We hope, and may reasonably expect, that the war will be relatively
short. The Franco-Prussian war lasted from the middle of July to the end
of February; military operations began early in August and closed with
the truce of Jan. 28. That the present war will be dragged out to so
great a length, involving so incredible a number of men, demanding so
severe a straining of energies--especially the financial--on the part of
all the nations, is hardly conceivable. But however short a time it may
last, we shall emerge a world very different from before.
The time is long since past when a great war brings in its train no
changes other than the ceding of a few square miles of conquered
territory. Under the capitalistic method of production, continual
changes, irreconcilable situations, constantly new problems pile up so
rapidly that no great war is any longer possible which does not bring
with it a prolonged breaking down as well as a building up of industrial
organisms.
Especially is it clear that the non-European world will undergo a
powerful change. The non-European nations are already in the ascendency;
more and more they are becoming a strong opposition force to Europe.
Their advance must win tremendous impetus from a war which in every case
will weaken seriously the European nations, no matter how it may swing
the balance of power among them.
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