
promised the existence of Austria. BY
1913, at the end of the second Balkan
| war. the Germans saw clearly that
| unless a successful war could change
the situation in their favor Austria
| would be destroyed. the states aris-
ing on the ruins would be hostile
to Germany and Germany would be
| hor cd hu ho ich hn 4
| by the Russians on land, would in
| the next half century sink to the rank
| of q second class state. as contrasted
| with Britain, Russia and the United
States.
In that situa ton Germany risked the
world war. believing that for the
moment military superiority was hers
and victory would enable her to erect
her own system in Europe and de-
| stroy the Slavic menace by divid-
STA a revolution which would put
Russia out of the world game for
| many years to come.
| Germany's calculations. correct in
the main, were upset by misunder-
standing of British policy at the out
States in the final phase. Owing to
| these two circumstances, coupled with
an underestimate of the fighting ca
! pacity of France, Germany lost the
| war, although she did achleve the
| ruin of Russia and came within an
| ace of winning the struggle before
the United States arrived.
Indicated German Policy.
Put in the first weeks of 1918. whe n
| the Germans believed that they had
won the war. the treaty of Brest
I.itoysk. followed by the treaty OF
bucharest. clearly indicated what the
German policy was and created IN
i hof
of states and races of central Europe,