Evening star., 1945-12-23
Peace Moves Parallel 1915 Effort
History Repeats Powers Follow Course Vcors Alter Defeat
of Napoleon With Small Nations Serving Pawns

AS Foreign Ministers Of the Big Three
powers meet In Moscow to discuss the
problems of wsr-torn Europe and block
out plans for a final peace settlement,
observers with historical bent are i'm
pressed with the striking parallel pre-
sented by the continental situation today
and that which followed the Napoleonic
wars of more than century ago. This
is particularly true of Russias role.
Differences there are, to be sure. For
instance, America then was on the
periphery of world affairs and was
negligible factor in the settlement of
1915. Nor, save for the Oriental colonies
of France which Great Britain obtained,
did the Far East figure in the thoughts
of European Statesmen as much as it
does today.
But if France be substituted for Ger
many in the picture, the stage setting
and policies of the European nations
when an attempt was made to restore
peace after the Napoleonic wars is al
most facsimile of that today, following
the defeat of Hitler.
One striking parallel can be seen in
the relations between the two most pow
erful figures on the European stage in
each era-then. Napoleon and Gear
Alexander I of Russia; in the late war,
Hitler and Generalissimo Stain.
Blockade Wrecks Accord.
In 1907 Napoleon, flushed with a series
of early victories in Western Europe, met
with Gar Alexander on raft at Tilset
and agreed to divide the continent into
French and Russian spheres of influence.
Within half decade, however. this ac-
cord was wrecked on the rocks of the
French Emperor's continental blockade
policy, under which Russia was cut off
from all imports from Britain, then the
leading manufacturing nation of Europe.
In like manner, it will be recalled,
it was the Stalin- Hitler nonaggression
pact of August, 1899 which led to the
Fuehrer's belief that he had free hand
in the west and also to the military par
tition of Poland and Soviet occupation
of the Baltic states.
Like Hitler Napoleon committed his
irretrievable mistake by invading Russia
in 1912 and losing the spearhead of his
military power on the vast icy plains of
that country. Napoleon fought for
nearly two years longer. just as the
Fuehrer did after beginning his long
trek back from Moscow and Stalingrad.
But the basic power of each had been
shattered by his Russian adventure.
Alexander Called Savior.
At the end of the Napoleonic wars. the
Little Corporal was sent to st. Helena
ana completely removed from the Euro
pean scene just as the German corporal
was removed-by death, supposedly.
Alexander I, liberal in his younger
days, was hailed as the saviour of
Europe" just as Generalissimo Stain
has been among many Europeans since
the fall of Germany. Russia, with
standing Army of 100000 men was the
dominant military power of Europe
following the fall of Napoleon, exercis-
ing corresponding diplomatic in
f1uence, just as the Soviet Union, with
an army of unknown millions. is today
Then, as in the late war, there had
been remarkable cohesion among the
Allies-Russia, Britain Prussia and Aus
tria-so long as the beast of Paris"
remained a menace Then, as now, the
removal of the man who had wanted to
dominate all Europe was followed short
ly by dissention and pickering and an
immediate scramble for territory and
power.
The parallel can be carried even
further with respect to specific Russian
ambitions. Russia demanded-and re-
ceived-the great bulk of Poland, then
known as the Dutchy of Warsaw, not to