“Diversos acontecimentos de grande importância tiveram lugar ontem para trazer uma luz à crescente crise austro-sérvia. Primeiramente, a Áustria-Hungria declarou guerra à Sérvia.” Essa é nossa livre tradução da notícia do jornal britânico Daily Telegraph sobre o início da Grande Guerra.
De fato, muito interessante é ver como as pessoas da época percebiam os acontecimentos. Vale a pena a leitura do jornal, mesmo que sua apresentação seja a típica dos diários da primeira metade do século passado, com muita informação, em letras minúsculas, várias colunas por página e a ênfase à informação e não à forma. Interessante, também, como muitas notícias poderiam ser quase que literalmente publicadas hoje, sem que se notasse que são de um século atrás (por exemplo, “os mercados abalados”) e a publicidade da época, como a da Kodak.
Para acessar a edição do dia 29 de julho de 1914 do Daily Telegraph, clique Telegraph1914_2907_2983878a.
Daily Telegraph July 29 1914
The conflagration starts as Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
“Several developments of great importance took place yesterday to throw light upon the situation arising out of the Austro-Servian crisis. In the first place, Austria-Hungary has declared war on Servia.” Thus in an extraordinarily understated way on page 11, the Telegraph starts to report the outbreak of war on the continent. Further on the page is another case of litotes as another report calls the declaration of war a “serious development.”
Our correspondent in Paris writes “the hopes of preserving general peace are still slender,” as all eyes turned now to Russia – how would she react to a military attack on a fellow Slavic state? The third of the several developments was reported to be negotiations between her and Austria – if Russia did come in then Germany, which in the second development announced its refusal to participate in Sir Edward Grey’s proposed mediation, would surely do so as well as Austria’s ally, and then France as Russia’s ally would surely be dragged in as well.
Page 6 helpfully gives the dispositions of the Austrian and Russian armies as Europe was teetering on the precipice.
Also in today’s paper
– As well as the dispositions noted above, page 6 also contains a “Special Daily Telegraph War Map” although what exactly it is meant to illustrate is a tad unclear – it seems to be more about the main rail routes in Eastern Europe than anything
– Harrods illustrates its new Early Autumn Wear – page 9. Below, an advert proclaims “A holiday without a Kodak is a holiday wasted”
– “Astonishing scenes” as Madame Caillaux is acquitted of the voluntary homicide with premeditation of Gaston Calmette – pages 11 and 12. Our Own Correspondent suggests the jury did not want to convict her on this charge because of the severity of the sentence this would entail
– “Markets alarmed” by the war crisis – page 13
– There may be war breaking out in Europe, but that doesn’t stop army bands playing for the delectation of those in Bexhill-on-Sea – see “By the Silver Sea” on page 14
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/10993004/Daily-Telegraph-July-29-1914.html
Frumentarius 