November 11, 2018, marks the centennial
of Armistice Day. That day ended World War One, dubbed "the war
to end war," and the armistice led to the Treaty of Versailles
in 1919. The war claimed nine million deaths to combatants and an
estimated seven million deaths to civilians. These numbers are
blurred because the 1918 Influenza Epidemic has been estimated to
have taken the lives of fifty to one hundred million people
worldwide.
The fighting pitted the Triple Entente
(Britian, France, Russia) against the Triple Alliance (Germany,
Austria-Hungarian, Italy). The war began with the assassination of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary on June 28, 1914 by
Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Historian A. J. P. Taylor tells
of the event:
"[Sophie]
could never share [Franz Ferdinand's] rank ... could never share his
splendours, could never even sit by his side on any public occasion.
There was one loophole ... his wife could enjoy the recognition of
his rank when he was acting in a military capacity. Hence, he
decided, in 1914, to inspect the army in Bosnia. There, at its
capital Sarajevo, the Archduke and his wife could ride in an open
carriage side by side ... Thus, for love, did the Archduke go to his
death."
The
Archduke and his wife were both shot in an automobile, on the return
journey from the Town Hall. In total, there were six co-assassins,
and Gavrilo Princip delivered the fatal shot. The assassination led
to posturing which led to various declarations of war. The crew of
assassins were attempting to fraction part of Austria-Hungary into Yugoslavia. Trench warfare and the genocides ensued. At least 16
million people died as a direct result. All for the want of
Nationalism and the love of a lady.
"The
war to end war." I wish H. G. Wells' words were a truth.
Instead, over 60 million died in World War Two; six million in the
Russian Civil War; nine million in the Chinese Civil War; 22 million
in the Second Sino-Japanese War; over a million in the Korean War;
over a million in the Vietnam War; over a million in the Nigerian
Civil War; three million in the Bangladesh Liberation War; over a
million in the current War in Afghanistan; over a million in the
Soviet-Afghan War; over a million in the Second Sudanese Civil War;
three million in the Second Congo War.
We
must stop killing one another. Nothing positive comes from war.
Another dreamer once wrote, "Imagine all the people living life
in peace..." I dream that John Lennon's words will come true one
day – and that we find "the war to end war."
