He therefore endeavors to enter into
an agreement with the heir of the Austrian throne, Franz Ferdinand, a
man of great energy and wide political views, to the effect to mold out
of Austria an exclusive Slavish power and to surrender to Germany the
Archduchy of Austria with Vienna and Tyrol, and annex Servia to Austria.
Franz Ferdinand could afford to agree to this plan most readily, because
he knew that Austria in her present state could not continue her
existence, as she was on the brink of an insurrection of 25,000,000
Austrian Slavs against the continuance of a Government over them of
9,000,000 Austrian Germans. There is no doubt that this question was
fully discussed at the conference at Konopish, where the German Emperor,
accompanied by Admiral von Tirpitz, went to pay a visit to Franz
Ferdinand one month before the latter was assassinated.
The tragedy of Serajevo found Germany after a course of action already
had been agreed upon, and the sending of the ultimatum by Austria to
Servia can be explained only by the desire of the two nations to fully
complete their preparations.
Now, why do we find at this important moment of the world's history such
opposition not only against Germany but also an upheaval of other
nations?
The German press of the United States endeavors to prove that the
underlying reason for the struggle is the eventual triumph in Europe
either of Teutonic or Slavish civilization, and denounces Russian
barbarism and extols German culture.
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