Unleashing the Beast

S O W HAT C AN A MERICA D O ? / 315

nationalist who wanted to make a political statement on behalf of his organization, the Black Hand. Unfortunately for millions of people, that statement—the murder of Frances Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife—ignited a powder keg that turned the European continent into a massive killing field. As a consequence of that war, the balance of power in the world shifted. By the time the final shot had been fired, there was no longer a German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman or Russian empire. All these powers either no longer existed or, in the case of Russia, were transformed into a more sinister political entity. Consequently, with the demise of these empires came the ascent of other powers— Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan. So, in the case of World War I, we learn that what started as an act of terror caused the powers of the earth to be shaken. Now consider the developments that led to World War II. For the United States, it began with a surprise attack from the air upon our armed and naval forces in Hawaii. But for the rest of the world, World War II began in September 1939, when Hitler invaded Poland. Yet, let us go back a bit further to September 1938. As we mentioned, this is when Hitler threatened war unless he was given a piece of land in Czechoslovakia. He was given the land in exchange for peace. This conciliatory posture on behalf of the West simply fed his aggression, which culminated with the invasion of Poland a year later. So, I could argue that World War II started with a "land-for-peace" deal gone wrong, and for America was topped off by a surprise air attack. Can you see the