It's Times Like This We Must Remember History and Learn From It

By Daniel J. Jennings

CNSNews.com Commentary

September 14, 2001

As we watch the horror unfolding in New York and Washington D.C. on our TV screens it's a good time to take a look at history and learn from it. I say this because history has some very important lessons to teach us about situations like this.

The first lesson is don't overreact by taking military actions that might have horrendous consequences in the near future. This may be the most important lesson of all as the Austro-Hungarian Empire learned all too well during World War I. In 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which ruled much of Central Europe, was outraged at a terrorist attack. A Serbian nationalist fanatic shot and killed the beloved heir to the Austrian Throne, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, in the streets of Sarajevo. Evidence linking the attack to the secret service of the small neighboring kingdom of Serbia soon surfaced.

Austria retaliated to this outrage by invading Serbia. This invasion triggered World War I, because Serbia's ally Russia, rushed to that nation's defense. Austria called in its ally, Germany, and Russia her ally, France. To get at France, Germany invaded Belgium and drew the British Empire into the conflict. One of the worst blood baths in human history had begun and as a consequence of that war, the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed completely. Had Austria shown some restraint and not sought vengeance for the murder of the Archduke, World War I and all of its horrible consequences could have been avoided and millions of men would not have needed to die in horrific combat.

This is a lesson well worth remembering. Any military action we take in retaliation for these horrible attacks in New York and Washington is going to have consequences in the future. It could very well shape our world: a world that we, our children and our grandchildren will have to live in and we should think about that.

During World War I, many Americans, including President Woodrow Wilson and some congressional leaders were outraged by the behavior of Imperial Germany and its Kaiser Wilhelm II. German submarines sank unarmed civilian ships, such as the liner Lusitania, including some with Americans onboard and some American-flagged vessels. German saboteurs set off bombs in the United States destroying munitions plants and other targets, killing innocent Americans in the process. German soldiers committed some atrocities in the occupied nation of Belgium. Some German superpatriots talked of attacking the United States in alliance with Mexico.

In response to these provocations, Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war. America sent a large army to France, which was instrumental in the defeat of Imperial Germany. A defeat that led to the collapse of the Imperial government and the abdication of Wilhelm II. A defeat followed by various efforts to punish Germany for war crimes real and imagined. American propagandists trumpeted America's victory as making "the World Safe For Democracy" and peace was restored.

Unfortunately, the peace existed only in the minds of the propagandists. A defeated Germany proved a perfect breeding ground for extremist political movements. Within 15 years of America's "victory" the most dangerous and fanatical of German political leaders, Adolph Hitler, was absolute dictator of Germany. Within twenty years of America's "victory," World War II had broken out in Europe, having been launched by Hitler.

By defeating the Kaiser and destroying his German Empire, Woodrow Wilson and the patriots of 1917 only succeeded in clearing the way for Adolph Hitler and making another war inevitable. As a number of observers, including Winston Churchill, pointed out, had America not overreacted to German actions and declared war in 1917, the exhausted British and French would have been forced to end the war and sign a peace treaty with Germany. This wouldn't have resulted in a perfect situation in Europe, but it would have been better than what happened after 1918.

Imperial Germany was, contrary to the lies of Woodrow Wilson's propaganda machine, probably as "democratic" as America's 1917 allies Britain and France. Imperial Germany had an elected national legislature and well-organized political parties. And far from being a blood thirsty tyrant, Wilhelm II, was a weak constitutional monarch, and in person, a harmless eccentric, who actually wanted peace and opposed the war. An equitable settlement between the warring powers in 1917 was highly probable. More importantly, a strong German Empire wouldn't have fallen prey to Hitler and his Nazis, there might have been no World War II and no Holocaust. The deaths of millions could have been avoided. At the same time the German Empire would have been strong enough to keep the militaristic Communist dictatorship in Soviet Russia in check without American help.

The consequences of America's blind quest for vengeance in 1917, were another World War, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans in two needless conflicts and the necessity of posting American troops in Europe. Because of Wilson's blind actions in 1917, American troops are still stationed in Europe to this day.

We should keep historical events like these mind as we view the carnage on TV screens and hear the hysterical name calling and finger pointing from the politicians, anchormen and self proclaimed experts sitting in the TV studios. And remember that any action we take now because of these events could have horrible unforeseen consequences in the future. For the last thing we want to do is compound the needless deaths of thousands in this horrible terrorist attack with even more needless deaths in the future.

Daniel J. Jennings is a former newspaper editor now working as a free-lance writer in Denver, Colorado.

Copyright 2001, Free Congress Foundation

-- Debra (Thisis@it.com), September 16, 2001

Answers

WWI was a terrible, useless war, with tens of millions of casualties to no good end. The involvement of the US in it made no more sense than that war itself.

This is far different today, and I've heard no one express this. WWI, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, even WWII, were not defensive wars. The US infrastructure and populace was not directly being threatened.

The lessons of those wars do not apply. The US is today left with no choice. The US armed services of today are facing what hasn't been faced since maybe the south during the civil war, or the US during 1812... or perhaps never by the US. That is, a foreign enemy who deliberately seeks the destruction of the country and the death of its citizens, and has shown the means and the willingness to back it up.

If that sort of invasion is not stopped, what history shows is that it will happen again and again, and yet again. What are we afraid of, that if we piss off terrorists they might come and perform terrorist acts against us?

-- OhDooDahDay (TowelBan@Campdown.races), September 16, 2001.

Well, this statement is a bit inaccurate.

And far from being a blood thirsty tyrant, Wilhelm II, was a weak constitutional monarch, and in person, a harmless eccentric, who actually wanted peace and opposed the war.

Wilhelm was an egotist who wanted badly for Germany to be an Imperial power just like Britain, France and (as he perceived it) the United States. Nor was he a "weak constitutional monarch." He had significant power, including the ability to dissolve the legislature if it displeased him.

Wilhelm almost went to war with us over the Phillipines at the turn of the 20th century, right after the Spanish-American war.

There's a decent (if somewhat one-dimensional) alternate "what-if?" history written about this by a professor at USC-Columbia. I can't remember his name or the title of the book at the moment, but it has a fairly accurate characterization of Wilhelm.

The rest is about right; if we hadn't joined WWII, the peace wouldn't have been as harsh and Hitler probably wouldn't have risen to power. But this is just more of that, "hindsight is 20/20" stuff. What were we supposed to do, allow the Germans to sink our ships with impugnity?

In this case, yes, there should be caution. We don't need to go into the Middle East and start declaring war on every tin-horn state in the region. But I seriously doubt if that's what's going to happen.

BESIDES ... and this is a big "besides" ... *THIS* is why the President wants to build an overwhelming coalition of international support BEFORE taking action.

(The analogy? Suppose Austria, through diplomacy, had been able to isolate Serbia from its allies BEFORE its invasion.)

The moral here, of course, is patience well-counseled to those who think we need to go over there right NOW, hang what anyone else thinks, and just start carpet-bombing "ragheads."

(Or that we should deliberately target civilian population centers, etc., etc.)

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), September 16, 2001.

Oh, and PS: we (meaning most western nations) *HAVE* learned our lesson about harsh peace settlements. The standard pattern up through WWI was to force the loser to pay a staggering indemnity/reparation(s) to the victors.

We learned our lesson after WWI, which is why the peace with Germany -- in spite of the fact that Hitler's Nazis had been FAR worse than the Kaiser's government -- was basically, "occupy, force a democratic regime, help them rebuild."

If we go into Afghanistan with the express intention of getting rid of the evil Taliban, *with* international support, *with* humanitarian aid following right behind our troops, *with* instructions to limit collateral damage as much as possible (note to G. Gordon Liddy types: this means NO INDISCRIMINATE CARPET BOMBING), the people of Afghanistan would probably THANK us.

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), September 16, 2001.

Thanks to both of you.

-- Debra (Thisis@it.com), September 16, 2001.

To: OhDooDahDay

even WWII, were not defensive wars. The US infrastructure and populace was not directly being threatened.

I have not idea where you are getting your information about WWII not being a defensive war; and that the US infrastructure and populace was not directely being threated.

May I tell you politely that you haven't a clue as to what you are talking about. Two Japanese envoys were waiting to deliver a formal declaration of war against the United States. It was supposed to be delivered minutes before the Japanese planes hit Pearl Harbor but something went awry. They were kept waiting and thus the attack took place before the declaration was delivered.

There were German and Japanese subs detected off our coast line. They would have attacked had they dared. They just didn't count on the spirit of the Americans and there will to win.

-- Nadine Zint (nadine@hillsboro.net), September 16, 2001.

Afghanistan News

-- 1324 (234@2134.13), March 17, 2002.