e, however, was a big factor, for Germany sought world
markets for its products. In the near East are the grain fields of
Mesopotamia, and in the far East are the vast markets of India and
China. The great banking and financial interests of Europe have been
seeking the conquest of Asia for nearly half a century. German capital
built railroads through Asia Minor, but English capital controls the
Suez Canal. Russia welded the Balkan states until the Slavonic wedge
from the Black sea to the Adriatic barred Germany's way to the Orient.
England threatened the Kaiser's expansion on the sea; while Russia, on
one side, with France her strong ally, closed the Germans in on opposite
sides. So Germany must have outlets to the world markets.

The religious element was also a factor in the affairs of Europe, for
the territory has been divided into four large religious groups for
centuries. Moslems counted several millions of Turks, Bosnians and
Albanians in Europe, the Protestants among the Germans, English, Swiss
and Hungarians number about 100,000,000, while the Roman Catholics in
all the Latin countries, Southern Germany, Croatia, Albania, Bohemia,
and in Russian Austria and Russian Poland are about 180,000,000. The
Greek Catholics in Russia, the Balkan countries and a few provinces in
the Austrian Empire number more than 110,000,000.

The differences in religion have precipitated many European struggles,
but for more than a century the countries have been forced to assume an
attitude of tolerance, so that churches other than those established by
the State have thrived; But just what influence religions may have had
in the various incidents of the war it is difficult to determine.

The outstanding fact is that but for the arrogant, militaristic policy
of Imperial Germany, the differences between nations might have been
settled, and almost indescribable horrors of the war would never have
been experienced.

CHAPTER V.

WHY AMERICA ENTERED THE WAR.

THE IRON HAND OF PRUSSIANISM--THE ARROGANT HOHENZOLLERN
ATTITUDE--SECRETARY LANE TELLS WHY WE FIGHT--BROKEN PLEDGES--LAWS
VIOLATED--PRUSSIANISM THE CHILD OF BARBARITY--GERMANY'S PLANS FOR A
WORLD EMPIRE.

Not merely to prevent Germany from opening avenues of commerce to the
seas nor to throttle the ambitions of the Kaiser was America drawn into
the vortex of war with France, England, Russia, Belgium, Italy and other
nations; but that the iron hand of Prussianism, as exem