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Show TWENTY YEARS AGO. Following the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand, heir presump-j tive to the throne of Austria-Hungary, on June 28, 1914, the stage was I speedily set for the great war, which: formally began by Austria's declara- j tion of war on Servia exactly onej month later, on July 28th. Other declarations of war followed follow-ed with dramatic swiftness: Germany against Russia, August 1; Germany j against France, Belgium and Eng-j land, August 4. Thus by August 4 all hope of averting a general European war had vanished, and in a few months Germany, Austria, Turkey and Bulgaria (known thereafter as the Central Powers) faced practically all the rest of Europe (designated as the Allies). j With the entry of the United States and most of the countries of the west-em west-em hemisphere into the war on the side of the allies in 1917, no less than 23 nations were arrayed against the four Central Powers. The total number of men mobilized mobiliz-ed was nearly 65 million, of which approximately two-thirds were on the side of the Allies. The Allied losses were 5,152,115 killed or died, 12,831,-004 12,831,-004 wounded, and 4,121,090 prisoners or missing. The Central Powers lost 3,386,200 killed or died, 8,388,448 wounded, and 3,629,829 prisoners or missing. War expenditures reached the in- comprehensive total of 186 billion dollars, dol-lars, ar.d of this vast sum the Allies also spent about two-thirds. All this waste of lives and treasure is still reflected in the unhappy economic eco-nomic condition of the world. Still, in spite of this ghastly spectacle, we find the same national and racial hatreds which existed 20 years ago working toward another war which might easily be more terrible than the last. What a commentary on our so-called so-called Christian civilization! |