Ubudenge Obakhokelela Kwimfazwe Yehlabathi
Ngaba kunokuqhambuka imfazwe yehlabathi yesithathu ngengozi? Ngaba amagosa aseburhulumenteni nabacebisi bawo bezomkhosi banokungaziboni iingozi baze ngaloo ndlela babe ngunobangela wokufa kwezigidi zabantu?
ASAZI, kodwa into esiyaziyo yeyokuba yakha yenzeka into enjalo. Kwinkulungwane eyadlulayo, iinkokeli zaseYurophu zakha zathumela amazwe azo kwiMfazwe Enkulu, eyabizwa kamva ngokuba yiMfazwe Yehlabathi I, phofu zingawuqondi umonakalo onokubangelwa ziintlekele ezaziza kulandela. UDavid Lloyd George, owayeyinkulumbuso yaseBritani ukususela ngowe-1916 ukuya kutsho ngowe-1922 wavuma ukuba: “Sazifaka ngentloko emfazweni.” Khawuve ngezinye iziganeko eziphambili ezakhokelela kuloo ndyikitya yokubulawa kwabantu ngokumanyumnyezi.
Umbhali-mbali uA.J.P. Taylor uthi: “Akukho nokuba libe linye kula magosa aseburhulumenteni elalifuna imfazwe enkulu ngolwa hlobo, kodwa ayefuna nje ukugrogrisa nokuphumelela.” Umlawuli waseRashiya wacinga ukuba, kumele kwenziwe nantoni na ukuze kubekho uxolo. Akazange afune ukubopheleleka ngokubulawa kwabantu ngokumanyumnyezi. Noko ke, izithonga ezibini ezatsho ngo-11:15 kusasa ngoJuni 28, 1914, zalibetha alalawuleka ihlabathi.
Izithonga Ezibini Ezatshintsha Ihlabathi
Ngowe-1914, ukujongana ngezikhondo zamehlo okwakuphakathi kwamagunya aseYurophu kwakusele kuhambe umgama de kwabangela ukuba kusekwe amahlelo amabini angaginyaniyo: iTriple Alliance eyayiphakathi kweAustria-Hungary, i-Itali neJamani kwakunye neTriple Entente eyayiphakathi kweBritani, iFransi neRashiya. Ngaphezu koko, loo mazwe ayerhweba yaye enamaqhina ezobupolitika namanye amazwe amaninzi kuquka lawo akwiiBalkans.
Ngelo xesha, ummandla weeBalkans wawunezixholoxholo zezopolitiko ngenxa yokucinezelwa ngamazwe amakhulu, yaye kwakuzele imibutho efihlakeleyo eyayisilwela inkululeko. Kulapho iqela lolutsha lazama ukubulala iTshawe laseAustria uFrancis Ferdinand xa lalityelele eSarajevo, eBosnia ngoJuni 28.a Ukuba mbalwa kwamapolisa kuloo ndawo kwenza izinto zaba lula kweli qela. Kodwa olu lutsha lwalungamaqhitala. Omnye walo waphosa ibhombu encinane kodwa akalichana ixhoba, yaye olunye kulo aluzange lulisebenzise ithuba elavelayo. Owazibona sele ephumelele kwelo yelenqe yaba nguGavrilo Princip. Wakwenza njani oko?
Xa uPrincip wabona eli tshawe lidlula ngemoto lingenziwanga nto yibhombu, wazama ukuleqa loo moto kodwa akazange ayifumane. Etyhafile wanqumla indlela waza wangena evenkileni. Kuthe kusenjalo, linomsindo ngenxa yamalinge okubulawa kwalo, itshawe lagqiba kwelokuba litshintshe indlela ababehamba ngayo. Noko ke, lowo wayeliqhubela, wathi engazi ukuba itshawe linezo njongo, wahamba ngenye indlela kodwa kwafuneka ajike, kanti ubuyela kwicala elinoqhushululu. Kanye ngelo xesha, uPrincip waphuma evenkileni yaye waba ngathi ulibanjelwe eli tshawe, kuba lalihleli kwimoto yalo evulekileyo kwisithuba seemitha ezintathu ukusuka kuye. UPrincip waya kule moto waza wadubula izithonga ezibini, ebulala itshawe nomfazi walo.b Kuyabonakala ukuba, uPrincip, umSerbia onobuhlanga nocinga phambi konyawo, wayengayazi intlekele awayeyidala. Kodwa ke, yayingenguye yedwa owabangela iziphendu ezaziza kulandela.
Yaba Ke Iyaqala Imfazwe
Ngaphambi kowe-1914, abantu abaninzi baseYurophu babecinga ukuba iza kubanceda imfazwe. Babecinga ukuba iza kubazela neziqhamo ezihle—nakuba besithi bangamaKristu. Amanye amagosa aseburhulumenteni ayecinga ukuba imfazwe iya kulimanyanisa ilizwe ize yomeleze abantu! Ngaphezu koko, ezinye iinjengele zaqinisekisa abalawuli bazo ukuba ziza kukhawuleza ziyiphumelele imfazwe ngaphandle kwamathandabuzo. Injengele yaseJamani yazingomb’ isifuba isithi: “IFransi yona siza kuyishwabanisa ngeeveki nje ezimbini.” Wayengekho umntu owayesazi ukuba kuza kudlula iminyaka, izigidi ngezigidi zamadoda zihleli emingxunyeni zisilwa.
Ukongezelela, incwadi ethi Cooperation Under Anarchy ithi, kwiminyaka yangaphambi kwemfazwe, “lonke elaseYurophu lazaliswa bubuhlanga obungazange babonwa ngaphambili. Into yokuphehla ubuhlanga nokuzigwagwisa yangenwa nazizikolo, iiyunivesithi, amaziko eendaba nabezopolitiko.”
Abefundisi abazange benze nto kangako ukuphelisa lo moya ungathandekiyo. Umbhali-mbali uPaul Johnson uthi: “Kwelinye icala yayingamaProtestanti aseJamani, amaKatolika aseOstreliya, amaOthodoki aseBulgaria namaSilamsi aseTurkey. Kanti kwelinye ingamaProtestanti aseBritani, amaKatolika aseFransi naseItali namaOthodoki aseRashiya.” Wongezelela esithi, abefundisi abaninzi “badibanisa ubuKristu nobuhlanga. Amajoni angamaKristu eemvaba ezahlukahlukeneyo abongozwa ukuba abulalane egameni loMsindisi wawo.” Kwanabefundisi nonoongendi baphenjelelwa ukuba baye emfazweni yaye abefundisi bafela apho.
Amazwe amanyeneyo aseYurophu, awayemele athintele le mfazwe enkulu kungenzeka ukuba ngawo awayibaselayo. Kwenzeka njani oko? Incwadi ethi Cooperation Under Anarchy ithi: “Amazwe aseYurophu ayekhuselana. Lizwe ngalinye lalixhomekeke kwelinye kangangokuba xa kuyimfuneko ayekhawuleza ukuya kulwela elo lisengxakini, enoba lilo eliqhwaye udushe.”
Enye into eyaba yingozi liCebo laseJamani likaSchlieffen elathiywa ngenye indoda eyayisakuba yingqonyela yomkhosi, uNjengele uAlfred von Schlieffen. Eli cebo laliquka ukuhlasela kuqala, kuba amaJamani ayecinga ukuba ayemele alwe neFransi kunye neRashiya. Babefuna ukukhawuleza bayishwabanise iFransi ize ithi yona iRashiya isazama ukuqingqa babe sele beyihlasela. IWorld Book Encyclopedia ithi: “Lathi lakuqalisa ukusebenza eli cebo [likaSchlieffen], amazwe adibanisa imikhosi, yahla yazicacela into yokuba iYoruphu iza kutshona ingaveli nangonwele emfazweni.”
Yehl’ Intlekele
Nangona kwathi xa kwakuphandwa akwafunyanwa bungqina bokuba urhulumente waseSerbia unesandla ekubulaweni kwetshawe, iAustria yazixelela ukuba iza kuyitshayela ithi nya ingxwaba-ngxwaba yamaSlavic. Umbhali-mbali uJ. M. Roberts uthi, iAustria yayizimisele “ukuyifundisa isifundo iSerbia.”
Ngelokuzama ukucima umlilo, uNicholas Hartwig—unozakuzaku waseRashiya kwikomkhulu laseSerbia—wazama ukuba kuthethathethwane. Kodwa wamelwa yintliziyo waza wafa esentlanganisweni negqiza laseAustria. Kwathi ke, ngoJulayi 23, iAustria yathumelela iSerbia uluhlu lwezinyanzeliso olwaba zizisongelo ekugqibeleni. Ngenxa yokuba iSerbia ingazange iziphumeze zonke ezo zinyanzeliso, iAustria yaphelelwa ngumonde yaza yayeka ukuyicenga. Kanye ngelo xesha kwakungasekho lizwe liceng’ elinye.
Sekunjalo, zazisenziwa iinzame zokuthintela imfazwe. Ngokomzekelo, iUnited Kingdom yancomela ukuba kubekho inkomfa yamazwe ehlabathi, yaye umlawuli waseJamani wacenga owaseRashiya ukuba angagayi nkxaso. Kodwa izinto azizange zilawuleke. Incwadi ethi The Enterprise of War ithi: “Amagosa aseburhulumenteni, iinjengele nawo onke amazwe oyiswa bubuninzi beziganeko ezaziza kwenzeka.”
Umlawuli waseAustria, eqinisekile ukuba wayeza kuxhaswa yiJamani, wahlasela iSerbia ngoJulayi 28. IRashiya yaxhasa iSerbia yaza yazama ukuthintela iAustria ngokubachazela ngamajoni asisigidi ayeza kuwathumela kumda waseAustria. Ngenxa yokuba loo nto yayiza kushiya umda ophakathi kweRashiya neJamani ungakhuselekanga, umlawuli waseRashiya wawathumela onke amajoni akhe nangona wayemathidala.
Lo mlawuli waseRashiya wazama ukuqinisekisa owaseJamani ukuba akazimiselanga ukuyihlasela iJamani. Sekunjalo ukuhlasela kweRashiya kwenza ukuba iJamani isukume msinya, kuba ngoJulayi 31 iJamani yaqalisa ukusebenzisa icebo likaSchlieffen, ngokuthi ithumele izijoli zemfazwe kwiRashiya ngoAgasti 1 kwaza kwathi kungaphelanga neentsuku ezimbini yathumela kwiFransi. Kwathi kuba iJamani yayiza kunqumla eBelgium xa isiya kulwa, iBritani yalumkisa iJamani ukuba iza kulwa nayo ukuba nje ikhe yathi cakatha eBelgium. Amajoni aseJamani anqumla eBelgium ngoAgasti 4. Yehla ngolo hlobo ke intlekele.
“Olona Lwanyovu Lwakha Lwakho Phakathi Kwamazwe Kule Mihla”
UNorman Davies wabhala wathi: “Ukuqalisa imfazwe kweBritani kwaba negalelo kolona lwanyovu lwakha lwakho phakathi kwamazwe kule mihla. Omnye umbhali-mbali uEdmond Taylor wabhala wathi emva kokuba iAustria ithe iya emfazweni ngoJulayi 28, “isiphithiphithi esasilapho saba negalelo ekuphehleni [imfazwe]. Kwenzeka izinto ezininzi, ngokukhawuleza kwiindawo ezininzi. . . . Abona bantu bahluzekileyo babengasakwazi ukwamkela izinto ababezixelelwa.”
Amajoni nabantu abaqhelekileyo abali-13 lezigidi bafa kweso “siphithiphithi.” Kwaphela ithemba ngekamva loluntu xa abantu ekuthiwa bachubekile bathatha izixhobo ezinamandla nezazisandul’ ukuveliswa baza baxhelana ngendlela engaphaya kwengqondo. Azizange ziphinde zifane izinto ehlabathini.—Bona ibhokisi ethi “IMfazwe Yehlabathi—Ngaba Ngumqondiso Wamaxesha?”
[Imibhalo esemazantsi]
a IBosnia le sele iyintw’ enye neHerzegovina.
b UPrincip wambulala ngokutyhuthuzela umfazi wetshawe. Umntu awayeneenjongo zokumbulala yirhuluneli yaseBosnia, uNjengele Potiorek, owayekhwele nesi sibini sasebukhosini kuloo moto, kodwa ikho nje into eyamphazamisayo kwezo njongo zakhe.
[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 20]
IMFAZWE YEHLABATHI—NGABA NGUMQONDISO WAMAXESHA
IBhayibhile yaprofeta yathi iimfazwe ziya kuba ngumqondiso ophawula imihla yokugqibela yeli hlabathi lingendawo. (Mateyu 24:3, 7; ISityhilelo 6:4) Ukuzaliseka kweso siprofeto namhlanje kubonisa ukuba akusentsuku zatywala ngaphambi kokuba uBukumkani bukaThixo buthath’ iintambo zolawulo emhlabeni.—Daniyeli 2:44; Mateyu 6:9, 10.
Ngaphezu koko uBukumkani bukaThixo buza kususa impembelelo engabonakaliyo kwimicimbi yehlabathi—imimoya engendawo ekhokelwa nguSathana uMtyholi. Eyoku-1 kaYohane 5:19 ithi: “Ihlabathi liphela lisemandleni ongendawo.” Impembelelo embi kaSathana iye yanegalelo kwiingxaki ezininzi zoluntu, eziquka iziganeko ezimasikizi ezakhokelela kwiMfazwe Yehlabathi I—ISityhilelo 12:9-12.c
[Umbhalo osemazantsi]
c Inkcazelo eyongezelelekileyo ngemihla yokugqibela nangoomoya abangendawo unokuyifumana kwincwadi yokufunda iBhayibhile ethi Yintoni Ngokwenene Efundiswa YiBhayibhile? epapashwe ngamaNgqina kaYehova.
[Inkcazelo]
U.S. National Archives photo
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 19]
Ukubulawa kweTshawe uArchduke Ferdinand
[Inkcazelo]
© Mary Evans Picture Library