It's times like this we must remember history and learn from it

By Daniel J. Jennings
web posted September 13, 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.

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