To the left, caricatures of a fallen King Albert of Belgium, Tsar Nicholas of Russia, President Poincare of France, generic (?) caricatures of an English man and a Japanese soldier, Kings Peter of Serbia, and Nikola of Montenegro engaging in a tug of war, the rope being held on the right by a German (in gray) and an Austro-Hungarian soldier. Between the teams and behind the rope stands the diminutive caped figure of King Victor Emmanuel of Italy, all hat, mustache, and chin.
Das Europaische Gleichgewicht 1914The European Equilibrium, 1914
"The attitude of Italy is remarkable. If she can be induced to join us, the Austrian Fleet will be powerless and the Mediterranean as safe as an English lake. Surely some effort should be made to encourage Italy to come forward. From leaving an alliance to declaring war is only a step."
An excerpt from Winston Churchill's history of the war. During the July 1914 Crisis, Italy concluded that Austria-Hungary's attack on Serbia was not defensive and neither met the terms of the Triple Alliance, nor compelled Italy's support. Italy declared neutrality on August 3, 1914, 'leaving an alliance' in Churchill's term. Both sides tried to entice Italy and its standing army of over a million men into war, offering Italy territory for dropping its neutral stance, proposing Trentino and Trieste in Austria-Hungary, Piedmont in France, parts of Turkey, and other spoils.
The World Crisis 1911-1918 by Winston Churchill, page 379, copyright © by Charles Scribner's Sons 1931, renewed by Winston S. Churchill 1959, publisher: Penguin Books, publication date: 1931, 2007
Italy, neutral, 1915, March, 1915-03-05, Italian Fleet, Churchill
