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STORY OF THE
WORLD WAR

For

Young People

BY

WILLIAM L. NIDA

Superintendent of Schools, River Forest, Illinois.
Author of

"Dawn of American History," "City, State and Nation," Etc.

HALE BOOK CO.
OAK PARK, ILLINOIS

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FOREWORD

A complete and impartial history of the World War cannot be written for some years, but the main facts, including the causes of the terrible struggle, are known today. Inasmuch as our soldiers are risking their lives on European battlefields, our boys and girls are eager to know what it is all about. They want to read about the war in language that they can understand. Teachers are bewildered with the great mass of material not yet put in small enough compass for pupil and teacher to use in the school room.

The author of this book asked his upper grade teachers to teach the facts of this war even if the history of other wars had to be eliminated to do it, and met with this reply: "How can we teach what we ourselves do not know? Give us a book to guide us." Realizing that few teachers have either the time or the historical training needed to sift and organize the mass of information in print about the war today, the author has prepared this volume as a foundation upon which to build a study of the conflict that is occupying our deepest interests.

We are no longer an isolated nation. We must teach our children the main facts and tendencies of world events. The study of the War can be made the basis of a wider study of present world history so that we may all understand the part we are playing in international affairs.

So at the risk of some revision upon the raising of the censorship, the author has ventured to write this account for the boys and girls about the momentous affairs of today.

WILLIAM L. NIDA.

CHAPTER I

THE RISE OF THE GERMAN EMPIRE

In August, 1914, a terrible world calamity took place. All the great nations of Europe were declared to be at arms. On July 22nd of that year the world was at peace, but from this time one event followed another with lightning speed and within twelve days all Europe was ablaze. The Central Powers of Germany and Austria were at war with the Allies, Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia and Belgium. Some time later Turkey and Bulgaria joined the Germans, while Japan, Italy and Roumania entered the war on the side of the Allies. Now after nearly three years of horrible strife our own United States has entered the conflict on the side of the Allies and very recently Greece has declared war with Germany.

In order to understand what this awful world war is about we must know something of the history of Germany during the last fifty years, for it is largely the ambition of the German Kaiser and his war lords to rule Europe that has brought on this terrible conflict. And we must also know a brief story of the Balkan country, that great peninsula lying between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, for it is this country of the Balkans that the German war lords are determined to possess and rule as their first step toward world dominion.

Let us go back a few years and find how Germany came to be the great united Empire she is today.

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