The Unworldly Kaiserin as the Protectress of the Fatherless
The newspapers of May have a somewhat calmer tone than those of March and April. “There is, to be sure,” writes the Tag, “danger for peace in the possibility that the anti-German tendency in Russia may prove so strong that the government will not be able to check it. Another danger lies in the relations of Russia and Austria. … Although there is much talk to the effect that we shall once more be compelled to fight for our national existence, it is not absolutely necessary that such a war shall come.” On the other hand, Admiral Breusing, in the Tägliche Rundschau of May the seventh, writes: “The striving of the Slavic and Mongolian races to extend their power and possessions will surely lead to an encounter with the German race.” The Rheinisch-Westphälische Zeitung declares of France that “public sentiment in military and political circles has long gone over from the defensive to the offensive. Apparently the aim is to create a situation where Germany will have to choose between receding or attacking.” The Dresdener Anzeiger, too, thinks that the “relations between Germany and France give the key to the grouping of the European powers,” and the Berliner Tageblatt says, “The future and salvation of Europe and its culture lies solely in a German-French-English rapprochement; that alone will guarantee the world-peace.” Toward the end of the month the Dresdener Anzeiger writes: “The German-Russian relations have latterly taken a remarkable change for the worse. Certainly the nationalistic elements in Russia are once more conspicuously active. … Should the whole mass of the Russian people once become conscious of its nationality the world will see the most mighty movement both as regards extent and elemental intensity. … For Russia, Pan-Slavism is the idea of the Russian leadership over all Slavs.”
Princess Victoria Louise, the Emperor’s Only Daughter
Already in May, more than two months before there is a sign that the conflict is at hand, doubts begin to be expressed whether Italy’s alliance would be of any value in case of war. The Berlin Neueste Nachrichten has to acknowledge that as far as Austria is concerned the alliance is “more a matter of the intellect than of the heart;” while the Rheinisch-Westphälische Zeitung reports on May twelve that “in more than ten years such a senseless agitation against Austria has not been seen in Italy. … The Italian government is by no means master of the difficult situation in which it is placed by the demonstrations of protest against Austria-Hungary. … Were war to break out to-day the easily excited Italian people would compel any government of theirs, however friendly to the Triple Alliance, to declare against Austria-Hungary.”
The nearer we approach to the crisis the more serious is the situation regarded by the better newspapers. The Neue Preussische Zeitung in June tells of the surprising spirit of sacrifice there is in France and of the quiet efforts that are being made to strengthen the army: “If the revenge cries have almost ceased that does not in the least mean that the idea has been given up; on the contrary, they already reckon on the war as on a sure thing.” Of the Russian military preparations, the Vienna Neue Freie Presse writes on June twelve: “About two months ago it became known that Russia had set aside two hundred sixteen million kronen (a krone is about a franc) for military exercises and especially for a ‘mobilization.’ The great amount of this sum will be realized when one remembers that Austria spends about ten millions for all of its military exercises put together. Under the harmless title of ‘trial-mobilization’ and the still more harmless one of ‘exercises for the reserves’ Russia, then, for a period of six weeks, is placing its giant army practically on a war-footing. Think of 1,800,000 men holding military exercises at a time when Austria has 200,000, Germany from 300,000 to 400,000 trained men at her immediate disposal! Whether it be intentional or not this implies so imminent a threat that the neighbors will need the greatest ‘cold-bloodedness’ to allow these ‘military exercises’ to pass without friction. These exercises signify the most colossal endangering of the peace that was ever attempted under the form of a periodically recurring measure of organization, and it would not be surprising if all those who long for a peaceful turn of political affairs were to be completely embittered…. To add to this dark aspect comes the relatively enormous credit demanded by the Servian military administration—123,000,000. It is as much in proportion as though Austria were to demand a billion and a half. Since 1908 Servia has been arming uninterruptedly, and now again spends this sum on military purposes the tendency of which practically amounts to a direct threatening of her neighbors.” The Hallesche Zeitung on the twenty-third of June discusses the various alliances: “Originally the Russian-French alliance was a military convention, in the last few months there has been added a naval agreement. It is desired to enter with united forces into the great decisive struggle for the division of the world. Russia wants elbow-room as far as the North Atlantic Ocean and the Southern Baltic, besides free entry into the Mediterranean.”
I have quoted all these newspaper extracts because they seem to me absolutely indicative of the sentiment that prevailed in Germany just before the war broke out, whether that sentiment be based on correct impressions or not. We have the Russian side of it in an article written by Professor Maxim Kowaleski, for the Frankfurter Zeitung: “In Russia people believe that Germany and Austria are arming against Russia, in Germany and Austria they take for granted that the opposite is the case.”
To the unprejudiced observer it looks very much as though Servia, thinking her hour had come and feeling sure of Russia’s support, had instigated the murder of the heir to the Austrian throne with the deliberate intention of starting a great conflagration. The preliminary inquiry into the matter, which was carried on very deliberately by Austria, with no sensational charges or accusations, revealed a great plot reaching to the very steps of the Servian throne. Around that throne, as the world well knows, were the men who had deliberately murdered their own previous king and queen and who had been rewarded with high positions for their share in that dark transaction. It was proved to Austria’s satisfaction—and she had so much to lose by a war of aggression that no ulterior motive could have influenced her—that the royal Servian arsenal had provided the weapons of death and that a high official in the army had been directly concerned. Servia’s attitude during the preliminary investigation had been provocative. Then Austria hurled her ultimatum.
