Amaphutha Aholela Empini Yomhlaba

Kungenzeka yini impi yezwe yesithathu iqale ngephutha? Ingabe abaholi bamazwe nabeluleki babo bezempi bangenza iphutha ngezinto ezingabangela ukulahleka kokuphila kwezigidi zabantu?

ASAZI. Kodwa esikwaziyo ukuthi lokhu kuke kwenzeka. Ekhulwini leminyaka edlule, abaholi baseYurophu bafaka izizwe zabo eMpini Enkulu, kamuva eyabizwa ngokuthi IMpi Yezwe I, bengaqapheli ukuthi yayizoba nesihluku esikhulu kangakanani. OwayenguNdunankulu waseBrithani kusukela ngo1916-1922, uDavid Lloyd George, wavuma: “Sacwila empini singaqaphele.” Cabangela ezinye izenzakalo ezivelele ezaholela kulokhu kubulala okuyisihluku.

Isazi sezomlando u-A. J. P. Taylor, sabhala: “Akekho kubaholi bamazwe owayefuna impi enkulu, kodwa babefuna ukwesabisa futhi befuna ukunqoba.” Umbusi waseRussia wayenomuzwa wokuthi, kufanele kwenziwe konke okungenziwa ukuze kugcinwe ukuthula. Wayengifuni ukuba necala lokufa kwabantu okunyantisayo. Kodwa, ngandlela-thile, ngokuqhuma kabili kwesibhamu ngo-11:15 ekuseni, ngo-June 28, 1914, izinto zaphuma ezandleni.

Ukuqhuma Kabili Kwesibhamu Okwashintsha Umhlaba

Ngo-1914, ubutha obase bunesikhathi eside bukhona phakathi kwemibuso yaseYurophu base bubangele ukwesaba futhi baveza umfelandawonye wezinhlangothi zamazwe ezimbili eziphikisanayo: i-Triple Alliance (Umfelandawonye Wamazwe Amathathu) i-Austria-Hungary, i-Italy neJalimane ne-Triple Entente (Isivumelwano Sobungane Samazwe Amathathu) iBrithani, iFrance neRussia. Ngaphezu kwalokho, lawo mazwe ayenezivumelwano zezombangazwe nezomnotho namanye amazwe, kuhlanganise nawaseBalkan.

Ngaleso sikhathi, endaweni eyayibizwa ngokuthi iBalkans isimo sezombangazwe sasingazinzile ngaphansi kokubusa kwemibuso enamandla, futhi yayigcwele izinhlangano zomshoshaphansi ezazilwela inkululeko. Lapho, kwakuneqembu lentsha elaliceba ukubulala iNkosana yase-Austria uFrancis Ferdinand lapho ivakashela eSarajevo, inhloko-dolobha yaseBosnia ngo-June 28.a Ngenxa yokuthi amaphoyisa ayembalwa umsebenzi waleli qembu waba lula. Nokho labo ababezoyibulala babengaqeqeshiwe kahle. Osemusha othile wajikijela ibhomu elincane kodwa wageja, nabanye bahluleka ukwenza okuthile ithuba lisekhona. UGavrilo Princip, nguyena owaphumelela kubabophi bozungu, naye ngenhlanhla. Kanjani?

UPrincip lapho ebona inkosana idlula ngemoto ingashaywanga ibhomu, wazama ukuya emotweni yayo kodwa wahluleka. Edangele, wawela umgwaqo waya ethilomu. Phakathi naleso sikhathi, inkosana icasulwe umzamo wokuyibulala ngebhomu, yanquma ukuhamba ngenye indlela. Kodwa umshayeli wayo engazi ngalolu shintsho, wathatha indlela okungeyona kwase kudingeka ukuba aphinde ajike. Ngaso leso sikhathi, uPrincip waphuma ethilomu wazithela phezu kwenkosana idlula ngemoto yayo evuleke phezulu, iqhele ngebanga elingamamitha amathathu. UPrincip wasondela eduze kwemoto wadubula kabili, wabulala inkosana nomkayo.b Lo mSerbia onobandlululo, wayengazi ukuthi ngalesi senzo sobuwula wayesesuse olukhulu uthuthuva. Kodwa, akuyena yedwa okwakufanele asolwe ngezinto ezimbi ezazizokwenzeka.

Iyahloma

Ngaphambi kuka-1914, izingqondo zabantu baseYurophu zazithambekele empini. Babeyibona izuzisa, ihloniphekile futhi iletha udumo—nakuba babethi bangamaKristu. Abanye ababusi babenanenkolelo yokuthi impi izobangela ubunye besizwe futhi yenze abantu babe nogqozi! Ngaphezu kwalokho, ojenene abathile baqinisekisa abaholi babo ukuthi impi inganqotshwa ngokuphelele ngokushesha okukhulu. Eqhosha, ujenene waseJalimane wathi, “IFrance sizoyinqoba ngamasonto amabili nje.” Akekho owabona kusengaphambili ukuthi izigidi zabantu zazizohileleka empini iminyaka eminingi.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, eminyakeni eyandulela impi, “kwaba nokubandlululana kwezizwe okukhulu eYurophu,” kusho incwadi ethi Cooperation Under Anarchy. “Izikole, amayunivesithi, amaphephandaba nabezombangazwe bahlangana ekubhebhezeleni lokhu kubandlululana nokuziqhayisa.”

Kuncane kakhulu okwenziwa abaholi benkolo ukuze baqede lo moya omubi. Isazi-mlando uPaul Johnson sithi: “Ngakolunye uhlangothi kwakuyiJalimane yamaProthestani, i-Austria yamaKatolika, iBulgaria yama-Orthodox, neTurkey yamaSulumane. Kolunye uhlangothi kwakuneBrithani yamaProthestani, iFrance ne-Italy yamaKatolika kanye neRussia yama-Orthodox.” Uyanezela, abefundisi abaningi, “babevumelanisa ubuKristu nokushisekela ubuzwe. Amasosha angamaKristu azo zonke izinkolo anxuswa ukuba abulalane egameni loMsindisi wawo.” Kwabuthwa ngisho nabapristi nezindela, futhi kamuva izinkulungwane zalabo bantu zafela empini.

Imifelandawonye yaseYurophu, okwakufanele ibe yisivikelo ngezinga elikhulu empini, kungenzeka yaba nesandla ekuyibhebhezeleni. Kanjani? I-Cooperation Under Anarchy ithi: “Ukulondeka kwemibuso yaseYurophu kwakuncike kakhulu ekubambisaneni. Umbuso ngamunye wawunomuzwa wokuthi ukulondeka kwawo kuncike kubangane bawo futhi ngenxa yalokho yazizwa ibophekile ukusheshe ivikele abangane bayo—ngisho noma kwakuyibo abasukele abahlaseli babo.”

Enye into eyayiyingozi, kwakuyicebo lezempi lamaJalimane elaqanjwa ngegama likajenene wezempi wakhona u-Alfred von Schlieffen, elibizwa ngokuthi yi-Schlieffen Plan. Leli cebo elalihlanganisa ukugadla kuqala uphindelela, lahlelwa ngoba kucatshangwa ukuthi iJalimane kwakuzodingeka ilwe neFrance neRussia. Ngakho, umgomo wayo kwakuwukunqoba iFrance ngokushesha bese kuhlaselwa iRussia eyayisazilungiselela. “Lapho leli cebo [likaSchlieffen] selihlelwe kahle, ukuba khona kwemifelandawonye yezempi kwavele kwaqinisekisa ukuthi kwakuzoba nempi eYurophu,” kusho i-World Book Encyclopedia.

Kusuka Uthuthuva

Nakuba uphenyo olusemthethweni lungatholanga bufakazi bokusola uhulumeni waseSerbia ngokubulawa kwenkosana, i-Austria yayizimisele ukuluqeda unomphela ulaka lwamaSlavic. I-Austria yayizimisele “ukufundisa iSerbia isifundo,” kusho isazi-mlando uJ. M. Roberts.

Ezama ukudambisa isimo, uNicholas Hartwig—inxusa laseRussia enhloko-dolobha yaseSerbia—wahlela ukuba kwenziwe isivumelwano. Kodwa wabulawa yisifo senhliziyo phakathi nomhlangano nezikhulu zase-Austria. Ekugcineni ngo-July 23, i-Austria yathumelela iSerbia uhlu lwezinto ezifunayo ezaziwumnqamla-juqu. Ngenxa yokuthi iSerbia yayingenakuzamukela zonke, i-Austria yabunqamula ngokushesha ubudlelwano nayo. Phakathi naleso sikhathi esibucayi, ubudlelwano baphela.

Noma kunjalo, kwenziwa imizamo eminingana yokugwema impi. Ngokwesibonelo, i-United Kingdom yasikisela ukuba kube nomhlangano wamazwe omhlaba, kanti umbusi waseJalimane wanxusa umbusi waseRussia ukuthi angahlomi. Kodwa izinto zaphuma esandleni. Incwadi ethi The Enterprise of War, ithi: “Ababusi, ojenene nazo zonke izizwe bamangazwa izinga izinto ezazizokwenzeka ngalo.”

Umbusi wase-Austria, esekelwa yiJalimane, wahlasela iSerbia ngo-July 28. IRussia yasekela iSerbia, ngaleyo ndlela izama ukunqanda i-Austria ngokumemezela ukuthi yayizothumela amasosha ayo ayisigidi emngceleni wakulelo zwe. Ngenxa yokuthi ukwenza kanjalo kweRussia kwakuzoshiya umngcele ongaseJalimane ungavikelwe, umbusi wayo waba manqikanqika ukuthumela wonke amasosha.

Umbusi waseRussia wazama ukuqinisekisa umbusi waseJalimane ukuthi wayengahlosile ukuyihlasela. Noma kunjalo, ukuhloma kweRussia kwenza iJalimane yahlela ukugadla kuqala, futhi ngo-July 31, yaqala ukusebenzisa icebo lezempi likaSchlieffen, yaqala ukulwa neRussia ngo-August 1, ngemva kwezinsuku ezimbili yalwa neFrance. Ngenxa yokuthi amasu empi eJalimane ayehilela ukudabula phakathi kweBelgium, iBrithani yaxwayisa iJalimane ngokuthi yayizolwa nayo uma ingakunaki ukungathathi hlangothi kweBelgium. Amabutho aseJalimane angena eBelgium ngo-August 4. Isibhicongo saqala.

“Inhlekelele Enkulu Kunazo Zonke Yokusebenzelana Kwamazwe Omhlaba Namuhla”

Isazi-mlando uNorman Davies, sabhala: “Ukumemezela kweBrithani impi kwaba nomthelela omkhulu enhlekeleleni yokusebenzelana kwamazwe omhlaba ezikhathini zanamuhla.” Esinye isazi-mlando u-Edmond Taylor sabhala ukuthi ngemva kokuba i-Austria iqale impi ngo-July 28, “ukwenza izinto ngokuphamazela kwaba nendima ephawulekayo ekugqugquzeleni impi. Kuningi okwakwenzeka ngokushesha okukhulu ezindaweni eziningi kakhulu. . . . Abantu abahlakaniphile nabanengqondo ehlelekile babengasakwazi ukuhlaziya nokucubungula le mininingwane ababeyinikeziwe.”

Amasosha angaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-13 kanye nemiphakathi bafa ngenxa yalokhu ‘kuphamazela’ okwabangela inhlekelele. Ukuqiniseka ngekusasa nangesimo sabantu nakho kwalimala kakhulu njengoba abantu ababhekwa njengabaphucukile behlome ngezikhali ezintsha ezinamandla nezilalisa uyaca, bebulalana bodwa ngesilinganiso esingakaze sibonwe ngaphambili. Izwe lalingeke liphinde lifane.—Bheka ibhokisi elithi “Impi Yezwe—Ingabe Isibonakaliso Sezikhathi?”

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 20]

IMPI YEZWE—INGABE IYISIBONAKALISO SEZIKHATHI?

IBhayibheli labikezela ukuthi izimpi zaziyoba ingxenye yesibonakaliso esiwuphawu lwezinsuku zokugcina zaleli zwe elibi. (Mathewu 24:3, 7; IsAmbulo 6:4) Ukugcwaliseka kwalesi sibonakaliso namuhla kubonisa ukuthi sisondela ngokushesha esikhathini lapho uhulumeni woMbuso kaNkulunkulu uzobusa ngokugcwele emhlabeni.—Daniyeli 2:44; Mathewu 6:9, 10.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, uMbuso kaNkulunkulu uyosusa amandla angabonakali abusa umhlaba—imimoya emibi eholwa uSathane uDeveli. Eyoku-1 Johane 5:19 ithi: “Lonke izwe lisemandleni omubi.” Ithonya likaSathane liye laba nomthelela komaye abaningi besintu, ngokungangabazeki abahlanganisa izenzakalo eziyinhlekelele ezaholela eMpini Yezwe I.—IsAmbulo 12:9-12.c

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Umthombo]

U.S. National Archives photo

[Isithombe ekhasini 19]

Ukubulawa KweNkosana uFerdinand

[Umthombo]

© Mary Evans Picture Library