On July 28, 1914, in Sarajevo Bosnia, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife, Sophie, were shot and killed by Gavrilo Princip, a Serb Nationalist. No big deal, huh? In 1914, who even knew where Bosnia was, and just because an ‘arch duke’ and his wife were assassinated, so what? There was no radio or television, the mail was pretty slow, and the Wright Brothers’ airplane didn’t carry the mail then.
Almost immediately, Russia decided to side with Serbia, and Germany sided with Austro-Hungary. Britain sided with Germany. Germany became the main contender in the war. Russia bowed out in 1917. Within a few months, it became literally, the “First World War.” It was otherwise known as the “War to End Wars.” Ludicrous? Naturally, because while the people never wanted a war in 1914, and any time since, but governments did, and even when it was almost over in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson got America involved. Did President Wilson go to Congress for approval of his war, unlike Trump today? Yes, and the vote for war, was 82 to 6 for, In the Senate, and 378 to 50 for, in the House. As a result of that vote, the “Selective Service Act of 1917,” was made law, and 2.8 million Americans were forced into military service. My Dad was one of them, but he was never sent overseas, and it was soon over. “World War One,” was officially ended in 1918, “On The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month,” which became our “Armistice Day,” and today we celebrate it as “Memorial Day.” In the rest of the world, that war ended with the signing of the “Treaty of Versailles,” which prohibited Germany from re-arming, and made them pay for the damage they had done. In that war, ten million soldiers died, ten million civilians died, 20 million were wounded, and millions more were disease ridden, starved, and all which goes with wars. Germany declined to sign it, but some say she did. The treaty was the founding of what we now call the “United Nations,” but then it became known as, “The League of Nations.” Neither have ever worked to bring peace to the world.
Within a couple of years after the Treaty of Versailles was inaugurated, the German Reichstag (1919-1932) became Germany’s governing body. On January 5, 1919, Germany elected the “German Workers Party,” and on February 4th, 1920 changed its name to “The Nationalist Socialist German Workers’ Party.”
If that title sounds familiar, that’s because it is the theme of the current bastion of corruption, the “Democratic Socialists of America,” which advocates re-opening of the U.S. border with Mexico, disbanding the U.S. Senate, and de-funding the military and police, among others.
On July 29, 1921, Adolph Hitler became the party’s chairman. He promised to overturn the Treaty of Versailles, rebuild Germany to its rightful military and world power, create jobs, plus rebuild the economy and fight communism. In 1933, Hitler became chancellor, and he ignored most of his promises, (Like Trump? Hitler became authoritarian, promised to regain former territory, Was radically anti-Semitic, and became a national figure with his speaking ability to arouse patriotism. The first thing he had done, was to burn the Reichstag, then have passed “The Enabling Act,” which gave him virtually unlimited power. Hitler disbanded German democracy, trade unions, and became a literal dictator. Most of Germany was thrilled.
Germany was broke. She lost the war! How was she supposed to pay for ‘damages she caused?’ Simple! Start the presses! Pay with reichsmarks! Exactly like the United Sates does with dollars, but it has taken far longer for the dollar to go to zero, than it took Germany’s reichsmarks. So far, our dollar has lost only 95% of its value The German reichsmark, within about five years, would buy nothing, and it took a wheelbarrow of reichsmarks to get a loaf of bread. Before the Treaty of Versailles, the German reichsmark was equal to a U.S. silver quarter. In pre-World War One, and until FDR took office in 1933, gold had been $20.67 per ounce, for over a hundred years. The fall of the German reichsmark, had gold at 20.67 trillion Reichsmarks an ounce, and it was no longer traded.
That treaty caused incredible violence in Germany, as a worthless currency might easily do, and the Nazi Party was formed. Anti-Semitism was also born with the treaty of Versailles, and possibly it would be convenient to blame the Jews for their problems, since the Jews were a strong financial power in pre WW 1 Germany.
World War Two
World War Two began on September 1, 1939, when Hitler invaded Poland, and Britain declared war on Germany. Most think it was the opposite, with Germany declaring war on Britain. Nope. Britain declared war on Germany!
In late 1929, America went through what became known as, “The Great Depression.” It lasted until America was forced into World War Two, when all stops were pulled out, and every factory and other jobs were filled, as were all of our armed forces. On September 16, 1940 the “Selective Training and Service Act,” was passed. The first inductees were sworn in on November 18, 1940. That war did not include the United States, and then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised, ‘No foreign war.’
In 1937, Japan had conquered Manchuria in 1931. Japan, then proceeded into northern China, continued to capture major Chinese cities, and committed massive violence, forced labor and sexual crimes. What became known as ‘the Rape of Nanking,” also known as “The Nanjing Massacre,” began on December 13, 1937, and continued for six weeks. It involved mass civilian killings, rape, looting, and executions without cause.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, tried to reason with Japan, strongly supported China politically and economically, cut off selling scrap metal to Japan, and tried to block her access to the South Pacific Ocean, to throttle her supply of oil. Japan’s aggression of China, continued all through FDR’s term, beginning in 1933, and finally, Japan decided to attack America by bombing Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Japan was siding with Germany, and maybe decided that America was weak, and incapable of defending itself. She was wrong! Fortunately, U.S. aircraft carriers were at sea when Japan attacked and destroyed or crippled many American destroyers and battleships on December 7th. Not to go into World War Two, but on June 4-7, 1942, our aircraft carriers and their planes, sunk four Jap carriers, and we lost only one, “The Yorktown” which lasted only three days before she went down. Japan, actually lost the war at Midway, but her attacks on America continued, and she resolved, to never give up. President Harry Truman ordered atom bomb “Little Boy” to be dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945, and on August 9th to drop atomic bomb “Fat Boy,” on Nagasaki. On August 10th, 1945, Japan surrendered.
85 million died in that war. Was it caused by FDR’s involvement in Japan’s war with China? Hitler’s invading Poland? Pearl Harbor? Hitler? Russia? Winston Churchill? FDR? Pat Buchanan says WW II, could have been avoided. No one knows, but that war, which I remember as a youngster, still fascinates me.
KOREA
Before World War Two, Korea had been a Japanese colony since 1910. When Japan surrendered in 1945, Korea became liberated, but a line at the 38th parallel divided Korea into two parts. The North, came under Soviet occupation, and a communist government was formed under Kim Ill Sung. The South, came under American occupation, and was chaired by Syngman Rhee. Both claimed to be the authentic government of Korea. On June 25th 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. President Harry Truman decided that allowing South Korea to be invaded, would help communism.
The United States had already become involved in South Korea, since we had bases for attacking Japan during World War Two in Korea.. President Harry Truman, without the consent of Congress, ordered U.S. forces into the conflict, claiming that the United Nations Security Council had condemned the Soviets, so he decided that approval by Congress was not needed. General Douglas Mac Arthur began attacking North Korea, as it was getting arms and supplies from China. Truman fired Mac Arthur, and the war continued, till an “Armistice Peace Treaty,” on July 27, 1953 was formed, but never signed. Technically, the North is still at war with the South.
In the three years of the Korean War, the South says they lost a million troops and 140,000 civilians. The North says it lost 1.5 million total, and China says it lost 400,000.
Vietnam
France had controlled Vietnam beginning in 1858, and took over Cambodia, and Laos. Thus it became French Indo-China. Japan occupied Vietnam during WW 2, but allowed the French to remain. In a fierce war with Vietnam, at the 1945 ending of World War two, Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh declared that Vietnam was independent, and wanted no more of France. On September 2nd, 1945, the “Democratic Republic of Vietnam,” was established. France left in 1954, but decided that she wanted Vietnam back. Then Vietnam became divided into North and South. I have tried and tried, to find out who fired the first shot and why, but I can find no answer. Every time I used to see a veteran with Vietnam cap on, I always asked him, “Did you ever figure out why you were there?” The answer was always, “I have no idea.”
There was a draft program during the Vietnam War, and 2.2 million Americans were forced to go there.
America was sending a few troops to South Vietnam, and by 1964, there were 16,000 American “advisors” in South Vietnam. On March 8, 1965 a large group of Americans arrived, and on March 8, 1965 a 3500 American troops arrived at Da Nang. By April of 1969, there were 543,400 American troops in Vietnam, when Nixon began withdrawing them.
58,220 American soldiers died in Vietnam, and 153,000 were wounded. Who started it? That’s a toughie, but LBJ expanded it hugely, and JFK was going to bring them all home, when he was assassinated.
When the first murder started in 1914, in this long chain of death, war, injury, pointlessness, corruption, waste, and stupidity, gold was $20.67 and silver about 60 cents an ounce. The wars were started by governments, generally controlled by politicians, and the wars, as a whole, were started by Democrats, and stopped by Republicans. Was there any reason for the first World War, which chain linked itself to the Second World War, which chain linked itself to the Korean and Vietnam ‘conflicts?’
You decide, but the above surely speaks well for getting out of various paper monies and going into gold and silver.
don@coloradogold.com