The New York Times Current History of the European War, Vol. 1, January 9, 1915: What Americans Say to EuropeVarious
Philosophy
The New York Times Current History of the European War, Vol. 1, January 9, 1915: What Americans Say to Europe
Various
World War, 1914-1918
Now, Lloyd George said the other day that it was the money which in the
long run would count and that Great Britain had that; and the meetings
that are held to induce Englishmen to enlist are addressed by speakers
who meet with lots of applause when they say: "We may not be able to put
the same number of men into the field immediately that Germany was able
to put or Russia was able to put, but in the long run, considering the
attitude of all the different parts of our empire, we will be able to
put just as many men, and therefore time is on our side both as regards
force in the field and money to sustain it." (The London Times confesses
that enlistment in Ireland is a failure.)
Lloyd George says that for a comparatively short time England's enemies
can finance themselves and be very efficient, but that as time passes
they unquestionably will exhaust not only their pecuniary means but
their resources of men as well. That is his position at this time.
Therefore, it does appear as if the long duration of the war was a thing
desired, at least in Great Britain, as being their hope of victory. Both
Great Britain and France are wealthy countries. Just how wealthy Germany
is I do not think they realize, nor do we know, nor what its ultimate
resources can be.
Now, looking at the allied line as a whole, we will suppose that the
German forces were overwhelmingly triumphant in France, and suppose,
likewise, which is by no means as strong a hypothesis, that Russia is
overwhelmingly victorious against Austria and the Eastern German Army;
then, of course, you have the situation in which that one of the Allies
which is triumphant will assert its leadership in the terms of peace
that will be reached, and would have the hegemony, as we call it, of all
Europe.
Russia's Position.
So that the defeat of the Allies in the west and their overwhelming
success in the east would compel the acceptance, in any peace that might
be made, of such terms as Russia chose to dictate. She would have to be
satisfied, otherwise there would only be one outcome of it; that is, of
course, if Great Britain and France could not accept those terms, there
would be a rupture, and stranger things have been seen than Germany,
France, and Great Britain fighting against Russia.
Stranger things than that have been seen; such changes in the alliances
between States have occurred at intervals from the seventeenth century
onward in Europe, a phase of the subject that is too lengthy to discuss
here, but which every student of history knows all about. And it is
thinkable that they might occur again.
Suppose, on the other hand, that the Germans should imitate Frederick
the Great, which is not so preposterous as appears on the face of it,
because of comparatively easy means of transportation, and should be
able to make successive victorious dashes, first in the east and then in
the west, backward and forward; leadership would be hers, and France
would be a minor power for years to come.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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