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Show HOW HUNS FGfjilO WORLD INTO WaR GERMANY FOUND EXCUSE IN THE ASSASSINATION OF GRAND DUKE FERDINAND. Students of Situation Believe This to Have Been Part of Plot to Embroil Europe with the Aim of World Dominion. The prologue in the greatest war in history began with the assassination of the Austrian Grand Duke Ferdinand while he was' visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia, Bos-nia, June 28, 1014. . The assassin, Prinzip, believed to be a tool of pan-Serbian pan-Serbian fanatics, fled to Serbia, to which country Austria sent a drastic ultimatum on July 23. This accused Serbia of permitting and furthering intrigue against Austria, Aus-tria, demanded the dissolving of certain cer-tain societies of a patriotic nature, and the prosecution of certain officers and officials, as well as a limitation of the privileges of the Serbian press. To this ultimatum Serbia replied promptly, agreeing to all conditions, but questioning question-ing the right of Austrian officials conducting con-ducting inquiries into Serbia which that country suggested should be referred to The Hague for arbitration. In this very temperate and reasonable reason-able reply Austria found cause for sufficient umbrage to declare war, stating that the Serbian answer was "unsatisfactory." t Serbian vessels were seized almost immediately and on July 20, 1014, Belgrade was bombarded. bom-barded. Thus began the world war with a seemingly trivial incident which students of the situation now believe to have been part of a carefully prepared pre-pared plot to embroil Europe with the aim of world dominion on the part of Mittel Europa. July Ml, Germany sent an ultimatum to Russia, demanding demobilization, which the czar's government haughtily ignored. The following day Germany declared war on Russia and invaded Luxemburg. August 2 German troops entered Belgium, despite an acknowledged treaty to safeguard the neutrality of the latter nation, which the German premier later spurned as "a scrap of paper." This invasion brought an ultimatum ulti-matum to Germany, August 4, demanding demand-ing that Belgium's neutrality be respected. re-spected. German troops attacked Liege and President Wilson issued a proclamation procla-mation of neutrality. The following day, its demands having hav-ing been ignored, England declared war on Germany. August 7 the. Germans entered-Liege, and the French invaded southern Alsace. Italy declared neutrality. neu-trality. ' These were the opening movement's of the great conflict which, little by little, involved practically the entire world. Each day was crowded with events of international import. France and England' declared war on Austria on August 12, and three days later Japan sent an ultimatum to Germany which soon drew the former nation into the martial whirlpool a conflict jnarked chiefly by the taking of Tsing-tao, Tsing-tao, Germany's' Asiatic colony, November Novem-ber 6, after a long siege. - By far the most important and basically basi-cally important year of the war was 1017. A forecast of America's entry Into the conflict came with the president's presi-dent's "peace without victory" speech January 22 and the passage of the $51,000,000 fortification bill by congress'. By February 12 the feeling over "unrestrained submarine warfare" had become so strained that this country coun-try refused to discuss the matter with Germany. February 14 diplomatic relations re-lations were broken, and February 26 permission was asked by the president to arm American merchantment, which was later granted. In the meantime, however, the world was startled by the Russian revolt and the overthrow of the Romanoff government. America formally recognized the republican government gov-ernment of Russia. In a swift panorama of martial happenings, hap-penings, all of the greatest importance, passed the days and months of 1017, the first vital event after war declaration declara-tion being the conscription bill of April 28 for the raising of an army of half a million. Then came the espionage bill to deal with the menace of internal pro-German propaganda and intrigue. A general war appropriation of S3.S42,-"00,000 S3.S42,-"00,000 and the first 2,000,000,000 war loan were passed. Herbert C. Hoover was appointed to handle the food situation. |