The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-12-29
Governments Of Many Nations Changed
AS Liberating Armies Advanced in 1914
Common People Get
Chance to Establish
Democratic States

Governmental changes that
shared world Importance with
the war news marked the year
1914. Iceland became a repub-
lie; five Soviet Socialist repub-
lies again took their places in the
u. S. S. r.; four Nazi-shackled
countries were liberated; and
three Axis satellites deserted. A
year-end bulletin from the Ma
tional Geographic society re-
views these momentous events.
On June II Iceland became a
modern republic. On that day the
Althing-an 11-centuries-old legisla-
tive body sometimes called the
Grandmother of Parliaments"-
elected the nations former regent,
Sveinn Bjornsson, president. In a
national election held in May the
people had voted to dissolve their
union with Denmark.
First settled in 874 and organized
as republic Sc years later, Iceland
was Independent until 1868 when it
joined with Norway. Both Iceland
and Norway came under Danish
rule in 1881. Norway was sepa-
rated from Denmark by cession to
Sweden in 1914, and the two coun-
tries formed union which lasted
until 1905 when the union was end
ed by mutual agreement. Iceland
ers had long agitated for independ-
ence, but it was not realized until
1918. Iceland was then recognized
as a separate kingdom with unlim-
tied sovereignty.
Germany tried in prewar years to
get control of this strategic North
Atlantic island by establishing COM
mercial routes. British forces were
stationed on the island shortly after
the beginning Of World War II. They
were replaced in 1871 by American
units.
Re-enter U.S.S.R.
Five other republics, $500 miles
or more to the east, resumed their
prewar status. Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania, freed from Nazi occupa-
ton, again became a part of the
Soviet Union as Estonian, Latvian,
and Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Re-
publics. All three had first entered
the Union in 1910.
The Karelo-Finnish Republic, far
Their to the north, was the fourth to
be added to the Soviet family. It
also had first entered. the Union in
1910. It's border city of Viipuri
guards the western approach to the
city of Leningrad. Russia's new
Arctic port of Pecheng (Petsamol,
acquired from Finland in Septem-
Der, extended Russian boundaries
westward to Norway.
The fifth state restored to Russia
in 1914 is the Moldavian Soviet So
cialist Republic, a slice of territory
lying between the Ukrainian Repub-
lie and Romania. Once known as
Bessarabia, this area has expert
enced a round Of governmental
changes. Before World War I it was
Russian ground; from 1918 to 1910
it belonged to Romania. It was
turned back to Russia in 1910 and
set up as a republic of the Union,
only to be reoccupied by Romania
the next year.
To four German dominated ma
lions - France, Belgium, Luxem-
bourg and Characterization came
toward the close of the year.
France, whose liberation was her.
aided by Allied landings on the Nor
mandy coast, June 6, was almost
completely free by the middle of
September.
General Charles de Gaulle's Com
mittee of National Liberation was
recognized on October % by the U.
S. state department as the de facto
government of France. On Septem-
Der 81 President Roosevelt appoint