U-1914—Unyaka Owashaqisa Izwe

“IMpi Enkulu yango-1914-18 injengomudwa womhlabathi oshile ohlukanisa lesosikhathi nesethu. Ngokuqothula ukuphila okuningi kangaka . . . , ngokubhubhisa izinkolelo, ngokushintsha imibono, nokushiya amanxeba angelapheki okuphelelwa ithemba, yabangela igebe elingokomzimba kanye nelingokwengqondo phakathi kwezinkathi ezimbili.”—Icashunwe kuyiProud Tower—A Portrait of the World Before the War 1890–1914, kaBarbara Tuchman.

“Kucishe kube ingxenye yomlando—nakuba kungakabi yiyo—ngoba izinkulungwane eziningi zabantu ababebasha ekuqaleni kwalelikhulu lamashumi amabili leminyaka eliyingqopha-mlando basaphila.”—Icashunwe encwadini ethi 1914, kaLyn MacDonald, eyakhishwa ngo-1987.

KUNGANI kumelwe ube nesithakazelo onyakeni ka-1914? ‘Mina ngikhathalele ikusasa, hhayi isikhathi esedlule,’ ungase usho. Ngenxa yezinkinga ezinjengokungcola komhlaba, ukuwohloka kokuphila komkhaya, ukwanda kobugebengu, ukugula okungokwengqondo, nokuntuleka komsebenzi, ikusasa lomuntu lingase libonakale liluvindi. Nokho, abaningi abaye bahlola ukubaluleka kuka-1914, bathole isisekelo sokuba nethemba lekusasa elingcono.

Emashumini amaningi eminyaka INqabayokulinda iye yachaza ukuthi ngo-1914 isintu sabhekana nalokho okubizwa ngokuthi ‘ukuqala kwemihelo yosizi.’ Lawomazwi akha ingxenye yesiprofetho sikaJesu Kristu esikhulu esiphathelene nezenzakalo ezaziyokwandulela ukuphela kwesimiso esibi somuntu.—Mathewu 24:7, 8.

Namuhla, inani elincane lesintu lisengazikhumbula izenzakalo ezivusa amadlingozi zango-1914. Ingabe lesosizukulwane esesigugile siyodlula ngaphambi kokuba uNkulunkulu asindise umhlaba ekubhujisweni? Akunjalo ngokwesiprofetho seBhayibheli. “Nxa nibona konke lokhu,” kuthembisa uJesu, “yazini ukuthi iseduze ngasemnyango. Ngiqinisile ngithi kini: Lesisizukulwane asiyikudlula kungakenzeki konke lokhu.”—Mathewu 24:33, 34.

Ukuze uqonde ukuthi kungani unyaka ka-1914 unokubaluleka okungaka okungokomlando, cabangela isimo sezwe kuze kube maphakathi no-1914. Ngaphambi kwalesosikhathi, amakhosi anjengoCzar Nicholas waseRussia, uKaiser Wilhelm waseJalimane, noMbusi uFranz Josef waseAustria-Hungary ayenamandla kakhulu. Ngayinye yalamadoda ayengabutha amadoda empi angaphezu kwezigidi ezine futhi awathumele empini. Kodwa oyisemkhulu bawo babesayine lokho okwakubizwa ngokuthi iSivumelwano Esingcwele, bethi uNkulunkulu wayebabele ukuba babuse izingxenye ezihlukahlukene “zesizwe sobuKristu” esisodwa esikhulu.

NgokweEncyclopædia Britannica, lesivumelwano “sayithonya ngokunamandla inkambo yokuphathwa kwelaseYurophu phakathi nekhulu le-19 leminyaka.” Sasetshenziselwa ukumelana nezinhlangano zentando yeningi kanye nokuvumelana nalokho okuthiwa ilungelo laphezulu lamakhosi. “Thina maKhosi angamaKristu,” uKaiser Wilhelm ebhalela uCzar Nicholas, “sinomsebenzi owodwa ongcwele, obekwe phezu kwethu iZulu, yilowo wokulondoloza isimiso [selungelo laphezulu lamakhosi].” Ingabe lokhu kwakusho ukuthi amakhosi aseYurophu ayehlangene ngandlela-thile noMbuso kaNkulunkulu? (Qhathanisa neyoku-1 Korinte 4:8.) Futhi kuthiwani ngamasonto ayesekela lawomakhosi? Ingabe ukuzisholo kwawo ukuba ngawobuKristu kwakuqotho? Impendulo yalemibuzo yacaca eminyakeni eyalandela ngokushesha ngemva kuka-1914.

Ngokungazelele, Ngo-August

“Intwasahlobo nehlobo lika-1914 eYurophu kwaphawuleka ngokuzola okungavamile,” kubhala isazi sezombangazwe saseBrithani uWinston Churchill. Abantu ngokuvamile babenombono oqondile ngekusasa. “Izwe lika-1914 laligcwele ithemba nezithembiso,” kusho uLouis Snyder encwadini yakhe ethi World War I.

Yiqiniso, eminyakeni eminingi kwakuye kwaba khona ubutha obukhulu phakathi kweJalimane neBrithani. Nokho, njengoba isazi-mlando uG. P. Gooch sichaza encwadini yaso ethi Under Six Reigns: “Kwakungabonakali kungaba nengxabano ngo-1914 eYurophu kunango-1911, ngo-1912, noma ngo-1913 . . . Ubudlelwano balabohulumeni ababili babungcono kunokuba babunjalo eminyakeni eminingi.” NgokukaWinston Churchill, ilungu lesishayamthetho saseBrithani ngo-1914: “Kithina iJalimane yayibonakala izimisele ngokuthula.”

Nokho, ngokubulawa kwenkosana eyindlalifa yoMbuso waseAustria-Hungary eSarajevo ngoJune 28, 1914, ifu elimnyama lavela emkhathizwe. Enyangeni eyodwa kamuva, uMbusi uFranz Josef wacela iSerbia inselele futhi wayala amabutho akhe ukuba ahlasele lowombuso. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, ebusuku bango-August 3, 1914, ngomyalo kaKaiser Wilhelm, impi enkulu yamaJalimane ngokungazelele yahlasela umbuso waseBelgium futhi yaphendla indlela elibangise eFrance. Ngosuku olulandelayo iBrithani yacela iJalimane inselele. Mayelana noCzar Nicholas, wayeyale ukubuthwa kwempi enkulu yaseRussia ukuze iyolwa neJalimane neAustria-Hungary. ISivumelwano Esingcwele sasehlulekile ukunqanda amakhosi aseYurophu ekufakeni lelozwekazi ekucekaneni kokuchitha igazi. Kodwa ukushaqeka okukhulu kwakuseza.

Yayizobe Isiphelile NgoKhisimusi?

Ukugqashuka kwempi akuzange kuwuthambise umbono oqondile wabantu. Abaningi babekholelwa ukuthi yayizoveza izwe elingcono, futhi izixuku ezinkulu zabuthana kulo lonke elaseYurophu ukuze zizwakalise ukuyisekela. “Akukho muntu ngo-1914,” kubhala uA. J. P. Taylor encwadini yakhe ethi The Struggle for Mastery in Europe—1848–1918, “owayezithathe ngokungathi sína izingozi zempi ngaphandle kombono wempi ngokwayo. . . . Akekho owayelindele inhlekelele yomphakathi.” Esikhundleni salokho, abaningi baprofetha ukuthi yayizophela ngemva kwezinyangana ezimbalwa.

Nokho, esikhathini eside ngaphambi kokuba abaseYurophu bagubhe uKhisimusi wabo wango-1914, kwase kunempicabadala yokuchitheka kwegazi ohideni lwemisele engamakhilomitha angu-700 eyayisukela eSwitzerland eningizimu iya ogwini lwaseBelgium enyakatho. Lokhu kwakubizwa ngokuthi uPhondo Olungasentshonalanga, futhi umbhali waseJalimane uHerbert Sulzbach wakhuluma ngakho lapho ebhala encwadini yakhe yemihla ngemihla ngosuku lokugcina luka-1914. Lokho akubhala kufundeka kanje: “Lempi embi isalokhu iqhubeka, futhi nakuba ekuqaleni kwayo wawungacabanga ukuthi yayizophela ngemva kwamasonto ambalwa, manje isiphelo sibonakala singekho eduze.” Ngesikhathi esifanayo, kwezinye izingxenye zaseYurophu, izimpi ezichitha igazi zazilwiwa phakathi kwamabutho aseRussia, eJalimane, eAustria-Hungary, nawaseSerbia. Lengxabano ngokushesha yasakazekela ngalé kweYurophu, futhi izimpi zalwiwa ezilwandle naseAfrika, eMpumalanga Ephakathi, naseziqhingini zasePacific.

Eminyakeni emine kamuva iYurophu yayisicekeleke phansi. IJalimane, iRussia, neAustria-Hungary ngalinye lalahlekelwa amabutho aphakathi kwesigidi esisodwa nezigidi ezimbili. IRussia yayilahlekelwe ngisho nayinkosi yayo ekuvukeleni kwamaBolshevik kwango-1917. Yeka ukushaqeka emakhosini aseYurophu nabasekeli bawo abangabefundisi! Izazi-mlando zanamuhla namanje zisazwakalisa ukumangala. Encwadini yakhe ethi Royal Sunset, uGordon Brook-Shepherd uyabuza: “Kwenzeka kanjani ukuthi ababusi, iningi labo ababehlobene ngozalo noma ngokuganiselana futhi bonke ababezinikezele ekulondolozeni ubukhosi, bazivumele ukuba bangene ekuchithekeni kwegazi kokuqedana okwaqothula abaningi babo futhi kwashiya ababesindile bentengantenga?”

Iriphabhuliki yaseFrance nayo yalahlekelwa amasosha angaphezu kwesigidi, futhi uMbuso WamaNgisi, onkosi yawo yayisivele intengantenga kakade esikhathini eside ngaphambi kwempi, walahlekelwa angaphezu kuka-900 000. Sekukonke, kwafa amasosha angaphezu kwezigidi eziyisishiyagalolunye, futhi kwalimala amanye ayizigidi ezingu-21. Mayelana nalabo ababengalwi, iWorld Book Encyclopedia ithi: “Akekho owaziyo ukuthi bangaki ababengekho empini abafa ngenxa yezifo, indlala, nezinye izimbangela ezihlobene nempi. Ezinye izazi-mlando zikholelwa ukuthi kwafa ababengekho empini abaningi ngangamasosha.” Umqedazwe womkhuhlane waseSpain ka-1918 wavuna okunye ukuphila okungu-21 000 000 emhlabeni wonke.

Ushintsho Olukhulu

Izwe aliphindanga labuyela esimweni salo ngemva kweMpi Enkulu, njengoba yayibizwa kanjalo ngalesosikhathi. Njengoba ayemaningi kangaka amasonto eLobukholwa ayehlanganyele ngentshiseko kuyo, abaningi abasindile abaphelelwe ithemba bayifulathela inkolo balandela ukungakholelwa ebukhoneni bukaNkulunkulu. Abanye baphendukela ekuphishekeleni ingcebo yezinto ezibonakalayo nezinjabulo. NgokukaProfesa Modris Eksteins encwadini yakhe ethi Rites of Spring, iminyaka yawo-1920 “yabona ukuthanda injabulo nokuzithanda ngezilinganiso eziphawulekayo.”

“Impi,” kuchaza uProfesa Eksteins, “yahlasela izindinganiso zokuziphatha.” Amadoda nhlangothi zombili ayefundiswe ngabaholi benkolo, abezempi, nabezombangazwe ukuba abheke ukubulala abantu abaningi njengokuhle ngokokuziphatha. Lokhu, kuvuma uEksteins, “kwakumane kuwukuluhlasela okunesihluku kakhulu uhlelo lokuziphatha olwaluthi lusekelwe esimisweni sokuhle sobuJuda nobuKristu.” “Ophondweni Olusentshonalanga,” enezela, “izindlu zezifebe ngokushesha zaba izindawo ezivamile zasemakamu amabutho . . . Ophondweni lwasekhaya nakhona ukuziphatha kwaxegisa izibopho zakho. Ubufebe bakhula ngokumangalisayo.”

Ngempela, u-1914 washintsha okuningi. Wawungavezanga izwe elingcono, futhi impi ayizange ibe “impi yokuqeda zonke izimpi,” njengoba abantu abaningi babeye bathemba. Kunalokho, njengoba isazi-mlando uBarbara Tuchman siphawula: “Imibono engelona iqiniso nokushiseka okwakukade kukhona kuze kube u-1914 kancane kancane kwashona ngaphansi kolwandle lokuphelelwa ithemba okukhulu.”

Nokho, abanye ababona inhlekelele ka-1914 abazange bamangazwe izenzakalo zalowonyaka. Eqinisweni, ngaphambi kokuba kugqashuke impi, babekade belindele “isikhathi esibi kakhulu sezinkinga.” Babengobani? Futhi yini ababeyazi abanye ababengayazi?

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 5]

Umbono Oqondile WeBrithani Ngo-1914

“Cishe iminyaka eyikhulu asikho isitha esasike saqhamuka ezilwandle ezizungeze isiqhingi sethu. . . . Kwakunobunzima ngisho bokubona ngeso lengqondo ukuba nokwenzeka kosongo kulezingu ezinokuthula. . . . ILondon yayingakaze ibonakale ijabule futhi ichuma ngokwengeziwe kangaka. Kwakungakaze kube nokuningi kangaka kokwenziwa, nokokubonwa, nokokulalelwa. Abadala nabancane babengazange basole lutho ngokuthi lokho ababekubona, phakathi nenkathi engenakuqhathaniswa ka-1914, empeleni kwakuwukuphela kwenkathi ethile.”—IBefore the Lamps Went Out, kaGeoffrey Marcus.