Juncker warns for possible new war

Decena trágica. Soldiers in action. 1913. – Photo: Osuna. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

La Decena Trágica may have been far away from Europe when it brought in 1913 the Mexican Revolution. Europe had to meet its tragic decennial a year later.

The House of Romanov in 1913 celebrated its 300th anniversary of its succession to the throne, amidst an outpouring of monarchist sentiment in Russia, but they also had to face their end a few years later.

Greece saw in 1913 during the First Balkan War, after Greek troops had occupied much of Greek Macedonia, the assassination of King George I of Greece,  after 50 years on the throne. He was succeeded by his son Constantine from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922.

Greek lithograph depicting the assassination of King George I of Greece at Thessaloniki on 5/18 March 1913 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On June 13, 1913 the Deutsches Stadion in Berlin was dedicated with the release of 10,000 pigeons, in front of an audience of 60,000 people. It had been constructed especially for the 1916 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled as a result of World War I.

At the end of the 19th century several people started looking more into the reasons of our being and how the world was to develop. The Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner also tried to find a synthesis between science and mysticism. Personal freedom was a very important facet of building up the life of the individual which had to become part of one greater element. For him and his followers the evolution and essential being of humanity were connected with each other.
His Anthroposophical Society, founded on February 3, 1913, grew rapidly, and the followers in Germany got to know the Creator of all things.

In the New World the old adventurers had taken their most precious Book with them to bring a seed of people who started to study those Scriptures thoroughly. In the 19th century, more and more Bible students found their way into the Scriptures and got to see that many promises made in the Old times became realised. So other promises of God did have to come through as well. They got to follow how everything told in those old writings fitted with what happened in history. They got to understand what was written about a terrible thing going to happen very soon. The prediction what was going to happen in 1914 frightened at first many people but when the year had started and that terrible World War did not come, many lost faith and started to laugh at those Bible-students which had talked so much about the trouble that would come over the world. When several converted believers turned away form the new faith they were taken by surprise at the end of the year 1914 when at last the prophesy became reality.

History seems to repeat. Today lots of people do not want to see the many signs in the world which are described in the Bible. They do feel very comfortable and like all the chit-chat which is going on endlessly in the internet world of social networks. Most of the time, people prefer to compare the wealth of others and think all the material gain will help them to have a better life. They are blinded by their materialism. They do not want to know about the prophesies made in the Holy Scriptures and laugh with those who believe in those old writings. For the first time in history we may find three generations after each other who have not been hid by the terror of war directly.

Though wars have not disappeared from the sight, we encounter the first three generations which did not have to face the terrible happenings at first hand. It has been far from their bed. The big television screen projects daily the the abhorrence in the living room, but they do think the horror is only something that shall not reach them, because they can enjoy all the luxury of the modern world.

One of Europe’s most senior politicians, Jean Claude Juncker, prime minister of Luxembourg, who chaired a group of Euro-zone finance ministers at the height of the financial crisis, has issued a warning that peace was being taken for granted on the continent and that its current troubles were chillingly similar to those in the run up to World War I.

He is not suffering from withdrawal symptoms and thinks he has a balanced state of mind, though his life has become less hectic and he’s calmer and more relaxed.

Juncker says:

Demonstrators clash with riot police during a protest against the visit to Greece by Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel in Athens on October 9, 2012. One of Europe’s most senior politicians has issued a warning that peace was being taken for granted on the continent and that its current troubles were chillingly similar to those in the run-up to the First World War.
Photograph by: Milos Bicanski , Getty Images

For my generation, the monetary union has always been about forging peace. Today, I notice with a certain sense of regret that far too many Europeans are returning to a regional and national mindset.

The way some German politicians have lashed out at Greece when the country fell into the crisis has left deep wounds there. I was just as shocked by the banners of protesters in Athens that showed the German chancellor in a Nazi uniform. Sentiments suddenly surfaced that we thought had been finally relegated to the past. The Italian election was also excessively anti-German and thus un-European.

When we look at the many problems which the world encountered in the years 1913, 1920, 1929 up to the 1940ies with the worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II, we can find many parallels with the contemporary situation.

In Belgium in the 1980ies they talked already of crisis. First people only saw the financial difficulties with the many unemployed. Then more and more factories started showing nice gainings but closed their plants, putting many thousands of labourers and employees on the streets.

In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how far the world’s economy can decline. Also today we see the heavy industry being hit hard. Today we do find a bonus in the corruption which has become a worldwide sport. Today people still think the Great Depression was the longest and most severe economic depression ever experienced by the Western world. Monetary policy mistakes and adherence to the gold standard, led to much-reduced levels of demand and hence of production, resulting in high unemployment (by 1932, 25–30%). This time it was the profit banks wanted to make on the housing and comfortable living hope of many workers.

Today because of the corruption of so many politicians and CEO’s the idea of economic stability is far gone.

In 1913 the great powers of the Continent were economically so strongly intermeshed that there was the widespread opinion that they could simply no longer afford to engage in military conflicts.

Primarily in Western and Northern Europe, there was a complete sense of complacency based on the assumption that peace had been secured forever.

Juncker warns us to be careful and not to enjoy the luxury idea of secured peace in Europe. Elections in Italy and Greece brought “national resentments to the surface, which we’d believed had gone away says Jean Claude Juncker, who was appalled by protesters’ banners in Greece which showed Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, in Nazi uniform.

In an interview with the magazine Der Spiegel Juncker said:

“Anyone who believes that the eternal question of war and peace in Europe is no longer there risks being deeply mistaken. The demons have not gone away — they’re only sleeping, as the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo showed. I am chilled by the realisation of how similar circumstances in Europe in 2013 are to those of 100 years ago.”

The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkan Peninsula in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913 and brought the same countries in conflict we saw a few years ago fighting again: Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

In 1913 the new radio tower in Berlin brought the Old World in wireless contact with the New World. New York was closer now to Berlin like to day many cities have become very close on the internet social networks. Today many are twittering and chit-chatting about small things and not many are willing to invest enough time to read serious articles. Lots of magazines about fashion and so called stars bring the new gods of today in the spotlight. But the major and oldest Blogger in the world most people do not know or do not want to know.

1913 Experimenting with mounting body on Model T chassis. Ford tested various assembly methods to optimize the procedures before permanently installing the equipment. The actual assembly line used an overhead crane to mount the body.

On August 16 hundred years ago Ford Motor Company adopted the assembly line to mass-produce the Model T. this same company who made billions of profits did not shame itself to take in all the funds from the Belgian government, promising to have work until 2020 for the people of Limburg but only a few months further closing the plant in Genk.

In September 1913 there was a terrible cholera epidemic. The sixth pandemics raged from 1899-1923. Today Europe has become ill and has outgrown the seasonal disease. The general sewage has become the corruption in the political and economical world. Thinking of those in charge many civilians have to vomit. Lots of people are disgusted by the politics and the way the industry and financial markets are behaving. They get an anti political attitude which becomes dangerous for free-warding the democratic system.

Many people do not want to hear the voices of the heads of government of Germany, France and the United Kingdom speaking through the megaphone of the European Union, which starts trembling on its financial underground.

According to Der Spiegel the only problem is that a firm commitment to Europe and the monetary union doesn’t pay off politically because it demands unpopular reforms. At the height of the Euro crisis.

Juncker does not seem too pesimistic because he finds that they managed to keep Greece in the Euro zone and the Union managed to introduce bailout mechanisms for the monetary union and established a European banking union.

Nevertheless, I am concerned that the temporary calm on the financial markets could weaken the will for renewal. It would send the completely wrong signal if the fear of reforms were to spread throughout Europe again.

…

The results of the Italian election are widely interpreted as an across-the-board rejection of the euro, but there are also other factors at work here. Beppe Grillo has primarily made a name for himself as a critic of his country’s political class, while Silvio Berlusconi has promised to lower taxes. By contrast, the party that ran the most vehemently anti-euro campaign, the Lega Nord, lost many of its voters. Consequently, I don’t see the Italian election result as primarily a vote against the euro and the European reform policy.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti might have had created a Europe-friendly course, the Italian majority did not agree with his efforts to safe both the country and the European Union.

Juncker warns us that those who intend to govern have to take responsibility for their countries and for Europe as a whole. “This means, if need be, that they have to pursue the right policies, even if many voters think they are the wrong ones.”

Jean-Claude Juncker Prime Minister of Luxembourg in Justus Lipsius (Brussels, Belgium) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The consequence of the Italian election result cannot be that we suddenly return to the policies that caused this mess. It is not possible to combat the financial and economic crisis by saddling an already heavily indebted state with new debts. There is no getting around a solid budgetary policy.

For Juncker the question of whether the Euro will survive does not arise, but we should at least be very careful to make the right choices and do not feel too secure that it would be impossible that there would come a severe clash between undemocratic organisations, extreme right wing groups, those who want to have their own small community again and the ones who belief in a growing strong Europe.

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Asimilar article in Dutch / Een gelijkaardig artikel in het Nederlands: Juncker waarschuwt voor nieuwe oorlog in Europa

Read also:

1. Jean-Claude Juncker Interview: ‘The Demons Haven’t Been Banished’
2. A Voice to be heard
3. Signs on the earth and in the skies
4. Belief of the things that God has promised
5. God’s promises in our suffering
6. Creator and Blogger God 1 Emptiness and mouvement

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