Page:The Great War.djvu/35

This page needs to be proofread.

What War Meant to the Great Powers 27 In the nearer view Russian victory would inevi- tably arouse the deepest emotions of the whole Slav race. Religion quite as much as race, too, cried out against the Austrian despoliation of the Serb States. Should the Romanoffs bring back a splen- did victory now, it might consolidate Russian in- ternal life, postpone the revolution so long promised, unite all shades of Russian life. Defeated, Russia could not be dismembered. By her very bulk she would remain immune to the dan- gers that must threaten Austria and France. Her progress as a great power might be delayed for a little, but nearly 200,000,000 of Slavs could not be long restrained. Not to defend Servia was to sacri- fice prestige at home and abroad, to lose the sup- port of the religious and racial emotions of the Russian people, to become contemptible in the eyes of her own subjects. This was the Russian alternative. For Germany the choice between war and peace was only less clear. Victorious Germany would at the very least have postponed the Slav peril for a generation. Once and for all she would have " dealt with France " and for years she could ex- pect a free hand in her struggle with Great Britain for naval supremacy and for that " place in the sun " so passionately desired by German patriots. French colonies would be the prize of war. Great Britain would be left alone to confront Germany as supreme and unchallenged on the Continent as Napoleon

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.