On May 23, 1915 Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary, its former ally as a member of the Triple Alliance. Clasping the hands of the German and Austro-Hungarian emperors Wilhelm II and Franz Josef, Italy's king Victor Emmanuel III conceals the tattered document behind his back.

Ihr Völker merkt für jetzt und später

So schwor zum Dreibund der Verräter



Your people note both now and later,

Thus swore to the Triple Alliance the traitor.



Reverse:

Militäramtlich genehmigt (Officially approved by the military)

Logo: EMM No. 9

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Sunday, December 20, 1914

"'Italy is keeping strictly neutral,' the lieutenant said to him to cheer him up. 'She's . . .'

'Then why doesn't she admit that she's bound by the Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Germany?' the hop-merchant suddenly burst out in anger. His head became suddenly full of everything — hops, his wife, the war. 'I expected that Italy would march against France and Serbia. The war would then have been over. The hops in my stores are rotting, in the home market trade is poor, export amounts to nothing, and Italy is keeping strictly neutral. Why did Italy renew her Triple Alliance with us in 1912? Where is the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Marquis of San Giuliano? What's that gentleman doing? Is he asleep or what? Do you know what annual turnover I had before the war and what I have now?"

Quotation Context

On December 20, 1914, the Good Soldier Švejk was batman to Lieutenant Lukáš who had an affair with the wife of a hops merchant. She turned up at the door of the Lieutenant to stay 'for a few days' when he was expecting another woman to make her quarterly three-day visit. Rather than welcoming his surprise guest, the Lieutenant sent a telegram to her husband announcing his address as her new one. When the merchant arrived, the Lieutenant and he, rather than addressing their awkward situation, discussed the war, the supposed success Austria-Hungary was having against Russia and Serbia, and the success of the Turks. The hops merchant then lamented the markets he has lost for his product in Paris, Belgium, Warsaw, and other outlets the war made inaccessible. His agitation led him to discuss Italy, a market he feared he would lose if Italy, a member of the Triple Alliance that had declared neutrality, joined the Triple Entente and declared war on Austria-Hungary.

Source

The Good Soldier Švejk by Jaroslav Hašek, page 186, copyright © Cecil Parrott, 1973 (translation), publisher: Penguin

Tags

Triple Alliance, Italy, 1914-12-20, December, 1914, Schweik, Švejk, Good Soldier Švejk, Good Soldier Schweik