[male narrator] Human history is equal parts

人類歷史充滿了

heroism, tragedy, and misunderstanding.

英勇，悲劇以及誤解

Very rarely have we displayed all three to such a degree

但在第一次世界大戰以前

as in the First World War.

我們鮮少將這三項表現得如此淋漓盡致

This war is called the seminal catastrophe of the 20th century

這場戰爭被稱為二十世紀災難的導火線

because without it, there is no Stalin and no Hitler;

因為沒有他，就不會有史達林，也不會有希特勒

no fascism or World War II.

不會有法西斯主義或是第二次世界大戰

Without it, we don't have a Cold War that leads us to the very brink of annihilation.

沒有他我們不會有將我們帶到毀滅邊緣的冷戰

Nor do we see the Middle East carved up by old men still bitter from four years

我們也不會看見中東地區被一群因為那四年毫無意義

of meaningless, self-inflicted catastrophe.

的自我毀滅而懷恨在心的老人瓜分

Without this war, we probably don't have 9/11

沒有這場戰爭，我們很有可能不會有9/11

or the turmoil in the Middle East today.

或是現今中東的紛紛擾擾

This war ushered in the modern age.

這場戰爭將我們帶入了現代社會

Born in a crucible of gunpowder and toxic smoke

在火藥及毒氣

and the blood of ten million men.

還有上千萬人的鮮血中鑄造

Blood spilled in war from the fields of France to the waters off America.

那些鮮血濺灑於法國的土地，遠至美國的外海

From the Russian frontier to the sands of the Middle East.

從俄羅斯的前線到中東的黃沙

From the Chinese mainland to the deepest parts of the sea.

從中國的土地到遠洋的最深處

This war broke empires.

這場戰爭摧毀了帝國

It shattered the past and forced us to give up our last ties to our medieval understanding.

他擊碎了過去並強迫我們放棄那中世紀的守舊思想

When the smoke cleared and a stunned world climbed out of its trenches,

當煙消霧散後飽受震懾的世界從戰壕中爬出

we lived in a new age with new powers, new ideas, and new terrors.

我們已進入了新的世紀，有著新的力量，新的想法以及新的恐懼

It is the defining event of the 20th century.

他是20世紀最具代表性的事件

It is the Great War.

他是世紀之戰

But it's not the war itself that we're here to talk about today.

但我們今天不是要談論戰爭本身

Hopefully, over the course of this show,

或許隨著時間過去，我們會

a bit at a time, we'll slowly, story by story,

一次一點的，一個故事一個故事慢慢

cover the sprawling events of this turning point in history.

討論這歷史轉捩點

But today?

今天呢?

Today we are focused on the events that led to this war.

今天我們要討論的是導向這場戰爭的事件

For if the war itself is the seminal catastrophe of the 20th century,

因為如果戰爭本身是20世紀災難的導火線

then the weeks before the war are its seminal tragedy.

那戰前的幾週便是他悲劇的導火線

In these next few episodes, we'll focus on the very human, very personal stories

之後數集，我們會著重於那些非常私人非常切身的故事

that led Europe to consume itself,

那些帶領歐洲自我吞噬

to ignite itself in one suicidal blaze from which it still hasn't recovered,

並將其陷入一個自毀的烈焰，甚至至今仍未復原

because it is a tragedy of the highest order.

那最高等級的悲劇

It's like a play, a Greek epic,

他就像一場戲劇，希臘史詩

a story so grand we would think it must be fiction

一場壯闊華麗到必然是虛構的故事

if the scars of the war couldn't still be seen on the fields of France.

但戰爭的傷疤仍然存在於法國的田野

It's Shakespeare living out before us.

這是莎士比亞重生

It begins with the death of a prince and his lady

他始於一個王子與他太太的死

and ends in mass slaughter the likes of which the world has never seen.

終於前所未見的屠殺

So let's set the stage.

所以讓我們來擺好舞台

For a hundred years, Europe has been at peace.

一世紀來，歐洲國家一直和平共處

There have been wars, sure, but they were minor wars, wars on the periphery,

是有幾場戰爭沒錯，但僅是小衝突，遙遠邊境的戰爭

wars without many of the Great Powers involved.

並沒有需多強權涉入

Not since Napoleon did the great states of Europe vie in bloody battle.

自從拿破崙時代以後歐洲列強不再在沙場上血戰

For after the ravages of the Napoleonic Wars,

在拿破崙戰爭的摧殘之後

the statesmen of Europe had come together

歐洲的政治家團結起來

to try to stop such a catastrophe from ever happening again.

試圖確保這樣的災難永遠不再重演

They created a system called the Concert of Europe

他們建議了一個名為歐洲協調的系統

so that whenever war seemed perilously close,

當衝突的陰雲籠罩時

the nations of Europe would come together in a congress, a conference,

歐洲各國便會召開會議

and instead come to a settlement that all parties would abide by.

並達成一項各方都會遵守的協議

But Europe has changed since those weary of the Napoleonic conflicts

但歐洲已經不再是拿破崙時代那些厭惡戰爭的人

first came together to create the Great Concert.

團結起來召開第一場歐洲協調的政治氛圍了

The first and most major change was the formation of Germany.

首要的改變是德意志帝國的興起

At the time our story begins,

在故事開始時

it's important to remember Germany as a nation was only forty years old.

德意志帝國是個建國不過40年的國家

It's a young nation, a strong one,

他是個年輕強盛個國家

a nation looking to claim its own.

試著在國際尋找自己的地位

But to say that Germany was a strong nation is to undersell the magnitude of its creation.

但僅說他強盛不足以形容他的興起的重要性

I mean to say that the birth of Germany

我要屌達的是德意志帝國的誕生

was something perhaps unique in the history of the world.

或許是史無前例的

For overnight, with the signing of a few papers,

一夜之間，在簽屬幾份文件之後

the middle of Europe was transformed from a thousand tiny squabbling states

歐洲的中心瞬間從無數個爭執不休的城邦

to the greatest land power the world had ever known.

轉化為史上最大的陸上強權

In one night, suddenly the most powerful nations of Europe,

一夜之間，歐洲最強大的幾個國家

Russia, France, Austria-Hungary, and England

俄國，法國，奧匈帝國，以及英國

were not the most powerful nations in Europe any longer.

不再是歐洲最強大的國家

Overnight in the very heart of Europe had been created a nation

在一夜之間，歐洲的中心出現了

with more manpower, natural resources, and economic strength

一個除了大不列顛帝國以外，擁有更多人力，自然資源以及經濟後盾

than any other nation in the world, except perhaps for Great Britain.

的大國，遠遠凌駕於他國之上

Moreover, this creation was cemented in the defeat of France,

況且，德國的誕生始於法國的戰敗

which at the time was considered the strongest land power in Europe,

而法國是當時歐洲最強大的陸權國家

and at the time of our story, that defeat and its memory still run deep.

在這件故事開始時，那場慘敗依然深深烙印在腦海裡

And now look at the world from the perspective of that powerful new German nation.

現在請站在德國的角度看看世界舞台

Here they are, arguably the most powerful country in the world,

在此，他們或許是世界上最強大的國家

and yet they see themselves being denied all the rights of a great world power.

但他們卻被拒絕許多世界強權應擁有的權益

Britain and France held territories across the globe.

英國和法國的殖民地遍布全球

Even the Netherlands, a nation which the might of the new Germany

甚至是荷蘭，一個德國

can wipe off the face of the earth in a week,

能在一周內踏平的國家

had colonies from Asia all the way to Africa.

從亞洲一路到非洲都有殖民地

But Germany, for all their strength,

但德國，縱使強大

had been denied those possessions simply because their nation was young.

依然被拒絕這些，僅僅因為他們的國家過於年輕

Imagine what this does to the balance of power.

想像一下這對權力平衡的影響

Imagine what this does to the geopolitical scene.

想像一下當時地緣政治的型態

Think what would happen today if, say,

想像一下如果今日

the entire EU declared themselves a single nation

整個歐盟宣布成為一個國家

with a single economy, a single military, and a single foreign policy.

有著單一的經濟，軍事，外交系統

Imagine if they said that they want greater access to Middle Eastern oil.

想像一下，當他們想要在中東的石油產業發展

And Russia and the United States said,

但美國及俄國告訴他們

“No, we were here first.”

不，我們先來的

Imagine now if representatives from Russia and the United States smiled

現在想像美國及俄國的代表微笑

and told this young nation that they'd be happy

並告訴這個年輕的國家

to continue to sell them oil at an inflated price, though.

不過呢，我們願意用高價賣石油給你喔!

This was the position Germany found itself in.

這就是當時德國所面臨的狀況

How was the Concert of Europe,

在這種情況下，歐洲協調

a system built around a balance of power and compromise,

一個建立於權力平衡和退讓的系統

to last in these circumstances?

如何在這樣的環境下維持?

And yet, for forty years, it did.

但是他真的成功地維持了四十年

And this brings us to the second major change since the Napoleonic Wars:

而這就帶我們到了拿破崙戰爭之後第二個重大的改變

The men.

人物

The seventy years after those wars was a time of giants,

戰後的七十年之間是巨人的時代

men who towered over the world stage.

這些人在世界舞台上佇立

Time and again here, Europe rolled well on the dice of history

這段時間歐洲在歷史的牌局上手氣很好

and came up with leaders who were capable of navigating an increasingly complex

不斷的出現能夠在風雨中領航的人物

and increasingly modern geopolitical world.

他們的能力足以駕馭這複雜繁瑣的政治生態

In the 1800s, Russians saw men like Alexander II,

在十九世紀，俄國出現了亞歷山大二世

who understood that Russia needed to modernize to survive.

他了解俄羅斯必須邁向現代化才能生存

He began dismantling serfdom, reformed the judicial practices,

他取消了農奴制度，改良了司法

encouraged universities and pursued peace,

鼓勵大學的建置以及推廣和平

understanding that Russia was in no position to fight the major European powers.

因為他了解俄國不足以挑戰歐洲各個強權

Like all the men here, this guy was not all chuckles and sunshine.

像所有的領袖一樣，他也不是個軟弱的人

Alexander II brutally suppressed revolutionaries and separatists

亞歷山大二世凶狠的鎮壓境內的

in the territories Russia controlled.

革命軍及分離主義者

Still, he was effective without question.

不過毫無疑問地，他非常有效率

By 1900, we have in Russia Nicholas II,

到二十世紀，我們有了尼古拉二世

a deeply reactionary, deeply conservative man,

一個極為被動，極為保守的人

who history records as being of middling intellect

在歷史上他被記載為資質平庸

with neither the training nor the inclination to properly rule.

既沒有治理的意願亦沒有獲得應有的訓練

His reign is a catalog of embarrassing mismanagement.

他在位期間充滿了難堪的管理不當

This is the man who fell under the sway of the mystic Rasputin.

這是一位被秘術師拉斯普丁洗腦的人

This is a man who couldn't even coordinate his own coronation,

這是一位連自己的登基典禮都無法處理好的人

a man who let 1300 people die in a human stampede on the day he was crowned

一位讓一千三百人在他即位當天慘遭踐踏而死

because, I kid you not, there was not enough beer and pretzels.

因為，這不是開玩笑的，他準備不夠的啤酒以及椒鹽卷餅

And this is the man who held a ball that day anyway because,

這是一位依然堅持當天舞會照常舉行的男人

hey, while let a few hundred deaths spoil your day.

因為為甚麼要讓數百人的死傷破壞你的奢華慶祝呢

And this is the man who will, in the end,

而這位男人，到最後

hold the fate of the world in his hands.

會握有世界的命運在自己手中

And by this point in Austria, we have as emperor an 84-year-old man,

在這個時候的奧地利，我們有位84歲的老皇帝

two years away from his death and battered by the weight of the life he's led.

距離死期僅剩兩年，背負著一輩子累積的沉重負擔

His foreign minister, Berthold, is neither a bad man nor a stupid man,

他的外交部長，貝西托爾德，既不是個壞人也不是個愚笨的人

but he is a weak and vacillating man

但他是個軟弱且優柔寡斷的人

at a time when European politics are all about strength.

試著生存於力量大於一切的歐洲政治氛圍

And Germany?

那德國呢?

Germany during the twenty years following its creation had unquestionably

德國在建國後的二十年中擁有

one of the greatest diplomats the world has ever seen:

無庸置疑，世界上最偉大的外交官

Otto von Bismarck.

奧托 馮 俾斯麥

This is a man of great ability and great appetite;

這位男人有強大的能力以及龐大的野心

a man known to smoke three cigars at once

他以一次抽三根雪茄聞名

and down a bottle of champagne at breakfast;

並在早餐時一次喝下整瓶的香檳

a man who probably deserves an entire episode just to himself,

他值得自己的一系列影片

but for our purposes, he is the man who held the Concert of Europe together

但在這裡，他就是那位維持歐洲協調

under the incredible strain of the creation of the new German state.

在全新的德意志帝國的龐大壓力下蓬勃發展的人

His life's work was to ensure that France and Russia never allied

他畢生的工作就是確保法國與俄國絕不聯盟

so that Germany would never be surrounded.

以保證德國不被包圍

This was his nightmare, his greatest fear,

那是他的惡夢

and in this, like in many things, he turned out to be right.

而在這裡，就像所有的事情一樣，他之後被證明是正確的

He famously said that the great European conflagration

他曾經說過吞噬歐洲的戰火

would come from some damn fool thing in the Balkans,

將來自巴爾幹半島的某項蠢事

and he warned Kaiser Wilhelm II that within 20 years

並警告威廉二世，在二十年內

his bellicose policies would destroy the Kaiser Reich,

他那鷹派的政策將摧毀德意志帝國

and he was correct, almost to the day.

而他被證明是正確的，甚至幾乎分秒不差

But he was fired by Kaiser Wilhelm II,

但他被威廉二世開除了

who has too much historical baggage to get an accurate view of.

因為他背負了太多的歷史包袱而無法看清俾斯麥的建言

Suffice it to say that the Kaiser often ends up with a reputation for feeling inadequate,

威廉皇帝經常被認為與前輩有所落差

having been born with a withered arm

他出生時有一隻手萎縮

and growing up hounded by his mother,

且被母親溺愛

he came to believe that he had to prove he was masculine,

因此他總是認為必須證明自己的男子氣概

and so set out to break with Bismarck's policies

因此與俾斯麥的外交政策切割

and show that he was his own man

已宣告自己無法被人指使

by abandoning the German alliance with Russia

且擅自與俄國斷交

and moving Germany toward a much more expansionist stance.

朝向武力擴張的方向發展

He was known for being brash and impulsive with little tact,

他以武斷蠻橫且毫無外交手腕聞名

crumbling the carefully balanced alliances

恣意打碎那些維持歐洲協調運轉

that had for so long kept the Concert of Europe in place.

千絲萬縷的國際聯盟

Now to all this we have to add one last piece to the stage:

現在，舞台上只缺最後一片拼圖

Fear.

恐懼

The fear of the dying empires;

衰老的帝國們的恐懼

the fear of those once great nations

那些曾經偉大

that now so clearly saw the shadow of death approaching them from behind.

但現在看見死亡如影隨形的帝國

The Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire,

鄂圖曼帝國 奧匈帝國

and the Russian Empire.

及俄羅斯帝國

The Ottoman Empire was long known as the sick man of Europe.

鄂圖曼帝國許久以來被稱為歐洲病夫

Its decline had been long and slow

他的衰亡漫長而痛苦

with the surrounding nations taking bites out of its carcass as it slowly died.

慘遭周遭的國家蠶食鯨吞，屍體漸漸的破碎

The Austro-Hungarian Empire looked at the fate of the Ottomans

奧匈帝國在鄂圖曼土耳其的下場中

and saw shadows of what was to come.

看見了自己的陰影

They feared they'd be like the Ottomans—

他們害怕像土耳其一樣

dismantled, taken apart piece by piece until they were too weak to fight back.

一塊塊的被支解，直到無力反抗

They had once been the most powerful state in Europe,

他們曾經是歐洲最強大的帝國

but they ruled over many nations and many peoples,

但是他們統治著許多國家級許多民族

and over the 19th century, those people had asserted themselves,

隨著十九世紀慢慢過去，這些人民慢慢崛起

crying out for their own nations, crying out to be free,

要求建立自己的國家

to as people decide their own fate.

要求決定自己的命運

And so through the 19th century,

因此十九世紀中

the Austro-Hungarian Empire saw its territory chipped away

奧匈帝國看見領地慢慢的流失

as the other great nations of the Concert of Europe ruled in their conferences

因為歐洲協調的其他強權決議

that those people had a right to be free.

那些人民有權獨立

And with each loss,

而每一場失敗

those peoples that the Austro-Hungarian Empire still maintained control of

奧匈帝國依然統治的民族

agitated for their own freedom to a greater and greater extent,

就更加積極地要求自由及權益

causing unrest that rocked the empire to its very core.

並使帝國動盪

And lastly, we have the Russians.

而最後我們有俄羅斯帝國

The Russian czars ruled the largest country in the world,

俄國沙皇們統治著世界上最大的國家

but like the Ottomans, their military, economy, and infrastructure

但就像鄂圖曼帝國一樣，他們的軍事，經濟以及建設

were woefully behind the times.

都極端落後

And in 1905 when the Russians lost the war with the Japanese--

雪上加霜的是在1905年俄羅斯敗給了日本

the first time a European power had lost a war to an Asian one in modern history--

這是近代史上第一次歐洲國家被亞洲國家打敗

their weakness became eminently clear to the world.

他們的脆弱有目共睹

This loss caused a revolution that forced the czar

這場失敗造成了革命

to accept the parliament and a constitutional monarchy.

是沙皇被迫接受議會的制衡

But it wasn't in the nature of Alexander II to accept the parliament,

但低頭亞歷山大二世的性格

and he rebelled against these constraints,

因此他不斷挑戰極限

leaving his country precariously perched on the verge revolution.

令整個國家搖擺在革命邊緣

So with a new superpower in the midst of Europe,

因此隨著新帝國的崛起

fear driving crumbling empires to irrational and desperate decisions,

恐懼始舊帝國做出瘋狂與絕望的決定

and a group of leaders simply not equal to their forebears

以及遠不及先賢的一群領袖

at the task of guiding the ships of state,

演員已就位

the players are all in place.

布幕開始升起

The stage is set and the curtain begins to rise

迎來那終戰之戰