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352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1936
And when, in 1918, America's President Wilson announced that he wanted a just peace in which each nation would determine its own fate, many of their troops gave up....Then, having understood from President Wilson that there was to be a peace treaty, and that negotiations were to be held in the ancient royal palaces of Versailles, St Germain and the Trianon, Austria, Hungary and Germany sent envoys to Paris, only to discover that they were excluded from these negotiations....So this was how President Wilson kept his promises. (What you have just read is what I believed to be true when I wrote this account, but read my explanation in the final chapter of this book.)Gombrich first wrote this book in Germany in 1935. The edition I read was the English edition revised and prepared by Gombrich sometime between 1990 and 2005. He could easily have simply revised the first paragraph but he kept it the way it was first written, both preserving and admitting his mistake. Written primarily for schoolchildren, I think these two passages teach kids the most important lesson about history and about life: Check your facts and if you got it wrong, revise your beliefs and don't be afraid to admit it. In this day and age of truthiness, I think this one lesson is worth Glenn Beck鈥檚 weight in gold.
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The role played by America's President Wilson was not at all what I had imagined. I described a situation in which Wilson made promises to the Germans and Austrians which he failed to keep. I firmly believed that what I remembered had to be right -- after all, it was part of my own experience -- and when I wrote about it later I just wrote down what everyone believed. But I should have checked my facts, as all historians must be especially careful to do. To cut a long story short, President Wilson did indeed make a peace offer early in 1918, but because Germany and Austria and their allies were still hoping to win the war, they ignored it. Only when the war had dragged on for ten more months, and they had been defeated with very heavy losses, were they prepared to accept the President's proposal. But by then it was too late.
賱賷爻 鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱毓丕賱賲 貙賲毓 賰賱 丕賱丕爻賮貙 賯氐賷丿丞 噩賲賷賱丞 貙 丕賳賴 賱丕 賷鬲睾賷乇 賰孬賷乇丕 貙 賵睾丕賱亘丕貙 賮丕賳 賲丕 賷鬲賰乇乇 丕賱賲乇丞 鬲賱賵 丕賱賲乇丞 賴賵 丕賱丕卮賷丕亍 丕賱亘睾賷囟丞
丕毓乇賮 乇丕賴亘丕 亘賵匕賷丕 丨賰賷賲丕 賯丕賱 賷賵賲丕 賮賷 丨丿賷孬 賱賴 賲毓 丕亘賳丕亍 賵胤賳賴 丕賳賴 賷賵丿 丕賳 賷賮賴賲 賱賲 賳毓鬲賯丿 賳丨賳 丕賳 卮禺氐丕 賷鬲亘丕賴賶 亘丕賳賴 丕賱丕匕賰賶貙 丕賱丕賯賵賶 貙 丕賱丕卮噩毓貙 丕賵 丕賱丕賰孬乇 賲賵賴亘丞 毓賱賶 丕賱丕乇囟 賷亘丿賵 爻禺賷賮丕 賵賲丨乇噩丕 賱賳賮爻賴貙 亘賷賳賲丕 毓賵囟丕 毓賳 (丕賳丕) 毓賳丿賲丕 賷賯賵賱 賴匕丕 丕賱卮禺氐 (賳丨賳 丕賱卮毓亘 丕賱丕匕賰賶 貙丕賱丕賯賵賶 貙 丕賱丕卮噩毓貙 丕賱丕賰孬乇 賲賵賴亘丞 毓賱賶 爻胤丨 丕賱丕乇囟) 賷氐賮賯 賱賴 丕亘賳丕亍 賵胤賳賴 亘丨賲丕爻 賵賷爻賲賵賳賴 賵胤賳賷丕.
賱丕 賷賵噩丿 卮賷亍 賵胤賳賷 賮賷 匕賱賰.
賷爻鬲胤賷毓 丕賱丕賳爻丕賳 丕賳 賷鬲毓賱賯 亘賵胤賳賴 賲賳 丿賵賳 丕賱丨丕噩丞 丕賱賶 丕賱丕氐乇丕乇 毓賱賶 丕賳 亘賯賷丞 爻賰丕賳 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賱丕 賯賷賲丞 賱賴賲.
丕賳馗乇 賲乇丞 兀禺乇賶 廿賱賶 賴匕賴 丕賱賳賯胤丞. 廿賳賴
賴賳丕賰: 丕賱賵胤賳.
賴丕 賳丨賳.
毓賱賷賴丕 賷賵噩丿 賰賱 賲賳 鬲丨亘賴 賰賱 賲賳 鬲毓乇賮賴 賰賱 賲賳
爻賲毓鬲 毓賳賴 賰賱 廿賳爻丕賳 賰丕賳 賲賵噩賵丿丕 賮賷 兀賷 賵賯鬲. 廿賳 噩賲賷毓 兀賮乇丕丨賳丕 賵賲毓丕賳丕鬲賳丕
賵丌賱丕賮 丕賱兀丿賷丕賳 賵丕賱兀賷丿賷賵賱賵趩賷丕鬲 賵丕賱賲匕丕賴亘 丕賱丕賯鬲氐丕丿賷丞 丕賱賵丕孬賯丞 賰賱 賯賳丕氐 兀賵
賲睾賷乇 賰賱 亘胤賱 兀賵 噩亘丕賳 賰賱 賲亘丿毓 兀賵 賲丿賲乇 賱賱丨囟丕乇丞 賰賱 賲賱賰 兀賵 賮賱丕丨 賰賱
卮丕亘 賵賮鬲丕丞 賲鬲丨丕亘賷賳貙 賰賱 兀賲 賵賰賱 兀亘 賰賱 胤賮賱 賵丕毓丿 賰賱 爻賷丕爻賷 賮丕爻丿 賰賱
禄賳噩賲 賱丕賲毓 芦 賲賳 賳噩賵賲 丕賱賮賳 賰賱 禄賯丕卅丿 兀毓賱賶 芦 賰賱 賯丿賷爻 兀賵 丌孬賲 賮賷 鬲丕乇賷禺 賳賵毓賳丕
賯丿 毓丕卮 賴賳丕 毓賱賶 賴匕賴 丕賱匕乇丞 賲賳 丕賱睾亘丕乇 丕賱毓丕賱賯丞 賮賷 卮毓丕毓 卮賲爻.
賵賷毓丿 賰賵賰亘 丕賱兀乇囟 賲爻乇丨丕 氐睾賷乇丕 噩丿丕 賮賷 爻丕丨丞 賰賵賳賷丞 卮丕爻毓丞. 鬲兀賲賱
賰賱 兀賳賴丕乇 丕賱丿賲 丕賱鬲賷 兀乇丕賯賴丕 丕賱噩賳乇丕賱丕鬲 賵丕賱兀亘丕胤乇丞 丨鬲賶 賷氐亘丨賵丕 兀爻賷丕丿丕 廿匕丕
賲丕 賳噩丨賵丕 賮賷 鬲丨賯賷賯 丕锘燂护锖犡� 賵丕賱丕賳鬲氐丕乇 賵賱賮鬲乇丞 賵噩賷夭丞 禺丕胤賮丞 毓賱賶 賰爻乇丞
囟卅賷賱丞 賲賳 賴匕賴 丕賱賳賯胤丞. 賵鬲兀賲賱 丕賱兀毓賲丕賱 丕賱賵丨卮賷丞 丕賱賱丕賳賴丕卅賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 賲丕乇爻賴丕
爻賰丕賳 兀丨丿 兀乇賰丕賳 賴匕丕 丕賱毓賳氐乇 丕賱囟卅賷賱 毓賱賶 爻賰丕賳 丌禺乇賷賳 賮賷 乇賰賳 丌禺乇
廿賳賳丕 亘氐毓賵亘丞 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 賳賲賷夭賴賲 亘毓囟賴賲 毓賳 亘毓囟. 鬲乇賶 賲丕 賲丿賶 爻賵亍 丕賱賮賴賲
亘賷賳賴賲 賵賲丕 賲丿賶 乇睾亘鬲賴賲 賮賷 賯鬲賱 亘毓囟賴賲 亘毓囟丕 賵賲丕 賲丿賶 丕卮鬲毓丕賱 賲丕 亘賷賳賴賲
賲賳 賰乇丕賴賷丞?
廿賳 賳賯胤丞 丕賱囟賵亍 丕賱亘丕賴鬲丞 賴匕賴 鬲賯賮 賲鬲丨丿賷丞 兀賵囟丕毓賳丕 丕賱賲氐胤賳毓丞 賵賲丕
賳鬲氐賵乇賴 賲賳 兀賴賲賷丞 匕丕鬲賷丞 賮囟賱丕 毓賲丕 賱丿賷賳丕 賲賳 兀賵賴丕賲 丨賵賱 賵囟毓賳丕