Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/853

The Final Stages of the War: the Russian Revolution 639 with the locomotive in speed, whereas at the time of the Congress of Vienna no one could get about faster than a horse could travel. The telegraph and telephone enabled news to be flashed to the most distant parts of the earth more quickly than Louis XVIII could send a message from one part of Paris to another. The wire- less apparatus kept vessels, no matter how far out at sea, in constant touch with the land. 1154. Modern Interdependence of Nations. Nations now de- pend on one another for food, clothes, and every sort of necessity and refinement. Britain hoped to end the war by cutting off Ger- many from her usual communication with other countries, and Germany flattered herself she could starve England by sinking the thousands of vessels which supply her tables with bread and meat. Even the rumor of war upsets the stock exchanges throughout the world. Nations read one another's books, profit by one another's scientific discoveries and inventions, and go to one another's plays. Germans, Italians, French, and Russians con- tribute to musical programs listened to in New York, Valparaiso, or Sydney. We continue to talk of independent nations, but only a few isolated, squalid savage tribes can be said any longer to be independent of other peoples. In an ever-increasing degree America^ and Europe have become interdependent, and their fate and fortunes tend to merge into the history of the whole world. 1155. International Agreements before the War. The war only greatly emphasized all these things, which were being recognized in the previous quarter of a century. The Hague con- ferences, the establishment of the Hague international tribunal, the various arbitration treaties, had all been directed toward the suppression of the ancient plague of war. International arrange- ments in regard to coinage, postal service, commerce, and trans- portation had encouraged good understanding and cooperation. Innumerable international societies, congresses, and expositions had brought foreign peoples together and illustrated their mani- fold common interests. 1156. Cost of Preparedness. The old problem of armaments, the possibility of getting rid of the crushing burden and constant