by

Shoghi Effendi

THE GOAL OF A NEW WORLD ORDER

This interactive document was designed,researched and published as a pdf by

Duane K. Troxel DrTroxel@Netscape.com 09-22-04

Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum’sComments

on

“The Goal of a New World Order”

“The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh” and “The WorldOrder of Bahá'u'lláh Further Considerations” werewritten in 1929 and 1930 respectively; they weredesigned to clarify for the believers the true mean-ing and purpose of their Faith, its tenets, its impli-cations, its destiny and future and to guide theunfolding and slowly maturing Community inNorth America and in the West to a better under-standing of its duties, its privileges and its destiny.This was followed in 1931 by a letter known as“The Goal of a New World Order,” which with anew mastery and assurance in its tone, rises abovethe level of a letter to co-workers in a commonfield and begins to reflect the extraordinary powerof exposition of thought that must characterizea great leader and a great writer. In a letter of theGuardian written in January 1932 his secretary,obviously referring to “The Goal of a New WorldOrder,” states: "Shoghi Effendi wrote his lastgeneral letter to the Western friends because he feltthat the public should be made to understand theattitude the Bahá'í Faith maintains towards prevail-ing economic and political problems. We shouldlet the world know what the real aim of Bahá'u'lláhwas." Shoghi Effendi associated this letter withthe tenth anniversary of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's passing andin it dwells at length on the condition of the worldand the change which must be brought aboutbetween its component parts in the light of theteachings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

—Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Priceless Pearl,212-213.

Dr. Moojan Momenon

“Attacks on Baha'i Institutions (1921-44)”

The period during and immediately after the FirstWorld War saw momentous changes in the MiddleEast. Apart from the more obvious politicalchanges—the break-up of the Turkish Empire, theoverthrow of the Qájár dynasty, the Bolshevikrevolution in Russia—there were many social andreligious changes: the abolition of the Caliphateand the secularization of the State of Turkey, theopposition of the new regime in Iran to the powerof the 'ulama, the promulgation of laws intended toabolish the traditions of Islam and inculcate thecivilization of the West. These sweeping changesresulted in a fundamental alteration in the nature ofthe persecution of the Bahá'ís. Instead of physicalviolence inflicted upon individuals, persecutiontook the form of attacks on the organization andinstitutions of the Bahá'ís, their schools, housesof worship, holy places and administrative bodies.And with the decline of the power of religiousleaders, the initiator of these persecutions wasusually the State itself.

—The Bábí and Bahá’í Religions, 1844-1944, xxvi.Italics and underline emphasis added.

Mr. Brent Poirer, JD has kindly donated hisnotes on this letter that can be accessed by clicking on thislink.

� 1922 Mustafa Kemal proclaims Turkey arepublic.

� 1922 Soviet states form U.S.S.R.

� 1923 First publication of Dr. J.E. Esslemont’sBahá’u’lláh and the New Era.

� 1924 Patent for TV filed by Russ-Americaninventor V. K. Zworikin.

� 1924 Triumph of Ataturk regime andabolishment of the Ottoman monarchy, theCaliphate and the disestablishment of theSunni Muslim clergy in Turkey.

� 1925 First duly elected National SpiritualAssembly of the US and Canada.

� 1925 Founding of the International Bahá’íBureau in Geneva.

� 1925 May 10, the verdict of the Muslim court

in Egypt pronounced the Bahá’í Faith anindependent religion.

� 1926 Queen Marie of Rumania becomes aBahá’í through Martha Root.

� 1927 First talking movie, The Jazzz Singer.

� 1928 First House of Worship taken over bythe Soviets and leased back to Bahá’ís.

� 1928 Nov. Holy House of Bahá’u’lláh inBaghdad brought before Permanent MandateCommission of League of Nations and theirruling was the House to be restored to theFaith. Restitution was not made by authoritiesin Iraq.

� 1928 Word “Bahá’í” registered registered withUS Patent Office as trademark.

� 1929 Formation in New York of the “NewHistory Society” by Mrs. Julie Chanler with thesupport of Covenant-Breaker, Ahmad Sohrab.

� 1929 May. NSA of the USA incorporated as avoluntary trust.This made that body a legalentity empowered to enter into contracts.

CHRONOLOGY OF BAHÁ’Í & WORLD EVENTS: 1922-1931

“The Goal of a New World Order” was written in 1931. This chronolgy lists events from 1922 to 1931 whenShoghi Effendi wrote this letter to the Bahá’ís of America & Canada.

� 1929 May. NSA of the USA incorporated as a voluntary trust. This made that body a legalentity empowered to enter into contracts.

� 1929 Keys to the Mansion of Bahji restored toShoghi Effendi..

� 1929 Oct. 24th. Great Stock Market crashfollowed by world-wide depression.

� 1929 The “Bahá’í World Union” formed inGermany by Covenant-Breaker WilhelmHerrigel as a result of the activities of RuthWhite (the “besotted woman” who foolishlychallenged the Will & Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá). See p. 90 WOB.

� 1929 Work begun on three additonalchambers in the Shrine of the Báb.

� 1929 Einstein’s “Unified Field Theory”

� 1929 Bahá’í laws of personal statusrecognized by the government in Palestine(now Israel).

� 1930 There were nine National SpiritualAssemblies: Caucasus, Egypt, Great Britain,Germany, India and Burma, Persia, Turkistanand United States and Canada.

� 1930 July Shoghi Effendi completed thetranslation of The Book of Certitude, theforemost doctrinal work of Bahá’u’lláh’sRevelation. It was printed in 1931.

� 1931 Canadian Bahá’í population: 30.

� 1931 Formation of the National SpiritualAssembly of Iraq.

� 1931 Completion and dedication of thesuperstructure of North America’s Mashriqu’l-Adkár.

The Goal of a New World Order Study Guide

The following are study materials for “The Goal of a New World Order”, the third of the Guardian’s letters included in the compilation The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh and the first of the three cited for review in the Ridván 2003 Message from the Universal House of Justice. “The Goal of a New World Order” is dated No-vember 28, 1931, when the world and the United States in particular, were in the depths of the Great Depres-sion. Europe was on the verge of another war and every continent of the globe was in great turmoil.

Some quotations appearing in this letter were indented and have therefore been counted as individual para-graphs. Paragraphs begin after the salutations.

OUTLINE OF THEMES

I. The Goal of a New World (paragraphs 1-5) 1. Tribulations hasten the gradual emergence of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. 2. Abdu’l-Bahá foresaw that the terms of the post-WWI peace created conditions for another war. 3. The world is on the verge of a calamity too awful to contemplate.

II. A War-Weary World (paragraphs 6-8) 1. Abdu’l-Bahá predicted the Balkans would continue to agitate and the Movement of the Left [i.e.,

Communism] would spread. 2. The world, on every continent, is assailed by forces it can neither explain nor control.

III. Signs of Impending Chaos (paragraphs 9-12) 1. Bahá’u’lláh declares the prevailing order to be lamentably defective. 2. Widespread upheavals in social, economic, religious and political spheres afflict all continents. 3. Cataclysmic changes are reminiscent of the fall of the Roman Empire. 4. A religious revival might emerge out of agony of shaken world. 5. Bahá’u’lláh prophecies world will continue its perversity until there suddenly will appear that which

shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then the Divine Standard will be unfurled.

IV. The Impotence of Statesmanship (paragraphs 13-14) 1. Humanity has strayed too far to be redeemed through the unaided efforts of rulers and statesmen. 2. It is towards God’s Divine Program for World Order that mankind must strive.

V. Guiding Principles of World Order (paragraphs 15-20) 1. The consequences of WWI engendered a vindictive, suspicious, fearful and competitive spirit among

European nations. 2. The world’s leaders have failed to adjust their economic and political systems to the needs of the age. 3. Leaders have been unable rid themselves of preconceived ideas and creeds and reshape the machinery

of their governments according to the standards implicit in Bahá’u’lláh’s principle of the Oneness of Mankind.

4. It behooves the world leaders to implement in its entirety the remedy prescribed by the Divine Physi-cian.

5. They should apply the principle of federalism to the relationships among peoples and nations of the world.

6. Universal Peace will be upheld by a binding Covenant that fixes boundaries and limits armaments, and provides for collective security.

7. Peace is attainable with ceaseless endeavor and indomitable determination.

The Goal of a New World Order Study Guide

Prepared by Kathy Lee, May 18, 2003

VI. Seven Lights of Unity (paragraphs 21-22) 1. Due to wondrous advances in the Century of Light (20th century), world unity is attainable in this cy-

cle, unlike previous cycles. 2. Unity in the political realm, of thought in world undertakings, of freedom, religion, nations, races and

language will inevitably come to pass.

VII. A World Super-State (paragraphs 23-26) 1. The world is sick. A skilled Physician must apply the remedy. 2. The sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its

people in one universal Cause, one common Faith. 3. Bahá’u’lláh gave principles for collective security, i.e., nations uniting to address aggression. 4. Curtailment of unfettered national sovereignty is an indispensable preliminary to the formation of fu-

ture Commonwealth of the nations of the world. 5. Features and elements of future Commonwealth are listed.

VIII. Unity in Diversity (paragraphs 27-29) 1. While protecting legitimate allegiances, it calls for a wider loyalty in service of a unified world, dis-

claiming attempts at uniformity. 2. Insists on subordination of national impulses to the imperative claims of a unified world. 3. Let obsolete institutions, social assumptions and religious formulae (that cease to promote the welfare

of the generality of mankind) be swept away.

IX. The Principle of Oneness (paragraphs 30-35) 1. Implications of this principle surpass mere reawakening of brotherhood and cooperation among peo-

ples and nations. 2. It stands associated with an institution adequate to embody its truth, demonstrate its validity and per-

petuate its influence. 3. It concerns itself not only with individuals, but primarily with relationships that bind all states and na-

tions as members of one human family. 4. Implies organic change in the structure of society. 5. This principle calls for the reconstruction and demilitarization of the whole civilized world. 6. It represents the consummation of human evolution. 7. Nothing short of the power of God can succeed in establishing it. 8. Bahá’ís are consciously forging ahead to establish Kingdom of God on earth while the spirit of world

solidarity is spontaneously arising out of the welter of a disorganized society. 9. Upon the demise of the Holy Alliance [Russia, Austria, Prussia, 1815-alliance based on Christian

principles of government] and after the great Napoleonic upheaval, the states and principalities emerged that were chiefly concerned with their rights to an independent existence or achieve national unity.

10. After WWI champions of unfettered national sovereignty rose and labored and are laboring to dis-credit principles of unity.

11. Proposals for a united states of Europe and economic union of Europe emerged but were rejected; reminiscent of stirring struggles and fierce controversies that preceded birth of the unified nations of the West.

X. The Federation of Mankind (paragraphs 36-37) 1. It was believed that it was impossible to unite the disparate colonies of America into a unified nation

due to insuperable barriers. 2. It was a more complex task to unite the American states into a single federation than that which con-

fronts a divided humanity in its efforts to achieve the unification of all mankind. 3. For so exalted a conception of the unification of mankind to occur, a suffering more intense than any

it has yet experienced must occur. A civil war in the U.S. was necessary to weld them into a Union and a Nation, in spite of the ethnic differences of its component parts.

Study Guide The Goal of a New World Order

Prepared by Kathy Lee, May 18, 2003

4. Diplomacy and education alone are insufficient for so fundamental a revolution. 5. History indicates nothing short of intense mental and physical agony have precipitated epoch-making

changes.

XI. The Fire of Ordeal (paragraphs 38-44) 1. The forces of a world catastrophe alone can precipitate such a new phase of human thought. 2. Nothing short of the fire of a severe ordeal can unify nations into a world commonwealth. 3. After WWI ‘Abdu’l-Bahá predicted another war fiercer than the last. 4. Bahá’u’lláh warned that the Federation of Mankind (World Commonwealth) is the sole means for the

salvation of a suffering world and promised that its realization is at hand. 5. Concept of Oneness of Mankind is not a pious hope but a warning and a promise. 6. The Oneness of Mankind has come to be regarded not only as a possibility but as a necessary out-

come of forces operating in the world.

XII. The Mouthpiece of God (paragraphs 45-48) 1. Bahá’u’lláh, as the Mouthpiece of God, is the only voice capable of effecting a transformation of so-

ciety as radical as that which He already accomplished in the hearts of His followers, representing di-verse and seemingly irreconcilable backgrounds.

2. Modest beginnings in the mighty transformation of society are taking shape in the world-wide Ad-ministration of Bahá’u’lláh.

3. We must assist in the final erection of the Edifice the foundations of which Bahá’u’lláh has laid in our hearts.

4. We should derive added hope and strength from the general trend of recent events, however dark their immediate consequences.

5. Might not 1963, one hundredth anniversary of Bahá'u’lláh’s Declaration, inaugurate so vast an era in human history?

STUDY QUESTIONS

(The numbers of the paragraphs which may shed light on each of the questions below are cited at the end of each question.)

1. What is the goal towards which events are leading? (1-2) 2. What were some of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s predictions about world affairs after WWI? (4, 6) 3. Was the League of Nations, the institution which America’s President Woodrow Wilson conceived, ade-

quate to ensure world order? (6) 4. When the Guardian wrote this letter in 1931, what was happening in Europe? Asia? Africa? America?

Australia? (8) 5. How does Bahá’u’lláh describe the state of the world? (9) 6. The Guardian likens the cataclysmical changes occurring to what other major world event in history? (11) 7. What might emerge from the agony of a shaken world? (11) 8. Why are the unaided efforts of the best rulers and statesmen inadequate to redeem humanity? Are man-

made schemes, principles, appeals and machinery adequate to unify mankind? (13) 9. What is the goal towards which a harassed humanity must strive? (13)

10. Are we able to fathom or visualize all the possibilities of Bahá’u’lláh’s prodigious scheme for world wide solidarity? (14)

11. The shortsightedness of the framers of the Peace Treaties has led to what consequences? (16) 12. What is the fundamental cause of this world unrest? (17) 13. The principle of the Oneness of Mankind implies nothing more or less than what? (17) 14. It behooves the leaders of the world to do what? (18) 15. What principle did ‘Abdu’l-Bahá advise an American official to apply to the relationships between the

peoples and nations of the world? (18)

The Goal of a New World Order Study Guide

Prepared by Kathy Lee, May 18, 2003

16. High-minded sovereigns should undertake the Cause of Peace. What issues should the Most Great Cove-nant address? (19)

17. What is the sovereign remedy for the world? (23) 18. What are some features of the Order anticipated by Bahá’u’lláh? (25) 19. How does the Law of Bahá’u’lláh regard patriotism, national autonomy, and diversity? (27) 20. The principle of the Oneness of Mankind concerns itself primarily with what? (30) 21. What proposals are evidence of the steady growth of unity among nations in the minds and hearts of men? (35) 22. Which task is more complex: the unification of the United States or the unification of all mankind? (36) 23. For so exalted a conception [unity of mankind] to take place, what must happen? What has been able to

precipitate those epoch-making changes that constitute the greatest landmarks in the history of human civilization? What alone can precipitate a new phase of human thought? (37-39)

24. What did the civil war achieve in the United States? (37) 25. What has come to be regarded not only as a possibility but as the necessary outcome of forces operating

in the world? (43-44) 26. What is taking shape in the world-wide Administration of Bahá’u’lláh? (45-46) 27. What are we to derive from the general trend of recent events? (47)

REFLECTION, DISCUSSION AND APPLICATION QUESTIONS

1. In paragraph 6, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá makes several predictions. Which ones have come to pass? 2. In paragraph 11, the Guardian refers to a religious revival. What signs exist today of religious revival that

the Faith can address? 3. Great suffering is required for humanity to turn toward the Divine Remedy. What signs of such suffering

exist in the world today? (36-42) 4. What is the fruit and purpose of humanity’s long suffering? How can that ultimate destiny be explained

to friends who think the world is repeating mistakes of the past and isn’t progressing? How can the prin-ciple of suffering shed light on the turmoil of current events?

5. What constructive trends has the Guardian outlined, and how can we share these trends with friends and family who are concerned about where the world is heading?

6. The Cause of Universal Peace and the provisions of the Covenant for such Peace are outlined. How can these principles be applied to current events in the world? (19-20)

7. The features of a World Commonwealth, described in paragraph 25, suggest an entirely new framework that will emerge in the future. What signs do you see already that indicate many of these characteristics are emerging?

8. How can the American Civil War be analogous to what the entire world is now experiencing and where it will lead? How can this parallel be incorporated in discussions with family, friends and associates? (37)

9. How can the principle of Federalism be used in discussions about current world affairs? (18)

IF TIME IS SHORT… Some communities will be able to conduct multiple sessions to thoroughly review these letters of the Guard-ian. As for those communities that may be able to have one or a few sessions, facilitators may want to con-sider focusing on the most significant portions of these letters in the limited time available (as opposed to starting out at the beginning of each letter and possibly never reaching the most important sections). It is sug-gested that the following sections may contain the most salient points of The Goal of a New World Order: What world leaders must do, paragraphs 18-21 A World Super-State, paragraphs 25-29 Unity in Diversity, paragraph 31 The Principle of Oneness, paragraphs 34-36 The Federation of Mankind, paragraphs 40-48

THE GOAL OFA NEW WORLD ORDER

Fellow-believers in the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh:

1 The inexorable march of recent eventshas carried humanity so near to the goalforeshadowed by Bahá’u’lláh that noresponsible follower of His Faith, viewing onall sides the distressing evidences of theworld’s travail, can remain unmoved at thethought of its approaching deliverance.

2 It would not seem inappropriate, at atime when we are commemorating the worldover the termination of the first decade since‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sudden removal from ourmidst, to ponder, in the light of the teachingsbequeathed by Him to the world, such eventsas have tended to hasten the gradualemergence of the World Order anticipated byBahá’u’lláh.

3 Ten years ago, this very day, thereflashed upon the world the news of thepassing of Him Who alone, through theennobling influence of His love, strength andwisdom, could have proved its stay and solacein the many afflictions it was destined tosuffer.

4 How well we, the little band of Hisavowed supporters who lay claim to haverecognized the Light that shone within Him,can still remember His repeated allusions, inthe evening of His earthly life, to thetribulation and turmoil with which anunregenerate humanity was to be increasinglyafflicted. How poignantly some of us canrecall His pregnant remarks, in the presence

inexorableUnstoppable; relentless; inevitable.

travailPain of childbirth; suffering; labor.

deliveranceThe act of setting free, the fact of being set free;liberation, release, rescue; escape.

inappropriateNot appropriate; unsuitable.

bequeathedGive; confer; bestow; donate; will to. Transfer to aperson with immediate effect.

ennoblingMake noble, impart nobility to; dignify; elevate or refinein character.

solaceA thing that gives comfort or consolation in sorrow,distress, disappointment, or tedium.

afflictionsThe infliction of grievous pain or trouble; self-mortification. The state of being afflicted; misery,distress. A pain, a calamity; a cause of misery ordistress.

avowedAcknowledge (a person) as one’s own. Authorize,approve. Declared; affirmed; stated.

allusionsReference to; suggestion of; mention of.

tribulationSuffering; pain; ordeal; distress; trouble.

turmoilExtreme confusion or agitation.

unregenerateNot spiritually renewed; unrepentant; stubborn.

poignantSad; emoitional; touching; heartrending; upsetting.

of the pilgrims and visitors who thronged Hisdoors on the morrow of the jubilantcelebrations that greeted the termination ofthe World War—a war, which by the horrorsit evoked, the losses it entailed and thecomplications it engendered, was destined toexert so far-reaching an influence on thefortunes of mankind. How serenely, yet howpowerfully, He stressed the cruel deceptionwhich a Pact, hailed by peoples and nationsas the embodiment of triumphant justice andthe unfailing instrument of an abiding peace,held in store for an unrepented humanity.“Peace, Peace,” how often we heard Himremark, “the lips of potentates and peoplesunceasingly proclaim, whereas the fire ofunquenched hatreds still smoulders in theirhearts.” How often we heard Him raise Hisvoice, whilst the tumult of triumphantenthusiasm was still at its height and longbefore the faintest misgivings could havebeen felt or expressed, confidently declaringthat the Document, extolled as the Charter ofa liberated humanity, contained within itselfseeds of such bitter deception as wouldfurther enslave the world. How abundant arenow the evidences that attest the perspicacityof His unerring judgment!

5 Ten years of unceasing turmoil, soladen with anguish, so fraught withincalculable consequences to the future ofcivilization, have brought the world to theverge of a calamity too awful to contemplate.Sad indeed is the contrast between themanifestations of confident enthusiasm inwhich the Plenipotentiaries at Versailles sofreely indulged and the cry of unconcealeddistress which victors and vanquished alikeare now raising in the hour of bitter delusion.

jubilantDelighted; glad; thrilled; ecstatic; triumphant.

evokedStir up; bring to mind; suggest.

engenderTo produce; to cause to exist.

sereneCalm; peaceful; quiet; still; tranquil.

deceptionThe action of deceiving or cheating; deceived condi-tion.

embodimentA person or thing who/which is a typical expression ofa quality, sentiment, etc.

potentate

A person endowed with independent power; a mon-arch, a ruler.

unquenchedThirst or desire of some kind that is unsatisfied.

extolPraise enthusiastically.

perspicacityClearness of understanding; great perception, discern-ment. Keenness of sight.

fraughtCausing or suffering anxiety or distress.

incalculableOf an amount or number too great for calculation.Unable to be estimated or forecast.

plenipotentiaryInvested with full power, esp. as the deputy,ambassador, or envoy of a sovereign ruler; exercisingabsolute or discretionary power or authority.

indulgedTreated (a person) with excessive kindness.Bestowed, granted as a favor; allowed or conceded asan indulgence.

A War-Weary World

6 Neither the force which the framers andguarantors of the Peace Treaties havemustered, nor the lofty ideals which originallyanimated the author of the Covenant of theLeague of Nations, have proved a sufficientbulwark against the forces of internaldisruption with which a structure solaboriously contrived had been consistentlyassailed. Neither the provisions of the so-called Settlement which the victoriousPowers have sought to impose, nor themachinery of an institution which America’sillustrious and far-seeing President hadconceived, have proved, either in conceptionor practice, adequate instruments to ensurethe integrity of the Order they had striven toestablish. “The ills from which the world nowsuffers,” wrote `Abdu’l-Bahá in January,1920, “will multiply; the gloom whichenvelops it will deepen. The Balkans willremain discontented. Its restlessness willincrease. The vanquished Powers willcontinue to agitate. They will resort to everymeasure that may rekindle the flame of war.Movements, newly-born and world-wide intheir range, will exert their utmost effort forthe advancement of their designs. TheMovement of the Left will acquire greatimportance. Its influence will spread.”

7 Economic distress, since those wordswere written, together with politicalconfusion, financial upheavals, religiousrestlessness and racial animosities, seem tohave conspired to add immeasurably to theburdens under which an impoverished, a war-weary world is groaning. Such has been the

guarantorA person who makes or gives a guarantee.

bulwarkA substantial defensive work; a rampart, a fortification.A mole, a breakwater. A person or principle etc. thatacts as a defence or shelter.

integrityFreedom from moral corruption; innocence,sinlessness. Soundness of moral principle; thecharacter of uncorrupted virtue; prightness, honesty,sincerity.

upheavalsA sudden or violent change or disruption. The actionor an act of heaving up; an instance of this

animositiesHatred; great dislike towards someone or something.

impoverishedMake poor, reduce to poverty. Strip of some form ofwealth.

cumulative effect of these successive crises,following one another with such bewilderingrapidity, that the very foundations of societyare trembling. The world, to whichevercontinent we turn our gaze, to howeverremote a region our survey may extend, iseverywhere assailed by forces it can neitherexplain nor control.

8 Europe, hitherto regarded as the cradleof a highly-vaunted civilization, as the torch-bearer of liberty and the mainspring of theforces of world industry and commerce,stands bewildered and paralyzed at the sightof so tremendous an upheaval. Long-cherished ideals in the political no less thanin the economic sphere of human activity arebeing severely tested under the pressure ofreactionary forces on one hand and of aninsidious and persistent radicalism on theother. From the heart of Asia distantrumblings, ominous and insistent, portend thesteady onslaught of a creed which, by itsnegation of God, His Laws and Principles,threatens to disrupt the foundations of humansociety. The clamor of a nascent nationalism,coupled with a recrudescence of skepticismand unbelief, come as added misfortunes to acontinent hitherto regarded as the symbol ofage-long stability and undisturbedresignation. From darkest Africa the firststirrings of a conscious and determined revoltagainst the aims and methods of political andeconomic imperialism can be increasinglydiscerned, adding their share to the growingvicissitudes of a troubled age. Not even inAmerica, which until very recently prideditself on its traditional policy of aloofness andthe self-contained character of its economy,the invulnerability of its institutions and the

cumulative Increasing in quantity or effect bysuccessive additions.

vauntedUse boastful or vainglorious language; brag.

cherishedTreat or regard (a person) affectionately; make muchof; fondle.sphereEnclose in or as in a sphere; encircle, surround.

reactionaryOf, pertaining to, or characterized by, reaction; thereversal of an existing political state of affairs.

radicalismAdvocating thorough or far-reaching change;representing or supporting an extreme section of aparty; Now also, left-wing, revolutionary.

portendPresage or foreshadow as an omen. Point to orindicate in advance; give warning of by naturalmeans.

negationThe action of contradicting a statement or allegation,the making of a statement involving the use of anegative word, as ‘no’, ‘not’, ‘never’, etc., (foll. by of);a refusal, a contradiction; a denial (of).

nascentIn the act of being born. In the act or condition ofcoming into existence; beginning to form, grow,develop, etc;

recrudescenceThe state or fact of breaking out afresh; a recurrence,esp. of a disease, a wound, or something unpleasant.A revival or rediscovery of something good orvaluable.

rapidity Moving or capable of moving with greatspeed; quick-moving, swift.

insidiousFull of wiles or plots; proceeding or progressingsecretly or subtly; treacherous; crafty.

vicissitudesChanges in circumstances; uncertainties or variationsof fortune or outcome.aloofnessTo hold oneself above others. To keep one’s distance.

invulnerabilityNot liable to damage or harm, especially from attack.Of a person: unable to be physically or emotionallyhurt.

evidences of its growing prosperity andprestige, has been able to resist the impellingforces that have swept her into the vortex ofan economic hurricane that now threatens toimpair the basis of her own industrial andeconomic life. Even far-away Australia,which, owing to its remoteness from thestorm-centers of Europe, would have beenexpected to be immune from the trials andtorments of an ailing continent, has beencaught in this whirlpool of passion and strife,impotent to extricate herself from theirensnaring influence.

The Signs of Impending Chaos

9 Never indeed have their been suchwidespread and basic upheavals, whether inthe social, economic or political spheres ofhuman activity as those now going on indifferent parts of the world. Never have therebeen so many and varied sources of dangeras those that now threaten the structure ofsociety. The following words of Bahá’u’lláhare indeed significant as we pause to reflectupon the present state of a strangelydisordered world: “How long will humanitypersist in its waywardness? How long willinjustice continue? How long is chaos andconfusion to reign amongst men? How longwill discord agitate the face of society? Thewinds of despair are, alas, blowing from everydirection, and the strife that divides andafflicts the human race is daily increasing.The signs of impending convulsions andchaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as theprevailing order appears to be lamentablydefective.”

extricateTo get a person or thing out of difficulty orentanglement.

vortexA whirlpool. A swirling mass of water or constantround of frenetic activity, rapid change, etc.

impotentPowerless, helpless, ineffective; physically weak,decrepit.

prevailingGenerally current or accepted.

lamentablyFull of or expressing sorrow or grief; mournful, doleful.That is to be lamented; pitiable, regrettable.Contemptible, deplorable; wretchedly bad.

10 The disquieting influence of over thirtymillion souls living under minority conditionsthroughout the continent of Europe; the vastand ever-swelling army of the unemployedwith its crushing burden and demoralizinginfluence on governments and peoples; thewicked, unbridled race of armamentsswallowing an ever-increasing share of thesubstance of already impoverished nations;the utter demoralization from which theinternational financial markets are nowincreasingly suffering; the onslaught ofsecularism invading what has hitherto beenregarded as the impregnable strongholds ofChristian and Muslim orthodoxy—thesestand out as the gravest symptoms that bodeill for the future stability of the structure ofmodern civilization. Little wonder if one ofEurope’s preeminent thinkers, honored for hiswisdom and restraint, should have beenforced to make so bold an assertion: “Theworld is passing through the gravest crisis inthe history of civilization.” “We stand,” writesanother, “before either a world catastrophe,or perhaps before the dawn of a greater eraof truth and wisdom.” “It is in such times,”he adds, “that religions have perished and areborn.”

11 Might we not already discern, as wescan the political horizon, the alignment ofthose forces that are dividing afresh thecontinent of Europe into camps of potentialcombatants, determined upon a contest thatmay mark, unlike the last war, the end of anepoch, a vast epoch, in the history of humanevolution? Are we, the privileged custodiansof a priceless Faith, called upon to witness acataclysmical change, politically asfundamental and spiritually as beneficent as

disquietingDeprive of quietness, peace, or rest; trouble, alarm,worry; make uneasy or restless.

demoralizeCorrupt the morals or moral principles of; deprave.Lower or destroy the morale or confidence of; dis-hearten.unbridledNot wearing a bridle; fig. unrestrained, unchecked.

secularismThe belief that religion and religious considerationsshould be deliberately omitted from everday affairs;the doctrine that morality should be determined solelywith regard to the well-being of humankind in thepresent life, to the exclusion of all considerationsdrawn from belief in God or in a future existence.

impregnableUnable to be taken by force. A fortress proof againstattack, unassailable.orthodoxyThe quality or character of being orthodox; belief in oragreement with what is, or is currently held to be,right, especially in religious matters.

preeminenceOutstanding excellence, superior. A person or thingthat leads all others.

assertionPositive statement; a declaration. Insistence upon aright or opinion; effective use of a power etc.

perishedCome to a violent, sudden, or untimely end; bedestroyed; cease to exist, come to an end; die.discernMark as separate or distinct; distinguish. Recognizethe difference or distinction between.

armamentsMilitary weapons and equipment.

epochA date from which following years are numbered. Thebeginning of a distinctive period in the history ofsomething or someone.

evolutionAny process of gradual change occurring insomething, especially from a simpler to a morecomplicated or advanced state; the passage ofsomething through a succession of stages.

cataclysmicalA violent event such as an earthquake, flood orpolitical or social upheaval.

beneficentDoing good; actively kind; showing or expressive ofactive kindness.

that which precipitated the fall of the RomanEmpire in the West? Might it not happen—every vigilant adherent of the Faith ofBahá’u’lláh might well pause to reflect—thatout of this world eruption there may streamforces of such spiritual energy as shall recall,nay eclipse, the splendor of those signs andwonders that accompanied the establishmentof the Faith of Jesus Christ? Might there notemerge out of the agony of a shaken world areligious revival of such scope and power asto even transcend the potency of those world-directing forces with which the Religions ofthe Past have, at fixed intervals and accordingto an inscrutable Wisdom, revived thefortunes of declining ages and peoples? Mightnot the bankruptcy of this present, this highly-vaunted materialistic civilization, in itselfclear away the choking weeds that now hinderthe unfoldment and future efflorescence ofGod’s struggling Faith?

12 Let Bahá’u’lláh Himself shed theillumination of His words upon our path aswe steer our course amid the pitfalls andmiseries of this troubled age. More than fiftyyears ago, in a world far removed from theills and trials that now torment it, there flowedfrom His Pen these prophetic words: “Theworld is in travail and its agitation waxethday by day. Its face is turned towardswaywardness and unbelief. Such shall be itsplight that to disclose it now would not bemeet and seemly. Its perversity will longcontinue. And when the appointed hour iscome, there shall suddenly appear that whichshall cause the limbs of mankind to quake.Then and only then will the Divine Standardbe unfurled and the Nightingale of Paradisewarble its melody.”

vigilantWatchful against danger, difficulty, etc.; keepingsteadily on the alert; closely monitoring a situation.

adherentA follower; one who is attached. Attached as anattribute or circumstance.

eruptionThe action or an act of bursting or breaking out fromnatural or artificial limits. A sudden occurrence ofsomething calamitous or noisy

revivalA reawakening of religious fervour, especially asresulting in a series of religious meetings held by aparticular Church or community.

potencyGreat power, authority, or influence. Power to cause aphysical effect; specially the power to intoxicate.

inscrutableThat cannot be understood by investigation; whollymysterious. Impenetrable, unfathomable.

bankruptcyA person who is hopelessly in debt. The state ofbeing, or fact of becoming, bankrupt.

materialisticThe doctrine that nothing exists except matter and itsmovements and modifications.

efflorescenceThe process, or period, of flowering.

precipitatedCause to move, pass, act, etc., very rapidly; hasten,hurry, urge on.

agitationAction, exercise of activity. The action of moving toand fro, shaking.. Mental tossing of a matter to andfro, debate, consideration. The state of being agitated;commotion, disturbance, mental or physical.

plightCondition or state. Especially an unfortunatecondition, a predicament. Manner, way.

perversityTurned away from or against what is right or good;wicked. Obstinate or persistent in error or wrongdoing.

The Impotence of Statesmanship

13 Dearly-beloved friends! Humanity,whether viewed in the light of man’sindividual conduct or in the existingrelationships between organized communitiesand nations, has, alas, strayed too far andsuffered too great a decline to be redeemedthrough the unaided efforts of the best amongits recognized rulers and statesmen howeverdisinterested their motives, howeverconcerted their action, however unsparing intheir zeal and devotion to its cause. Noscheme which the calculations of the higheststatesmanship may yet devise; no doctrinewhich the most distinguished exponents ofeconomic theory may hope to advance; noprinciple which the most ardent of moralistsmay strive to inculcate, can provide, in thelast resort, adequate foundations upon whichthe future of a distracted world can be built.No appeal for mutual tolerance which theworldly-wise might raise, howevercompelling and insistent, can calm itspassions or help restore its vigor. Nor wouldany general scheme of mere organizedinternational cooperation, in whatever sphereof human activity, however ingenious inconception, or extensive in scope, succeedin removing the root cause of the evil thathas so rudely upset the equilibrium of present-day society. Not even, I venture to assert,would the very act of devising the machineryrequired for the political and economicunification of the world—a principle that hasbeen increasingly advocated in recent times—provide in itself the antidote against thepoison that is steadily undermining the vigorof organized peoples and nations. What else,

redeemedBuy back a former possession; make payment for athing held or claimed by another. Or regain or recoveran immaterial thing

zealFervent love or devotion. Intense or passionatedesire.

doctrineA body of teaching, especially that concerning aparticular subject or set of beliefs.

ardentBurning with passion or desire; fervent, eager,zealous.

inculcateInstil an idea, habit, etc.into a person or a person’smind by repetition.

mutualOf a feeling by each of two parties towards theother(s). Having the same feelings for each other;standing in relation to another.

toleranceThe power or ability to endure something.

compellingForce to come or go (in some direction); drive or forcetogether.

ingeniousPossessing high mental ability, talented, intelligent,discerning.

equilibriumA well-balanced state of mind or feeling; equanimity,poise. A state of indecision or neutrality produced byopposing influences of equal force. A condition ofbalance between opposing physical forces.

advocatedPlead in favour of, defend; recommend publicly.

antidoteA medicine given to counteract the effects of a poison(or, formerly, a disease). Something which counteractsan evil.

might we not confidently affirm, but theunreserved acceptance of the Divine Programenunciated, with such simplicity and force asfar back as sixty years ago, by Bahá’u’lláh,embodying in its essentials God’s divinelyappointed scheme for the unification ofmankind in this age, coupled with anindomitable conviction in the unfailingefficacy of each and all of its provisions, iseventually capable of withstanding the forcesof internal disintegration which, if unchecked,must needs continue to eat into the vitals of adespairing society. It is towards this goal—the goal of a new World Order, Divine inorigin, all-embracing in scope, equitable inprinciple, challenging in its features—that aharassed humanity must strive.

14 To claim to have grasped all theimplications of Bahá’u’lláh’s prodigiousscheme for world-wide human solidarity, orto have fathomed its import, would bepresumptuous on the part of even the declaredsupporters of His Faith. To attempt tovisualize it in all its possibilities, to estimateits future benefits, to picture its glory, wouldbe premature at even so advanced a stage inthe evolution of mankind.

The Guiding Principles of World Order

15 All we can reasonably venture toattempt is to strive to obtain a glimpse of thefirst streaks of the promised Dawn that must,in the fullness of time, chase away the gloomthat has encircled humanity. All we can do isto point out, in their broadest outlines, whatappear to us to be the guiding principlesunderlying the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh,as amplified and enunciated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,

enunciatedExpress (an idea, theory, proposition, etc.) in definiteterms. Pronounce a spoken word. State publicly,proclaim.

embodyingIncorporate in a larger whole. Of a material or actualthing or person.

indomitableDifficult or impossible to subdue; resolute againstadversity or opposition; stubbornly persistent.

provisionsThe action or an act of providing something. A supplyof necessaries or materials provided, esp. of food anddrink; food etc.

disintegrationSeparate into its component parts or particles; reduceto fragments, break up, destroy the cohesion orintegrity of.

harassedTrouble by repeated attacks. Subject to constantmolesting or persecution. Tire out, exhaust.

prodigiousOf great size, extent, amount, etc.; enormous.

fathomedTo comprehend fully; understand, grasp.

visualizeMake visible to the mind or imagination (somethingabstract or not visible or present to the eye); form amental vision or image (of).

prematureOccurring, existing, or done before the usual or propertime; too early; overhasty.

ventureSpeculation about something which cannot be known.

enunciatedExpress an idea, theory, proposition, etc. in definiteterms. Speak or publicly proclaim.

the Center of His Covenant with all mankindand the appointed Interpreter and Expounderof His Word.

16 That the unrest and suffering afflictingthe mass of mankind are in no small measurethe direct consequences of the World War andare attributable to the unwisdom andshortsightedness of the framers of the PeaceTreaties only a biased mind can refuse toadmit. That the financial obligationscontracted in the course of the war, as well asthe imposition of a staggering burden ofreparations upon the vanquished, have, to avery great extent, been responsible for themaldistribution and consequent shortage ofthe world’s monetary gold supply, which inturn has, to a very great measure, accentuatedthe phenomenal fall in prices and therebyrelentlessly increased the burdens ofimpoverished countries, no impartial mindwould question. That inter-governmentaldebts have imposed a severe strain on themasses of the people in Europe, have upsetthe equilibrium of national budgets, havecrippled national industries, and led to anincrease in the number of the unemployed, isno less apparent to an unprejudiced observer.That the spirit of vindictiveness, of suspicion,of fear and rivalry, engendered by the war,and which the provisions of the Peace Treatieshave served to perpetuate and foster, has ledto an enormous increase of nationalcompetitive armaments, involving during thelast year the aggregate expenditure of no lessthan a thousand million pounds, which in turnhas accentuated the effects of the world-widedepression, is a truth that even the mostsuperficial observer will readily admit. Thata narrow and brutal nationalism, which the

afflictingDistress with bodily or mental suffering; troublegrievously.

consequencesThe action or condition of following as a result uponsomething that comes before. The relation of an effectto its cause. Sequence; succession; course.

impositionA thing imposed or inflicted; an unfair or inconvenientdemand or burden. Something imposed as apunishment.

reparationsThe action of making amends for a wrong or loss;compensation. Compensation for war damage owedby a defeated state.

maldistributionFaulty or imperfect distribution.

accentuatedEmphasize, heighten the effect.

phenomenalVery notable or remarkable; extraordinary,exceptional.

relentlesslyConstant. Unstoppable. Incapable of relenting;pitiless; insistent and uncompromising.

impartialNot favoring one side over another; unbiased, fair.

expounderExplain what is difficult or obscure. Especially tocomment on or interpret a religious text. Explain one’smeaning.

vindictivenessTending to seek revenge; characterized by a desirefor revenge; spiteful.perpetuateContinue or extend without interruption.

accentuatedHighlighted; stressed.

depressionEconomic crisis. High unemployment while money isscarce.

aggregateCombined total.

post-war theory of self-determination hasserved to reinforce, has been chieflyresponsible for the policy of high andprohibitive tariffs, so injurious to the healthyflow of international trade and to themechanism of international finance, is a factwhich few would venture to dispute.

17 It would be idle, however, to contendthat the war, with all the losses it involved,the passions it aroused and the grievances itleft behind, has solely been responsible forthe unprecedented confusion into whichalmost every section of the civilized world isplunged at present. Is it not a fact—and thisis the central idea I desire to emphasize—that the fundamental cause of this worldunrest is attributable, not so much to theconsequences of what must sooner or latercome to be regarded as a transitory dislocationin the affairs of a continually changing world,but rather to the failure of those into whosehands the immediate destinies of peoples andnations have been committed, to adjust theirsystem of economic and political institutionsto the imperative needs of a rapidly evolvingage? Are not these intermittent crises thatconvulse present-day society due primarilyto the lamentable inability of the world’srecognized leaders to read aright the signs ofthe times, to rid themselves once for all oftheir preconceived ideas and fettering creeds,and to reshape the machinery of theirrespective governments according to thosestandards that are implicit in Bahá’u’lláh’ssupreme declaration of the Oneness ofMankind—the chief and distinguishingfeature of the Faith He proclaimed? For theprinciple of the Oneness of Mankind, thecornerstone of Bahá’u’lláh’s world-

self-determinationThe right of a people to form their own governmentwithout interference.

injuriousHurtful or causing harm or injury.

mechanismThe mode of operation or a process.

grievancesComplaints of wrongs; displeasure, indignation.offense.

unprecedentedNot having occurred before.

transitoryNot permanent or lasting.

dislocationMovement from its proper place.

imperativeDemanding obedience.

convulseShake violently.

preconceivedImagine beforehand; anticipated without knowledge orexperience.

fetteringBinding, shackeling, chaining.

creedsSystems of religious beliefs. Statements of articles offaith, such as Apostle’s Creed, Nicene Creed, etc.

implicitImplied though not plainly expressed. Containedwithin but must be inferred.

embracing dominion, implies nothing morenor less than the enforcement of His schemefor the unification of the world—the schemeto which we have already referred. “In everyDispensation,” writes `Abdu’l-Bahá, “thelight of Divine Guidance has been focussedupon one central theme. . . . In this wondrousRevelation, this glorious century, thefoundation of the Faith of God and thedistinguishing feature of His Law is theconsciousness of the Oneness of Mankind.”

18 How pathetic indeed are the efforts ofthose leaders of human institutions who, inutter disregard of the spirit of the age, arestriving to adjust national processes, suitedto the ancient days of self-contained nations,to an age which must either achieve the unityof the world, as adumbrated by Bahá’u’lláh,or perish. At so critical an hour in the historyof civilization it behooves the leaders of allthe nations of the world, great and small,whether in the East or in the West, whethervictors or vanquished, to give heed to theclarion call of Bahá’u’lláh and, thoroughlyimbued with a sense of world solidarity, thesine qua non of loyalty to His Cause, arisemanfully to carry out in its entirety the oneremedial scheme He, the Divine Physician,has prescribed for an ailing humanity. Letthem discard, once for all, every preconceivedidea, every national prejudice, and give heedto the sublime counsel of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, theauthorized Expounder of His teachings. Youcan best serve your country, was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s rejoinder to a high official in theservice of the federal government of theUnited States of America, who had questionedHim as to the best manner in which he couldpromote the interests of his government and

dominionThe power or right to govern; sovereign authority.

schemeA plan, a design; an enterprise; a project.

utterComplete; absolute; entire; total.

DispensationThe sacred Word given by God’s chosen Messengerin every cycle of progressive revelation.

focussedPlace where the rays come to a point; place ofemphasis.

distinguishingDistinctive from other features; pre-eminent mark.

patheticNot adequate; exciting pity; feeble; useless.

adumbratedSketched; indicated; prefigured; foreshadowed.

behoovesRequired; properly due; obligated.

clarionTrumpet; organ-stop sound; shrill war trumpet.

remedialRedress wrongs.

preconceivedImagined beforehand.

sublimeExalted in feeling; exalted; elated.

rejoinderReply; an answer.

sine qua nonAbsolute requirement; indispensable.

consciousnessKnowledge; conviction; internal awareness.

people, if you strive, in your capacity as acitizen of the world, to assist in the eventualapplication of the principle of federalismunderlying the government of your owncountry to the relationships now existingbetween the peoples and nations of theworld.”

19 In “The Secret of Divine Civilization”`Abdu’l-Bahá’s outstanding contribution tothe future reorganization of the world, weread the following: “True civilization willunfurl its banner in the midmost heart of theworld whenever a certain number of itsdistinguished and high-minded sovereigns—the shining exemplars of devotion anddetermination—shall, for the good andhappiness of all mankind, arise, with firmresolve and clear vision, to establish theCause of Universal Peace. They must makethe Cause of Peace the object of generalconsultation, and seek by every means in theirpower to establish a Union of the nations ofthe world. They must conclude a bindingtreaty and establish a covenant, theprovisions of which shall be sound, inviolableand definite. They must proclaim it to all theworld and obtain for it the sanction of all thehuman race. This supreme and nobleundertaking—the real source of the peace andwell-being of all the world—should beregarded as sacred by all that dwell on earth.All the forces of humanity must be mobilizedto ensure the stability and permanence of thisMost Great Covenant. In this all-embracingPact the limits and frontiers of each and everynation should be clearly fixed, the principlesunderlying the relations of governmentstowards one another definitely laid down, andall international agreements and obligations

eventualResulting; that which will happen.

exemplarsTo illustrate by example. To serve as an example of.

bindingCommanding adherence to an obligation orcommitment: binding arbitration.

InviolableSecure from violation or profanation. Impregnable.

covenantA formal binding agreement; compact; contract. Seesynonyms at bargain.

sanctionTo authorize, approve, or encourage.

mobilized To make mobile or capable of movement.To assemble and prepare for or as if for war.

stabilityTo make or become stable. To maintain the stability of.

permanence

Lasting or fixed.

ascertained. In like manner, the size of thearmaments of every government should bestrictly limited, for if the preparations for warand the military forces of any nation shouldbe allowed to increase, they will arouse thesuspicion of others. The fundamentalprinciple underlying this solemn Pact shouldbe so fixed that if any government later violateany one of its provisions, all the governmentson earth should arise to reduce it to uttersubmission, nay the human race as a wholeshould resolve, with every power at itsdisposal, to destroy that government. Shouldthis greatest of all remedies be applied to thesick body of the world, it will assuredlyrecover from its ills and will remain eternallysafe and secure.”

20 “A few,” He further adds, “unawareof the power latent in human endeavor,consider this matter as highly impracticable,nay even beyond the scope of man’s utmostefforts. Such is not the case, however. On thecontrary, thanks to the unfailing grace ofGod, the loving-kindness of His favored ones,the unrivaled endeavors of wise and capablesouls, and the thoughts and ideas of thepeerless leaders of this age, nothingwhatsoever can be regarded as unattainable.Endeavor, ceaseless endeavor, is required.Nothing short of an indomitabledetermination can possibly achieve it. Manya cause which past ages have regarded aspurely visionary, yet in this day has becomemost easy and practicable. Why should thismost great and lofty Cause—the day-star ofthe firmament of true civilization and thecause of the glory, the advancement, the well-being and the success of all humanity—beregarded as impossible of achievement?

ascertainedTo discover through investigation.

arouseTo awaken from or as if from sleep. To stir up; excite:aroused her curiosity.

solemnDeeply earnest; grave. Performed with full ceremony.

provisionsA stipulation or qualification, especially a clause in adocument. Something provided.

utterComplete; absolute; entire:

resolveTo make a firm decision about.

disposalTo determine. A particular order, distribution, or place-ment. A method of attending to or settling matters.

remediesSomething that relieves pain, cures disease, orcorrects a disorder. Something that corrects an evil, afault, or an error.

latentPresent or potential but not evident or active.

impracticableImpossible to do or carry out.

indomitableImpossible to overcome; unconquerable.

visionaryMarked by vision or foresight.

Surely the day will come when its beauteouslight shall shed illumination upon theassemblage of man.”

Seven Lights of Unity

21 In one of His Tablets ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,elucidating further His noble theme, revealsthe following:

“In cycles gone by, though harmony wasestablished, yet, owing to the absence ofmeans, the unity of all mankind could nothave been achieved. Continents remainedwidely divided, nay even among the peoplesof one and the same continent association andinterchange of thought were well nighimpossible. Consequently intercourse,understanding and unity amongst all thepeoples and kindreds of the earth wereunattainable. In this day, however, means ofcommunication have multiplied, and the fivecontinents of the earth have virtually mergedinto one. . . . In like manner all the membersof the human family, whether peoples orgovernments, cities or villages, have becomeincreasingly interdependent. For none is self-sufficiency any longer possible, inasmuch aspolitical ties unite all peoples and nations,and the bonds of trade and industry, ofagriculture and education, are beingstrengthened every day. Hence the unity ofall mankind can in this day be achieved. Verilythis is none other but one of the wonders ofthis wondrous age, this glorious century. Ofthis past ages have been deprived, for thiscentury—the century of light—has beenendowed with unique and unprecedentedglory, power and illumination. Hence themiraculous unfolding of a fresh marvel every

elucidatingTo make clear or plain; clarify.

interdependentMutually dependent. Co-dependent.

unprecedentedHaving no previous example; never happened before.

day. Eventually it will be seen how bright itscandles will burn in the assemblage of man.

22 “Behold how its light is now dawningupon the world’s darkened horizon. The firstcandle is unity in the political realm, the earlyglimmerings of which can now be discerned.The second candle is unity of thought in worldundertakings, the consummation of which willere long be witnessed. The third candle isunity in freedom which will surely come topass. The fourth candle is unity in religionwhich is the corner-stone of the foundationitself, and which, by the power of God, willbe revealed in all its splendor. The fifth candleis the unity of nations—a unity which in thiscentury will be securely established, causingall the peoples of the world to regardthemselves as citizens of one commonfatherland. The sixth candle is unity of races,making of all that dwell on earth peoples andkindreds of one race. The seventh candle isunity of language, i.e., the choice of auniversal tongue in which all peoples will beinstructed and converse. Each and every oneof these will inevitably come to pass,inasmuch as the power of the Kingdom of Godwill aid and assist in their realization.”

A World Super-State

23 Over sixty years ago, in His Tablet toQueen Victoria, Bahá’u’lláh, addressing “theconcourse of the rulers of the earth,” revealedthe following:

“Take ye counsel together, and let yourconcern be only for that which profitethmankind and bettereth the condition thereof.. . . Regard the world as the human body

discernedRecognized; understood. To detect or perceive withthe eyes or intellect.

which, though created whole and perfect, hasbeen afflicted, through divers causes, withgrave ills and maladies. Not for one day didit rest, nay its sicknesses waxed more severe,as it fell under the treatment of unskilledphysicians who have spurred on the steed oftheir worldly desires and have erredgrievously. And if at one time, through thecare of an able physician, a member of thatbody was healed, the rest remained afflictedas before. Thus informeth you the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. . . . That which theLord hath ordained as the sovereign remedyand mightiest instrument for the healing ofall the world is the union of all its peoples inone universal Cause, one common Faith. Thiscan in no wise be achieved except throughthe power of a skilled, an all-powerful andinspired Physician. This verily is the truth,and all else naught but error.”

24 In a further passage Bahá’u’lláh addsthese words:

“We see you adding every year unto yourexpenditures and laying the burden thereofon the people whom ye rule; this verily isnaught but grievous injustice. Fear the sighsand tears of this Wronged One, and burdennot your peoples beyond that which they canendure. . . . Be reconciled among yourselves,that ye may need armaments no more save ina measure to safeguard your territories anddominions. Be united, O concourse of thesovereigns of the world, for thereby will thetempest of discord be stilled amongst you andyour peoples find rest. Should any one amongyou take up arms against another, rise ye allagainst him, for this is naught but manifestjustice.”

diversVarious; having variety in form; diversified.

expendituresExpenses; spending.

reconciledResigned; bring oneself to accept.

concourseGathering; assembly; crowd; throng.

25 What else could these weighty wordssignify if they did not point to the inevitablecurtailment of unfettered national sovereigntyas an indispensable preliminary to theformation of the future Commonwealth of allthe nations of the world? Some form of aworld super-state must needs be evolved, inwhose favor all the nations of the world willhave willingly ceded every claim to makewar, certain rights to impose taxation and allrights to maintain armaments, except forpurposes of maintaining internal order withintheir respective dominions. Such a state willhave to include within its orbit aninternational executive adequate to enforcesupreme and unchallengeable authority onevery recalcitrant member of thecommonwealth; a world parliament whosemembers shall be elected by the people intheir respective countries and whose electionshall be confirmed by their respectivegovernments; and a supreme tribunal whosejudgment will have a binding effect even insuch cases where the parties concerned didnot voluntarily agree to submit their case toits consideration. A world community inwhich all economic barriers will have beenpermanently demolished and theinterdependence of Capital and Labordefinitely recognized; in which the clamor ofreligious fanaticism and strife will have beenforever stilled; in which the flame of racialanimosity will have been finally extinguished;in which a single code of international law—the product of the considered judgment of theworld’s federated representatives shall haveas its sanction the instant and coerciveintervention of the combined forces of thefederated units; and finally a world

inevitableCertain; unavoidable; predestined; fated.

curtailmentTo stop; cut short; end to.

indispensableVital; necessary; key.; not to be dispensed with.

cededSurrendered; yeilded; granted; given up.

recalcitrantDisobedient; uncompliant; intractable; defiant ofauthority or guidance.

demolishedTorn down; destroyed; razed; knocked down.

fanaticismObsession; fervor; ardour; zeal.

animosityHatred; ill-will; rancor; enmity.

coerciveBullying; fcompelling; to bring about by force.

capriciousUnpredictible; erratic; chageable; impulsive.

community in which the fury of a capriciousand militant nationalism will have beentransmuted into an abiding consciousness ofworld citizenship—such indeed, appears, inits broadest outline, the Order anticipated byBahá’u’lláh, an Order that shall come to beregarded as the fairest fruit of a slowlymaturing age.

26 “The Tabernacle of Unity,”Bahá’u’lláh proclaims in His message to allmankind, “has been raised; regard ye not oneanother as strangers. . . . Of one tree are allye the fruit and of one bough the leaves. . . .The world is but one country and mankindits citizens. . . . Let not a man glory in that heloves his country; let him rather glory in this,that he loves his kind.”

Unity in Diversity

27 Let there be no misgivings as to theanimating purpose of the world-wide Law ofBahá’u’lláh. Far from aiming at thesubversion of the existing foundations ofsociety, it seeks to broaden its basis, to remoldits institutions in a manner consonant withthe needs of an ever-changing world. It canconflict with no legitimate allegiances, norcan it undermine essential loyalties. Itspurpose is neither to stifle the flame of a saneand intelligent patriotism in men’s hearts, norto abolish the system of national autonomyso essential if the evils of excessivecentralization are to be avoided. It does notignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, thediversity of ethnical origins, of climate, ofhistory, of language and tradition, of thoughtand habit, that differentiate the peoples andnations of the world. It calls for a wider

subversionOverthrow; undermine; rebel.

consonantAgreement; accord; harmonious.

allegiancesLoyalties; duties; fathfulness to.

autonomySelf-rule; independence.

differentiateTell apart; distinguish.

loyalty, for a larger aspiration than any thathas animated the human race. It insists uponthe subordination of national impulses andinterests to the imperative claims of a unifiedworld. It repudiates excessive centralizationon one hand, and disclaims all attempts atuniformity on the other. Its watchword is unityin diversity such as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself hasexplained:

28 “Consider the flowers of a garden.Though differing in kind, color, form andshape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshedby the waters of one spring, revived by thebreath of one wind, invigorated by the raysof one sun, this diversity increaseth theircharm and addeth unto their beauty. Howunpleasing to the eye if all the flowers andplants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruit, thebranches and the trees of that garden wereall of the same shape and color! Diversity ofhues, form and shape enricheth and adorneththe garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof.In like manner, when divers shades of thought,temperament and character, are broughttogether under the power and influence ofone central agency, the beauty and glory ofhuman perfection will be revealed and mademanifest. Naught but the celestial potency ofthe Word of God, which ruleth andtranscendeth the realities of all things, iscapable of harmonizing the divergentthoughts, sentiments, ideas and convictionsof the children of men.”

29 The call of Bahá’u’lláh is primarilydirected against all forms of provincialism,all insularities and prejudices. If long-cherished ideals and time-honoredinstitutions, if certain social assumptions and

subordinationSubject to the control or authority of another.

imperativeVital; very important; pressing.

celestialRelated to the sky or heavens; outer space.

divergentConflicting; opposing; deviating; contrary.

sentimentsFeelings; emotions; reactions; opinions; attitudetoward.

provincialismNarrow; self-centered; limited in perspective; regional;local.

insularitiesInward-looking; narrow-minded; isolationism.

repudiatesRefuses; rejects; does not accept the authority of.

aspirationGoal; objective; aim; target.

religious formulae have ceased to promotethe welfare of the generality of mankind, ifthey no longer minister to the needs of acontinually evolving humanity, let them beswept away and relegated to the limbo ofobsolescent and forgotten doctrines. Whyshould these, in a world subject to theimmutable law of change and decay, beexempt from the deterioration that must needsovertake every human institution? For legalstandards, political and economic theories aresolely designed to safeguard the interests ofhumanity as a whole, and not humanity to becrucified for the preservation of the integrityof any particular law or doctrine.

The Principle of Oneness

30 Let there be no mistake. The principleof the Oneness of Mankind the pivot roundwhich all the teachings of Bahá’u’lláhrevolve—is no mere outburst of ignorantemotionalism or an expression of vague andpious hope. Its appeal is not to be merelyidentified with a reawakening of the spirit ofbrotherhood and good-will among men, nordoes it aim solely at the fostering ofharmonious cooperation among individualpeoples and nations. Its implications aredeeper, its claims greater than any which theProphets of old were allowed to advance. Itsmessage is applicable not only to theindividual, but concerns itself primarily withthe nature of those essential relationships thatmust bind all the states and nations asmembers of one human family. It does notconstitute merely the enunciation of an ideal,but stands inseparably associated with aninstitution adequate to embody its truth,demonstrate its validity, and perpetuate its

relegatedBanished; transferred; consigned; exiled.

limboCompletely forgotten; oblivion.

obsolescentOutmoded; old-fashioned; dated; antiquated.

immutableAbsolute; indisputable; undeniable.

pivotPoint upon which turns; to turn or cause to turn.

piousReligious; devoted.

implicationsNot directly expressed; implied; allusions to.

constituteMake up; form; compose.

perpetuateContinue; make perpetual; prolong the existence of.

influence. It implies an organic change in thestructure of present-day society, a changesuch as the world has not yet experienced. Itconstitutes a challenge, at once bold anduniversal, to outworn shibboleths of nationalcreeds—creeds that have had their day andwhich must, in the ordinary course of eventsas shaped and controlled by Providence, giveway to a new gospel, fundamentally differentfrom, and infinitely superior to, what theworld has already conceived. It calls for noless than the reconstruction and thedemilitarization of the whole civilizedworld—a world organically unified in all theessential aspects of its life, its politicalmachinery, its spiritual aspiration, its tradeand finance, its script and language, and yetinfinite in the diversity of the nationalcharacteristics of its federated units.

31 It represents the consummation ofhuman evolution—an evolution that has hadits earliest beginnings in the birth of familylife, its subsequent development in theachievement of tribal solidarity, leading inturn to the constitution of the city-state, andexpanding later into the institution ofindependent and sovereign nations.

32 The principle of the Oneness ofMankind, as proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh,carries with it no more and no less than asolemn assertion that attainment to this finalstage in this stupendous evolution is not onlynecessary but inevitable, that its realizationis fast approaching, and that nothing short ofa power that is born of God can succeed inestablishing it.

shibbolethsCatchword; slogan; a word or phrase closely identifiedwith a particular group or cause.

ProvidenceGod.

demilitarizationTo prohibit or eliminate military forces or installations.

consummationCompleted; perfected; lacking nothing.

solidarityUnity; harmony; cohesion.

stupendousAstouding; astonishing; surprising; stunning.

organicFundamental; whole; complete.

33 So marvellous a conception finds itsearliest manifestations in the effortsconsciously exerted and the modestbeginnings already achieved by the declaredadherents of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh who,conscious of the sublimity of their calling andinitiated into the ennobling principles of HisAdministration, are forging ahead to establishHis Kingdom on this earth. It has its indirectmanifestations in the gradual diffusion of thespirit of world solidarity which isspontaneously arising out of the welter of adisorganized society.

34 It would be stimulating to follow thehistory of the growth and development of thislofty conception which must increasinglyengage the attention of the responsiblecustodians of the destinies of peoples andnations. To the states and principalities justemerging from the welter of the greatNapoleonic upheaval, whose chiefpreoccupation was either to recover theirrights to an independent existence or toachieve their national unity, the conceptionof world solidarity seemed not only remotebut inconceivable. It was not until the forcesof nationalism had succeeded inoverthrowing the foundations of the HolyAlliance that had sought to curb their risingpower, that the possibility of a world order,transcending in its range the politicalinstitutions these nations had established,came to be seriously entertained. It was notuntil after the World War that these exponentsof arrogant nationalism came to regard suchan order as the object of a pernicious doctrinetending to sap that essential loyalty uponwhich the continued existence of theirnational life depended. With a vigor that

diffusionSpread; dispersal; dissemination; outpouring.

preoccupationDominates one’s thoughts; concern; obsession;fixation.

conceptionA concept, plan, design, or thought.

transcendingRising above; exceeding; exceling; surpassing

sapExhaust; weaken; drain of vitality.

perniciousHarmful; deadly; destructive; evil.

exponentsPromoters; advocates; a person who stands as a type.

manifestationsSign; expression; demonstration; indication.

recalled the energy with which the membersof the Holy Alliance sought to stifle the spiritof a rising nationalism among the peoplesliberated from the Napoleonic yoke, thesechampions of an unfettered nationalsovereignty, in their turn, have labored andare still laboring to discredit principles uponwhich their own salvation must ultimatelydepend.

35 The fierce opposition which greetedthe abortive scheme of the Geneva Protocol;the ridicule poured upon the proposal for aUnited States of Europe which wassubsequently advanced, and the failure of thegeneral scheme for the economic union ofEurope, may appear as setbacks to the effortswhich a handful of foresighted people areearnestly exerting to advance this noble ideal.And yet, are we not justified in deriving freshencouragement when we observe that the veryconsideration of such proposals is in itselfan evidence of their steady growth in theminds and hearts of men? In the organizedattempts that are being made to discredit soexalted a conception are we not witnessingthe repetition, on a larger scale, of thosestirring struggles and fierce controversies thatpreceded the birth, and assisted in thereconstruction, of the unified nations of theWest?

The Federation of Mankind

36 To take but one instance. Howconfident were the assertions made in the dayspreceding the unification of the states of theNorth American continent regarding theinsuperable barriers that stood in the way oftheir ultimate federation! Was it not widelyand emphatically declared that the conflicting

yokeBondage; burden; oppression.

foresightedAct of looking forward; forsee; insight.

abortiveFailed; unsuccesfull; fruitless; futile; bungled.

controversiesArguments; disagreeements; dispute; opposing views.

assertionsInsistence; statements.

insuperableImpossible; insurmountable; overwhelming

stifleSuppress; smother; choke; strangle.

interests, the mutual distrust, the differencesof government and habit that divided thestates were such as no force, whether spiritualor temporal, could ever hope to harmonizeor control? And yet how different were theconditions prevailing a hundred and fiftyyears ago from those that characterizepresent-day society! It would indeed be noexaggeration to say that the absence of thosefacilities which modern scientific progresshas placed at the service of humanity in ourtime made of the problem of welding theAmerican states into a single federation,similar though they were in certain traditions,a task infinitely more complex than that whichconfronts a divided humanity in its efforts toachieve the unification of all mankind.

37 Who knows that for so exalted aconception to take shape a suffering moreintense than any it has yet experienced willhave to be inflicted upon humanity? Couldanything less than the fire of a civil war withall its violence and vicissitudes—a war thatnearly rent the great American Republic—have welded the states, not only into a Unionof independent units, but into a Nation, inspite of all the ethnic differences thatcharacterized its component parts? That sofundamental a revolution, involving such far-reaching changes in the structure of society,can be achieved through the ordinaryprocesses of diplomacy and education seemshighly improbable. We have but to turn ourgaze to humanity’s blood-stained history torealize that nothing short of intense mentalas well as physical agony has been able toprecipitate those epoch-making changes thatconstitute the greatest landmarks in thehistory of human civilization.

weldingJoining; linking; bonding; connecting; fusing.

infinitelyImmeasurable; substantially; noticably; without limit.

diplomacyTact and skill in dealing with people; negotiation;mediation.

componentPart; section; element; factor; piece.

precipitateTo cause to happen, especially suddenly.

The Fire of Ordeal

38 Great and far-reaching as have beenthose changes in the past, they cannot appear,when viewed in their proper perspective,except as subsidiary adjustments preludingthat transformation of unparalleled majestyand scope which humanity is in this agebound to undergo. That the forces of a worldcatastrophe can alone precipitate such a newphase of human thought is, alas, becomingincreasingly apparent. That nothing short ofthe fire of a severe ordeal, unparalleled in itsintensity, can fuse and weld the discordantentities that constitute the elements ofpresent-day civilization, into the integralcomponents of the world commonwealth ofthe future, is a truth which future events willincreasingly demonstrate.

39 The prophetic voice of Bahá’u’lláhwarning, in the concluding passages of theHidden Words, “the peoples of the world” that“an unforeseen calamity is following themand that grievous retribution awaiteth them”throws indeed a lurid light upon theimmediate fortunes of sorrowing humanity.Nothing but a fiery ordeal, out of whichhumanity will emerge, chastened andprepared, can succeed in implanting thatsense of responsibility which the leaders of anew-born age must arise to shoulder.

40 I would again direct your attention tothose ominous words of Bahá’u’lláh which Ihave already quoted: “And when theappointed hour is come, there shall suddenlyappear that which shall cause the limbs ofmankind to quake.”

subsidiaryServing to assist or supplement. Subordinate; second-ary; additionally.

unparalleledUnmatched; supreme; unequaled; incomparable.

alasUnfortunately; sadly; regrettably.

discordantJarring; harsh; unmusical.

chastenedDiscipline; correct; censure; repimand.

integralVital; essential; basic; primary.

calamityBlow; tragedy; mishap; misfortune.

retributionVengeance; payback; reprisal; reckoning; justice.

luridGarish; vivid; shocking; gaudy.

41 Has not ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himselfasserted in unequivocal language that“another war, fiercer than the last, willassuredly break out”?

42 Upon the consummation of thiscolossal, this unspeakably gloriousenterprise—an enterprise that colossal theresources of Roman statesmanship and whichNapoleon’s desperate efforts failed toachieve—will depend the ultimate realizationof that millennium of which poets of all ageshave sung and seers have long dreamed. Uponit will depend the fulfillment of the propheciesuttered by the Prophets of old when swordsshall be beaten into ploughshares and the lionand the lamb lie down together. It alone canusher in the Kingdom of the Heavenly Fatheras anticipated by the Faith of Jesus Christ. Italone can lay the foundation for the NewWorld Order visualized by Bahá’u’lláh—aWorld Order that shall reflect, however dimly,upon this earthly plane, the ineffablesplendors of the ‘Abha Kingdom.

43 One word more in conclusion. Theproclamation of the Oneness of Mankind—the head corner-stone of Bahá’u’lláh’s all-embracing dominion—can under nocircumstances be compared with suchexpressions of pious hope as have beenuttered in the past. His is not merely a callwhich He raised, alone and unaided, in theface of the relentless and combinedopposition of two of the most powerfulOriental potentates of His day—whileHimself an exile and prisoner in their hands.It implies at once a warning and a promise—a warning that in it lies the sole means for the

unequivocalPlain; explicit; obvious; unmistakable.

colossalHuge; massive; immense; gigantic; vast.

IneffableIndescribable; inexpressible; beyond words;unspeakable.

potentatesMonarchs; rulers; emperors; sovereigns.

salvation of a greatly suffering world, apromise that its realization is at hand.

44 Uttered at a time when its possibilityhad not yet been seriously envisaged in anypart of the world, it has, by virtue of thatcelestial potency which the Spirit ofBahá’u’lláh has breathed into it, come at lastto be regarded, by an increasing number ofthoughtful men, not only as an approachingpossibility, but as the necessary outcome ofthe forces now operating in the world. TheMouthpiece of God.

45 Surely the world, contracted andtransformed into a single highly complexorganism by the marvellous progressachieved in the realm of physical science, bythe world-wide expansion of commerce andindustry, and struggling, under the pressureof world economic forces, amidst the pitfallsof a materialistic civilization, stands in direneed of a restatement of the Truth underlyingall the Revelations of the past in a languagesuited to its essential requirements. And whatvoice other than that of Bahá’u’lláh—theMouthpiece of God for this age—is capableof effecting a transformation of society asradical as that which He has alreadyaccomplished in the hearts of men andwomen, so diversified and seeminglyirreconcilable, who constitute the body of Hisdeclared followers throughout the world?

46 That such a mighty conception is fastbudding out in the minds of men, that voicesare being raised in its support, that its salientfeatures must fast crystallize in theconsciousness of those who are in authority,few indeed can doubt. That its modest

potencyPower; force; might; muscle; vigor.

contractedShrunk; constricted; reduced; telescoped.

transformationChanged; converted; revolution; makeover.

diversifiedBranched out; expanded; varied; broadened.irreconcilableIncompatible; conflicting; opposing; clashing.

salientLeading; outstanding; prominent; relevant; main.

crystallizeCome together; take shape; resolve itself.

beginnings have already taken shape in theworld-wide Administration with which theadherents of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh standassociated only those whose hearts are taintedby prejudice can fail to perceive.

47 Ours, dearly-beloved co-workers, isthe paramount duty to continue, withundimmed vision and unabated zeal, to assistin the final erection of that Edifice thefoundations of which Bahá’u’lláh has laid inour hearts, to derive added hope and strengthfrom the general trend of recent events,however dark their immediate effects, and topray with unremitting fervor that He mayhasten the approach of the realization of thatWondrous Vision which constitutes thebrightest emanation of His Mind and thefairest fruit of the fairest civilization the worldhas yet seen.

48 Might not the hundredth anniversaryof the Declaration of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláhmark the inauguration of so vast an era inhuman history?

Your true brother,SHOGHI

Haifa, Palestine,November 28, 1931

taintedContaminated; stained; spoiled; soiled; infected;fouled.

paramountSupreme; dominant; chief; principal top; vital.

emanationRelease; production; giving out; discharge.

unremittingConstant; incessant; continuous; unrelenting.

inaugurationLaunch; start; introduction; begin.

eraAge; epoch; period; time.

World War I, military conflict, from1914 to 1918, that began as a localEuropean war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia on July 28, 1914;was transformed into a generalEuropean struggle by declaration ofwar against Russia on August 1, 1914;and eventually became a global warinvolving 32 nations. Twenty-eight ofthese nations, known as the Allies andthe Associated Powers, and includingGreat Britain, France, Russia, Italy, andthe United States, opposed thecoalition known as the Central Powers,consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria. Theimmediate cause of the war betweenAustria-Hungary and Serbia was the

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assassination on June 28, 1914, atSarajevo in Bosnia (then part of theAustro-Hungarian Empire; now inBosnia and Herzegovina), of ArchdukeFrancis Ferdinand, heir-presumptive tothe Austrian and Hungarian thrones, byGavrilo Princip, a Serb nationalist. Thefundamental causes of the conflict,however, were rooted deeply in theEuropean history of the previouscentury, particularly in the political andeconomic policies that prevailed on theContinent after 1871, the year thatmarked the emergence of Germany asa great world power.

World War I continued ...

The underlying causes of World War Iwere the spirit of intense nationalismthat permeated Europe throughout the19th and into the 20th century, thepolitical and economic rivalry amongthe nations, and the establishment andmaintenance in Europe after 1871 oflarge armaments and of two hostilemilitary alliances.

The United States did not enter thewar until 1917. Before that time itwas not truly a world war.

—Ed.

Europe Before and After World War I

After World War I, the map of Europe changed a great deal. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany gave upterritory to Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, and Poland. Those countries, as well as Romania and Yugoslavia,received land from Austria-Hungary, which existed no more. Most Arab lands, formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, wereplaced under French and British rule.

1 Gt Britain2 Norwary3 Sweden4 Netherlands5 Belgium6 Portugal7 Spain8 France

9 Germany10 Switz.11 Italy12 Autria-Hungary13 Russia14 Monte-negro15 Albania

16 Serbia17 Romania18 Bulgaria19 Greece20 Sp.Morocco21 Morocco22 Algeria23 Tunisia

24 Libya25 Egypt26 OttomanEmpire

1 Gt Britain2 Norwary3 Sweden4 Finland5 Estonia6 Latvia7 Lithuania

8 E. Prussia9 Poland10 Germany11 Nether-lands12 Belgium13 France14 Portugal15 Spain

16 Switz.17 Italy18 Austria19 Czech.20 Hungary21 Yugoslavia22 Albania23 Greece

24 Bulgaria25 Romania26 USSR27 OttomanEmpire28 Syria29 Iraq30 Trans-jordan

31 Arabia32 Palestine33 Egypt34 Libya35 Tunisia36 Algeria37 Morocco38 Fr.Morocco

Causes of the War

French war hero.(Private collection of Dr. Troxel)

After defeating Germany in WorldWar I, the victorious parties foundit difficult to agree on the priceGermany should pay in war repa-rations. Leaders from the UnitedStates, Great Britain, France, andItaly met at the Paris Peace Con-ference in 1919 and drafted theTreaty of Versailles. The treaty

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Paris Peace ConferenceVersailles Treaty

THE BIG THREERepresentatives leftto right, Britishprime ministerLloyd George,French premierGeorgesClemenceau, andU.S. presidentWoodrow Wilson

mandated a number of restrictiveand compensatory measures forGermany, including massive de-militarization and financial repara-tions.

Photograph fromprivate collection ofDr. Troxel.

League of Nations, international alliance forthe preservation of peace. The league existedfrom 1920 to 1946. The first meeting was heldin Geneva, on November 15, 1920, with 42nations represented. The last meeting washeld on April 8, 1946; at that time the leaguewas superseded by the United Nations (UN).During the league’s 26 years, a total of 63nations belonged at one time or another; 28were members for the entire period (seeaccompanying table).

The Covenant and the United States

In 1918, as one of his Fourteen Pointssummarizing Allied aims in World War I,United States president Woodrow Wilsonpresented a plan for a general association ofnations. The plan formed the basis of theCovenant of the League of Nations, the 26articles that served as operating rules for theleague. The covenant was formulated as partof the Treaty of Versailles, which ended WorldWar I, in 1919.

Although President Wilson was a member ofthe committee that drafted the covenant, itwas never ratified by the U.S. Senatebecause of Article X, which contained therequirement that all members preserve theterritorial independence of all other members,even to joint action against aggression.During the next two decades, Americandiplomats encouraged the league’s activitiesand attended its meetings unofficially, but theUnited States never became a member. Theefficacy of the league was, therefore,considerably lessened.

League Structure

The machinery of the league consisted of anassembly, a council, and a secretariat. BeforeWorld War II (1939-1945), the assemblyconvened regularly at Geneva in September;it was composed of three representatives for

every member state, each state having onevote. The council met at least three timeseach year to consider political disputes andreduction of armaments; it was composed ofseveral permanent members—France, GreatBritain, Italy, Japan, and later Germany andthe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(USSR)—and several nonpermanentmembers elected by the assembly. Thedecisions of the council had to be unanimous.The secretariat was the administrative branchof the league and consisted of a secretarygeneral and a staff of 500 people. Severalother bodies were allied with the league, suchas the Permanent Court of InternationalJustice, called the World Court, and theInternational Labor Organization.

World Involvement

The league was based on a new concept:collective security against the “criminal” threatof war. Unfortunately, the league rarelyimplemented its available resources, limitedthough they were, to achieve this goal.One important activity of the league was thedisposition of certain territories that had beencolonies of Germany and Turkey before WorldWar I. Supervision of these territories wasawarded to league members in the form ofmandates. Mandated territories were givendifferent degrees of independence, inaccordance with their stage of development,their geographic situation, and their economicstatus.

The league may be credited with certainsocial achievements. These include curbinginternational traffic in narcotics andprostitution, aiding refugees of World War I,and surveying and improving health and laborconditions around the world.

The League of Nations continued ...

In the area of preserving peace, the leaguehad some minor successes, includingsettlement of disputes between Finland andSweden over the Åland Islands in 1921 andbetween Greece and Bulgaria over theirmutual border in 1925. The Great Powers,however, preferred to handle their ownaffairs; France occupied the Ruhr, and Italyoccupied Corfu (Kérkira), both in 1923, inspite of the league.

Although Germany joined the league in1926, the National Socialist (Nazi)government withdrew in 1933. Japan alsowithdrew in 1933, after Japanese attacks onChina were condemned by the league. Theleague failed to end the war between Boliviaand Paraguay over the Chaco Borealbetween 1932 and 1935 and to stop theItalian conquest of Ethiopia begun in 1935.

Finally, the league was powerless to preventthe events in Europe that led to World WarII. The USSR, a member since 1934, wasexpelled following the Soviet attack onFinland in 1939. In 1940 the secretariat inGeneva was reduced to a skeleton staff,

THE UNITED STATES DID NOT JOIN THE LEAGUE.—Ed.

and several small service units were movedto Canada and the United States.

In 1946 the league voted to effect its owndissolution, whereupon much of its propertyand organization were transferred to the UN.

Legacy

Never truly effective as a peacekeepingorganization, the lasting importance of theLeague of Nations lies in the fact that itprovided the groundwork for the UN. Thisinternational alliance, formed after WorldWar II, not only profited by the mistakes ofthe League of Nations but borrowed muchof the organizational machinery of theleague.

Membership

The accompanying table lists the countriesthat were members of the internationalorganization. Where no date is given, thecountry was an original member of theleague. The year in parentheses is the yearof admission to the league unless otherwiseindicated.

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ALLIES & ASSOCIATED POWERS

Great Britain

Bulgaria

WORLD WAR I

France

Germany

Italy

Russia

Turkey

Austria-Hungary

United States

2.2 Million

0.81 Million

0.36 Million

0.34 Million

Men under arms

0.75 Million

1.2 Million

0.15 Million

0.18 MillionBELGIUM

CENTRAL POWERS

0.71 Million

1.25 Million

Men under arms

“victorious powers”

VICTORS VANQUISHED

“America’s ...President”Wilson, (Thomas) Woodrow (1856-1924), 28thpresident of the United States (1913-1921), enactedsignificant reform legislation and led the UnitedStates during World War I (1914-1918). His dream ofhumanizing “every process of our common life” wasshattered in his lifetime by the arrival of the war, butthe programs he so earnestly advocated inspired thenext generation of political leaders and were reflectedin the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.Wilson’s belief in international cooperation throughan association of nations led to the creation of theLeague of Nations and ultimately to the UnitedNations. For his efforts in this direction, he wasawarded the Nobel Prize for peace in 1919. Morethan any president before him, Wilson wasresponsible for increasing United States participationin world affairs.

A political novice who had held only one public officebefore becoming president, Wilson possessedconsiderable political skill. He was a brilliant andeffective public speaker, but he found it difficult towork well with other government officials, from whomhe tolerated no disagreement. He was, in private, awarm, fun-loving man who energetically pursued hisideals. But the strain of years in office, a tragicillness, and the public’s disillusionment followingWorld War I transformed Wilson’s image to that of ahumorless crusader for a feeble League of Nations.

The night prior to asking Congress to declare war,Wilson spoke with a trusted journalist, Frank L. Cobbof the New York World. He feared the requirements athome to support a united war effort abroad: “Oncelead this people into war, and they’ll forget there everwas such a thing as tolerance. To fight you must bebrutal and ruthless, and the spirit of ruthless brutalitywill enter into the very fiber of our national life,infecting Congress, the courts, the policeman on thebeat, the man in the street.”Conformity, the president thought, would be the onlyvirtue, and nonconformists would have to pay thepenalty. He did not believe the Constitution couldsurvive the demands of war, but he could see noalternative. On April 2, 1917, in one of the mostfamous of American declarations of war, Wilsondenounced the German campaign as “a war againstall nations” and called for military action “fordemocracy, for the right of those who submit toauthority to have a voice in their own governments,for the rights and liberties of small nations.”War Leader

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Wilson callednot only themilitary but alsoprogressives tojoin the crusade.His secretary ofwar was NewtonD. Baker, anoutstandingOhio municipalreformer.George Creel, aprogressivejournalist,headed theCommittee onPublicInformation,which enlistedprogressivewriters to explainwar aims to thenation. Ray Stannard Baker, an ex-muckraker whohad reported to Wilson about British public opinion,continued to be a close adviser. Samuel Gompers,head of the American Federation of Labor, wasenlisted to guide union leaders through the vitalprocess of war production. Although Wilson’sappointees generally opposed harsh suppression ofdissidents, they found it hard to keep citizens fromattacking those not in favor of the war, especiallywhen the president was calling for unboundedpatriotism and criticizing the pacifist statements ofthose who opposed the war. However, pacifists andthose opposed to the Allies’ cause were merelysuppressed, not persuaded. The opposition includedGerman-Americans, socialists, and talented youngsocial reformers such as John Reed, RandolphBourne, and Max Eastman. They traded their earliersocial optimism for bitter antagonism toward the warand Wilson’s policies.

Industrial and military mobilization toward warproduction went rapidly, guided by such executivesas Bernard Baruch and future president HerbertHoover (1929-1933). Wilson gave them authority toact, supported them against their critics, andrecognized their achievements. The swift conversionfrom peace to war confirmed Wilson’s conviction thatAmericans as a nation had joined a crusade. Hisspeeches amazed his associates with their intensity.“As leader and spokesman of the enemies ofGermany,” wrote Ambassador Page, “your speeches

Woodrow Wilson continued ...

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are worth an army in France and more, for they keepthe proper moral elevation.”

The Fourteen Points

Wilson’s crusade for democracy received a severeshock when the Russian Revolution was supersededin October 1917 by a Communist Party uprising and anew regime headed by Vladimir Lenin and LeonTrotsky. The new regime was opposed to all warringnations and was eager to undermine them. When thenew government found copies of secret treaties theAllies had made with the czar, they immediatelypublished them. The treaties revealed that the Allieshad not entered the war for purely idealistic purposesany more than Germany had.

Wilson was not disillusioned to learn that the Allieshad been plotting the dissolution of the GermanEmpire. He was well aware that Allied leaders wereprimarily concerned with national self-interest. Hisbelief was that a league of nations could force them toact on behalf of peace and equity whether theywanted to do so or not.

To counter a peace plan suggested by the Bolsheviks,Wilson offered his own plan for peace. AddressingCongress on January 8, 1918, Wilson outlined whathe called his Fourteen Points. Wilson’s programimagined “open covenants of peace, openly arrivedat,” freedom of the seas, weapons reduction, territorialadjustments between nations, and Wilson’s dearestcause, the League of Nations: A general associationof nations must be formed under specific covenantsfor the purpose of affording mutual guarantees ofpolitical independence and territorial integrity to greatand small states alike.

Last Years

The league remained Wilson’s constantpreoccupation. As president he had created noorganization to carry on his program and haddeveloped no associates to sustain his cause. Afterleaving office he retired to a house in Washington,D.C., and for the most part he disappeared frompublic view. Although he had led the country duringthe course of the war, the country was now in otherhands. He died in 1924 and was buried in the NationalCathedral in Washington, D.C.

On Wilson from the Bahá’í Writings

Woodrow Woodrow (1856-1924)

The President of the Republic, Dr. Wilson, isindeed serving the Kingdom of God for he isrestless and strives day and night that the rights ofall men may be preserved safe and secure, thateven small nations, like greater ones, may dwell inpeace and comfort, under the protection of Righ-teousness and Justice. This purpose is indeed alofty one. I trust that the incomparable Providencewill assist and confirm such souls under all condi-tions.

—’Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from theWritings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 110.

232. As to President Wilson, the fourteen prin-ciples which he hath enunciated are mostly foundin the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh and I therefore hopethat he will be confirmed and assisted. Now is thedawn of universal peace; my hope is that its mornwill fully break, converting the gloom of war, ofstrife and of wrangling among men into the light ofunion, of harmony and of affection. Ibid. 311-312.

Woodrow Wilson continued ...

To her President, the immortal Woodrow Wilson,must be ascribed the unique honor, among thestatesmen of any nation, whether of the East or ofthe West, of having voiced sentiments so akin tothe principles animating the Cause of Baha'u'llah,and of having more than any other world leader,contributed to the creation of the League of Na-tions—achievements which the pen of the Centerof God's Covenant acclaimed as signalizing thedawn of the Most Great Peace, whose sun, accord-ing to that same pen, must needs arise as the directconsequence of the enforcement of the laws of theDispensation of Bahá'u'lláh.

—Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith, 36.

1477. President Wilson and Dr. Jordan

"With regard to Ex-President Wilson and Dr.Jordan, it seems fairly clear that both of these menwere considerably influenced by the Baha'i Teach-ings; but at the same time it is well to avoid mak-ing dogmatic statements that they got all thereprinciples from Bahá'u'lláh, or the like as we arenot in a position to prove such statements, and to make claims which we cannot prove weakensinstead of strengthening our position. (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi,March 16, 1925) —Lights of Guidance, 452.

Communism, a concept or system of society inwhich the major resources and means ofproduction are owned by the community ratherthan by individuals. In theory, such societiesprovide for equal sharing of all work, accordingto ability, and all benefits, according to need.Some conceptions of communist societiesassume that, ultimately, coercive governmentwould be unnecessary and therefore that such asociety would be without rulers. Until theultimate stages are reached, however,communism involves the abolition of privateproperty by a revolutionary movement;responsibility for meeting public needs is thenvested in the state.

As a concept of an ideal society, communism isderived from ancient sources, including Plato’sRepublic and the earliest Christian communes.In the early 19th century, the idea of acommunist society was a response of the poorand the dislocated to the beginnings of moderncapitalism. At that time communism was thebasis for a number of utopian settlements; mostcommunistic experiments, however, eventuallyfailed (see Communal Living; Cooperatives;Harmony Society). Most of these small-scaleprivate experiments involved voluntarycooperation, with everyone participating in thegoverning process.

Later the term communism was reserved for thephilosophy advanced by Karl Marx and FriedrichEngels in their Communist Manifesto and themovement they helped create in CentralEurope. Since 1917 the term has denoted thosewho regard the Russian Revolution as a modelthat all Marxists should follow. Beginning withthe Russian Revolution, moreover, the center ofgravity of global communism has shifted awayfrom Central and Western Europe; from the late1940s through the 1980s, communistmovements were often linked with Third Worldstrivings for national independence and socialchange.

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Marx, Karl (1818-1883), German politicalphilosopher and revolutionist, cofounder withFriedrich Engels of scientific socialism (moderncommunism), and, as such, one of the mostinfluential thinkers of all times.

Marx was born in Trier and was educated at theuniversities of Bonn, Berlin, and Jena. In 1842,shortly after contributing his first article to theCologne newspaper Rheinische Zeitung, Marxbecame editor of the paper. His writings in theRheinische Zeitung criticizing contemporary politicaland social conditions embroiled him in controversywith the authorities, and in 1843 Marx wascompelled to resign his editorial post, and soonafterward the Rheinische Zeitung was forced todiscontinue publication. Marx then went to Paris.There, as a result of his further studies inphilosophy, history, and political science, headopted communist beliefs. In 1844, when Engelsvisited him in Paris, the two men found that they hadindependently arrived at identical views on thenature of revolutionary problems. They began acollaboration to elucidate systematically thetheoretical principles of communism and to organizean international working-class movement dedicatedto those principles. For information on theircollaboration, which continued until Marx’s death,see Engels, Friedrich.

COMMUNISM

Communism continued ...

THE THREE FALSE GODS

This vital force is dying out, this mighty agency has been scorned, thisradiant light obscured, this impregnable stronghold abandoned, thisbeauteous robe discarded. God Himself has indeed been dethronedfrom the hearts of men, and an idolatrous world passionately andclamorously hails and worships the false gods which its own idle fancieshave fatuously created, and its misguided hands so impiously exalted.The chief idols in the desecrated temple of mankind are none other thanthe triple gods of Nationalism, Racialism and Communism, at whosealtars governments and peoples, whether democratic or totalitarian, atpeace or at war, of the East or of the West, Christian or Islamic, are, invarious forms and in different degrees, now worshiping. Their highpriests are the politicians and the worldly-wise, the so-called sages ofthe age; their sacrifice, the flesh and blood of the slaughteredmultitudes; their incantations outworn shibboleths and insidious andirreverent formulas; their incense, the smoke of anguish that ascendsfrom the lacerated hearts of the bereaved, the maimed, and thehomeless.

The theories and policies, so unsound, so pernicious, which deify thestate and exalt the nation above mankind, which seek to subordinate thesister races of the world to one single race, which discriminate betweenthe black and the white, and which tolerate the dominance of oneprivileged class over all others - these are the dark, the false, andcrooked doctrines for which any man or people who believes in them, oracts upon them, must, sooner or later, incur the wrath and chastisementof God. “Movements,” is the warning sounded by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, “newlyborn and worldwide in their range, will exert their utmost effort for theadvancement of their designs, The Movement of the Left will acquiregreat importance. Its influence will spread.”

—Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come,113-114 [Written in 1941]

ARMAMENTS

And among the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh is thatalthough material civilization is one of the meansfor the progress of the world of mankind, yet untilit becomes combined with Divine civilization, thedesired result, which is the felicity of mankind, willnot be attained. Consider! These battleships thatreduce a city to ruins within the space of an hourare the result of material civilization; likewise theKrupp guns, the Mauser rifles, dynamite, subma-rines, torpedo boats, armed aircraft and bomb-ers—all these weapons of war are the malignantfruits of material civilization. Had material civili-zation been combined with Divine civilization,these fiery weapons would never have been in-vented. Nay, rather, human energy would havebeen wholly devoted to useful inventions andwould have been concentrated on praiseworthydiscoveries.

—’Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from theWritings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 303

The Great War produced the tank andthe “French 75,” a small mobile can-non; the wide-ranging submarine; theblimp and the gas mask; various typesof planes; the armed dirigible (zeppe-lin); and finally the large-bore gun,“Big Bertha,” that could fire a shellover Paris from 75 miles away.

—Jacques Barzun, From Dawn to Decadence, 704-705

KRUPP GUN KNOWN AS“BIG BERTHA”

Damaged inflicted on Paris building by one“Big Bertha” shell fired from 75 miles away.

“unbridled race of armaments”

Identity Forged by War

World War I (1914-1918), much more thanfederation itself, began the transformation ofAustralian life from that of six colonies to a unitedstate aware of its new identity. Responding to theallied call for troops, Australia sent more than330,000 volunteers, who took part in some of thebloodiest battles. Suffering a casualty rate higherthan that of many other participants, Australiabecame increasingly conscious of its contribution tothe war effort. At Gallipoli (now Gelibolu), anAustralian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac)tried in vain to launch a drive on the Turkish forcesin the Dardanelles. The date of the fateful landing,April 25, 1915, became equated with Australia’scoming of age, and as Anzac Day it has remainedthe country’s most significant day of public homage.

In 1915 William M. (“Billy”) Hughes became primeminister and leader of the Labor Party. RepresentingAustralia at councils in London, Hughes personifiedAustralian energies. When he failed to carry theelectorate in two attempts to supplement volunteerswith conscripted men, Hughes remained in powerby forming the Nationalist Party, much to theannoyance of his Labor colleagues. He attended theParis Peace Conference in 1919, acquiring GermanNew Guinea as a mandated territory andestablishing Australia’s right to enter the League ofNations. The powers designated to the federalgovernment in the constitution proved sufficient toallow a strong central government.

Interwar Years

After an internal backlash within the NationalistParty forced the retirement of Hughes in 1923,Stanley M. Bruce became prime minister. TheCountry Party, founded in 1920 as a patriotic,conservative movement to protect the interests offarmers and graziers, joined the Nationalistcoalition, although it kept its own identity. The chiefopponent of the coalition was Labor, which had toredefine its social policies. To maintain wartimelevels of production and expansion the governmentsought to build up the basic industries, but thedepression of 1929 cut deeply into the health of theAustralian economy, increasing public and privatedebts at a time of massive unemployment.

Recovery from the depression, led from 1929 toearly 1932 by James H. Scullin and the Labor Party,was extremely uneven. Deflationary economicpolicy contributed to economic effects that were far

more harsh than those felt elsewhere in the world.Disagreement on government policy broke Laboragain in 1931, and for the rest of the 1930s theUnited Australia Party, composed of formerNationalists and disenchanted Laborites, held thereins of power. The party was led by Joseph AlyosusLyons.

From its first assumption of responsibility in foreignaffairs, Australia had been guided by its cultural andpolitical ties with Britain. Emphasis was thereforeplaced on following Britain’s leadership in solvingthe problems of the depression. Chief among thesewas an attempt to redirect more trade betweenBritain and the dominions. As early as the 1920s,however, Japan and the United States were amongAustralia’s best customers for its wool crop. Againstits own interests, but motivated in part by fear,Australia sought to reestablish British trade at theexpense of its relations with Japan. In the League ofNations and within the Commonwealth of Nations,Australian governments also tended to supportappeasement and other policies in an effort toprevent war with the Fascist powers.

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“Australia ...has been caught in thiswhirlpool of passion and strife...”

Fascism

20th-century form of totalitarian dictatorshipthat sought to create a viable society bystrict regimentation of national andindividual lives; conflicting interests wouldbe adjusted by total subordination to theservice of the state and unquestioningloyalty to its leader.

Fascism emphasized nationalism, but itsappeal was international. It flourishedbetween 1919 and 1945 in severalcountries, mainly Italy, Germany, Spain, andJapan. Fascist regimes also existed forvarying lengths of time in Austria, Poland,Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal, Romania,Hungary, Finland, Norway, and Argentina.Even such liberal democracies as Franceand England had important Fascistmovements.

Origins

Before World War I, several writers, amongthem Gabriele D’Annunzio, an Italian, andGeorges Sorel, Maurice Barrès, CharlesMaurras, and Comte Joseph de Gobineau,all French, had expressed Fascist ideas, butit took postwar economic dislocation, thethreat of communism arising from theRussian Revolution of 1917, and the GreatDepression of the 1930s to transformfascism into a serious political force.

The term fascism was first used by BenitoMussolini in 1919 and referred to the ancientRoman symbol of power, the fasces, abundle of sticks bound to an ax, whichrepresented civic unity and the authority ofRoman officials to punish wrongdoers.Mussolini, the founder of fascism in Italy,began his political career as a Marxist. In1912, as the editor of Italy’s leading socialistnewspaper, Avanti!, he opposed both

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capitalism and militarism. By 1914,however, he had changed his attitude,calling on Italy to enter World War I andmoving toward an accommodation with thepolitical right. Influenced by the ideas ofSorel and the German philosopherFriedrich Nietzsche, he glorified “action”and “vitality” and denounced antiwarMarxists for their lack of “pragmatism.” Afterthe war, when a series of socialist-backedstrikes broke out in Italy—both workers’strikes in the cities and peasants’ strikes inthe country—Mussolini put his movementat the service of conservative business andlandlord interests that, together with theRoman Catholic church and the army,wanted to check the “red wave.” Mussolini’sabout-face brought him the political andfinancial backing he needed, and his ownconsiderable oratorical powers did the rest(like Hitler in Germany, he was a highlyeffective demagogue).

fascist

Benito Mussolini (1883-1945), premier-dictator of Italy (1922-1943), the founderand leader (Il Duce) of Italian Fascism.

Mussolini was born in Predappio on July29, 1883, the son of a socialistblacksmith. Largely self-educated, hebecame a schoolteacher and socialistjournalist in northern Italy.

Rise to Power

In turbulent postwar Milan, Mussolini andother young war veterans founded theFasci di Combattimento in March 1919.This nationalistic, antiliberal, andantisocialist movement attracted lowermiddle-class support and took its namefrom the fasces, an ancient symbol ofRoman discipline. Growing rapidly aftermid-1920, fascism spread into thecountryside, where its black-shirt militiawon support from landowners and attackedpeasant leagues and socialist groups.Opportunistically, fascism shed its initialrepublicanism, thereby winning sympathyfrom the army and the king.

When Fascists marched on Rome, KingVictor Emmanuel III invited Mussolini toform a coalition government (October 28,1922). By 1926 the Fascist leader hadtransformed the country into a single-party, totalitarian regime. In his new“corporative state,” employers andworkers were organized into party-controlled groups representing differentsectors of the economy. The systempreserved capitalism and expanded social

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services, butabolished freetrade unionsand the rightto strike. TheLateran pactswith theVatican (1929)ended a half-century offrictionbetweenchurch andstate andproved to belong-lasting.Another enduring legacy of fascism was asystem of industrial holding companiesfinanced by the state.

Adopting an aggressive foreign policy,Mussolini defied the League of Nationsand conquered Ethiopia (1935-36). Thiswon him acclaim in almost every sector ofthe populace. Il Duce’s popularitydeclined, however, after he sent troops tohelp General Francisco Franco in theSpanish Civil War (1936-39), linked Italyto Nazi Germany, enacted anti-Jewishlaws, and invaded Albania (1939).

Hitler, Adolf (1889-1945), German political andgovernment leader and one of the 20th century’smost powerful dictators, who converted Germanyinto a fully militarized society and launched WorldWar II in 1939. Making anti-Semitism a keystone ofhis propaganda and policies, he built the Nazi Party(see National Socialism) into a mass movement.For a time he dominated most of Europe and NorthAfrica. He caused the slaughter of millions of Jewsand other people whom he considered inferior.

Rise to Power

In November 1923, a time of political and economicchaos, he led an uprising (Putsch) in Munichagainst the postwar Weimar Republic, proclaiminghimself chancellor of a new authoritarian regime.Without military support, however, the Putschcollapsed.

As leader of the plot, Hitler was sentenced to fiveyears’ imprisonment and served nine months,which he spent dictating his autobiography MeinKampf (My Struggle). The failure of the uprisingtaught Hitler that the Nazi Party must use legalmeans to assume power. Released as a result of ageneral amnesty in December 1924, he rebuilt hisparty without interference from those whosegovernment he had tried to overthrow. When theGreat Depression struck in 1929, he explained it asa Jewish-Communist plot, an explanation acceptedby many Germans. Promising a strong Germany,jobs, and national glory, he attracted millions ofvoters. Nazi representation in the Reichstag(parliament) rose from 12 seats in 1928 to 107 in1930.

During the following two years the party keptexpanding, benefiting from growing unemployment,fear of Communism, Hitler’s self-certainty, and thediffidence of his political rivals. Nevertheless, whenHitler was appointed chancellor in January 1933,he was expected to be an easily controlled tool ofbig business.

Once in power, however, Hitler quickly establishedhimself as a dictator. A subservient legislaturepassed the Enabling Act that permitted Hitler’sgovernment to make laws without the legislature.The act effectively made the legislature powerless.Hitler used the act to Nazify the bureaucracy andthe judiciary, replace all labor unions with one Nazi-controlled German Labor Front, and ban all politicalparties except his own. The economy, the media,and all cultural activities were brought under Naziauthority by making an individual’s livelihooddependent on his or her political loyalty. Thousandsof anti-Nazis were taken to concentration campsand all signs of dissent suppressed.

Hitler proclaimed his new empire the “Third Reich.”

The Nazi Regime

1933-1945

The Holy Roman Empire

962–1806

(A “REICH” IS A KINGDOM, EMPIRE, OR STATE)

� First Reich

The German Empire

1871–1918.

� Second Reich

� Third Reich

THE THREE REICHS

Third Reich

The West was severely shaken in 410, whenthe city of Rome was sacked by the Visigoths,a wandering nation of Germanic peoples fromthe northeast. The fall of Rome wascompleted in 476, when the German chieftainOdoacer deposed the last Roman emperor ofthe West, Romulus Augustulus. The East,always richer and stronger, continued as theByzantine Empire through the EuropeanMiddle Ages.

THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

“To a lesser degree this principle must of necessityapply to the country which has vindicated its rightto be regarded as the cradle of the World Order ofBaha'u'llah. So great a function, so noble a role,can be regarded as no less inferior to the partplayed by those immortal souls who, through theirsublime renunciation and unparalleled deeds, havebeen responsible for the birth of the Faith itself.Let not, therefore, those who are to participate sopredominantly in the birth of that world civiliza-tion, which is the direct offspring of their Faith,imagine for a moment that for some mysteriouspurpose or by any reason of inherent excellence orspecial merit Bahá'u'lláh has chosen to confer upontheir country and people so great and lasting adistinction. It is precisely by reason of the patentevils which notwithstanding its other admittedlygreat characteristics and achievements, an exces-sive and binding materialism has unfortunatelyengendered within it that the Author of their Faithand the Center of His Covenant have singled it outto become the standard-bearer of the New WorldOrder envisioned in their writings. It is by suchmeans as this that Bahá’u’lláh can best demon-strate to a heedless generation His almighty powerto raise up from the very midst of a people im-mersed in a sea of materialism, a prey to one of themost virulent and long-standing forms of racialprejudice, and notorious for its political corruption,lawlessness and laxity in moral standards, men andwomen who, as time goes by, will increasinglyexemplify those essential virtues of self-renuncia-tion, of moral rectitude, of chastity, of indiscrimi-nating fellowship, of holy discipline, and ofspiritual insight that will fit them for the prepon-

derating share they will have in calling into beingthat World Order and that World Civilization ofwhich their country, no less than the entire humanrace, stands in desperate need. Theirs will be theduty and privilege, in their capacity first as theestablishers of one of the most powerful pillarssustaining the edifice of the Universal House ofJustice, and then as the champion-builders of thatNew World Order of which that House is to be thenucleus and forerunner, to inculcate, demonstrate,and apply those twin and sorely needed principlesof Divine justice and order-principles to which thepolitical corruption and the moral license, increas-ingly staining the society to which they belong,offer so sad and striking a contrast.”

—Shoghi Effendi, Advent of Divine Justice, 19-20.

“new World Order”

The existing (2004) order of the world is primarilya materialistic one dominated economically,politically and militarily by a few nations. The newworld order of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation will beone spiritually based and patterned after the Bahá’íAdministrative Order.

–Ed.

President Wilson’s vision of a new worldorder.

In one of the most ambitious rhetorical effortsin modern history, President Wilson attemptedto rally the people of the world in a movementfor a peace settlement that would remove thecauses of future wars and establishmachinery to maintain peace. In an addressto the Senate on Jan. 22, 1917, he called fora “peace without victory” to be enforced by aleague of nations that the United States wouldjoin and strongly support. He reiterated thisprogram in his war message, adding that theUnited States wanted above all else to “makethe world safe for democracy.” And when hefailed to persuade the British and Frenchleaders to join him in issuing a commonstatement of war aims, he went to Congresson Jan. 8, 1918, to make, in his FourteenPoints address, his definitive avowal to theAmerican people and the world.In his general points Wilson demanded anend to the old diplomacy that had led to warsin the past. He proposed open diplomacyinstead of entangling alliances, and he calledfor freedom of the seas, an impartial

“New World Order” continued ...

settlement of colonial claims, generaldisarmament, removal of artificial tradebarriers, and, most important, a league ofnations to promote peace and protect theterritorial integrity and independence of itsmembers. On specific issues hedemanded, among other things, therestoration of a Belgium ravaged by theGermans; sympathetic treatment of theRussians, then involved in a civil war;establishment of an independent Poland;the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France;and autonomy or self-determination for thesubject peoples of the Austro-Hungarianand Ottoman empires. A breathtakingpronouncement, the Fourteen Points gavenew hope to millions of liberals andmoderate socialists who were fighting fora new international order based uponpeace and justice.

Underline and italic emphasis added.

Copyright 1994-1999 EncyclopædiaBritannica

FEDERALISM

The world is contracting into a neigh-

borhood. America, willingly or unwill-

ingly, must face and grapple with this

new situation. For purposes of national

security, let alone any humanitarian

motive, she must assume the obliga-

tions imposed by this newly created

neighborhood. Paradoxical as it may

seem, her only hope of extricating her-

self from the perils gathering around

her is to become entangled in that very

web of international association which

the Hand of an inscrutable Providence

is weaving. ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s counsel to a

highly placed official in its government

comes to mind, with peculiar appropri-

ateness and force: You can best serve

your country if you strive, in your ca-

pacity as a citizen of the world, to assist

in the eventual application of the prin-

—Shoghi Effendi, 1938, Advent of DivineJustice, 87-88.

* Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), the

28th President of the United States

(1913-1921).

ciple of federalism, underlying the gov-

ernment of your own country, to the

relationships now existing between the

peoples and nations of the world. The

ideals that fired the imagination of

America’s tragically unappreciated

President*, whose high endeavors,

however much nullified by a visionless

generation, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, through His

own pen, acclaimed as signalizing the

dawn of the Most Great Peace, though

now lying in the dust, bitterly reproach a

heedless generation for having so cru-

elly abandoned them.

[See the next page for a practicalexample—alluded to by Shoghi Effendi—ofthe application of Federalism to America’s

13 original colonies.]

Thirteen Original Colonies Before Unification

The Political System

In 1750 there was little political basis for anational consciousness in the colonies ofBritish North America. Each of the 13 colonieswas a separate entity, with its own governor andlegislative assembly. The inhabitants’ firstpolitical allegiance was to their own colony. Thelower house of each legislature was elected bythe adult white men who were property owners.However, the upper houses, or councils, andthe governors were chosen in different waysdepending on the type of colony.

In 1750 there were no governmental bodies orpolitical parties that could formulate policy forthe colonists as a whole. Such intercolony tieswere created only in response to political

events that affected all the colonies—first theFrench and Indian War and then the struggle forindependence.

Nevertheless, the colonies shared oneimportant political institution. Each colony hada representative assembly with authority tomake laws covering most aspects of local life.The assemblies had the right to tax; toappropriate money for public works and publicofficials; and to regulate internal trade, religion,and social behavior. Although the Britishgovernment was responsible for externalmatters, such as foreign affairs and trade, theAmerican colonists had a great deal of self-government during the colonial period. Thecapable leaders of the assemblies took the leadin the independence struggle. These well-functioning representative institutions wouldform the basis for the new state governments.

Text above edited from "American Revolution,” Microsoft® Encarta® 98Encyclopedia. © 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

By the application of the principle of “Federalism” the separate states were able to unite under a Federal government that

administrated the union of the states and represented the American nation to other nations. —Ed.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

“this century will be securely established"

1632. It is true that 'Abdu'l-Bahá made statementslinking the establishment of the unity of nations tothe twentieth century. For example: 'The fifthcandle is the unity of nations—a unity which, inthis century, will be securely established, causingall the peoples of the world to regard themselves ascitizens of one common fatherland." And, in The"Promised Day Is Come", following a similarstatement quoted from "Some Answered Ques-tions", Shoghi Effendi makes this comment: "Thisis the stage which the world is now approaching,the stage of world unity, which, as 'Abdu'l-Bahaassures us, will, in this century, be securely estab-lished."

There is also this statement from a letterwritten in 1946 to an individual believer on behalfof the beloved Guardian by his secretary:

All we know is that the Lesser and the MostGreat Peace will come—their exact dates we donot know. The same is true as regards the possibil-ity of a future war; we cannot state dogmatically itwill or will not take place—all we know is thatmankind must suffer and be punished sufficientlyto make it turn to God. (29 July 1974) —Compilation of Compilations, Vol. II, 197.

Underline and italics emphasis added.

O Queen in London! Incline thine ear unto

the voice of thy Lord, the Lord of all

mankind, calling from the Divine Lote-

Tree: Verily, no God is there but Me, the Almighty,

the All-Wise! Cast away all that is on earth, and

attire the head of thy kingdom with the crown of

the remembrance of thy Lord, the All-Glorious.

He, in truth, hath come unto the world in His most

great glory, and all that hath been mentioned in

the Gospel hath been fulfilled. The land of Syria

[Palestine/Israel] hath been honoured by the

footsteps of its Lord, the Lord of all men, and

North and South are both inebriated with the wine

of His presence. Blessed is the man that inhaled

the fragrance of the Most Merciful, and turned

unto the Dawning-Place of His Beauty, in this

resplendent Dawn. The Mosque of Aqsa vibrateth

through the breezes of its Lord, the All-Glorious

whilst Batha (Mecca) trembleth at the voice of

God, the Exalted, the Most High. Whereupon

every single stone of them celebrateth the praise

of the Lord, through this Great Name.

Lay aside thy desire, and set then thine heart

towards thy Lord, the Ancient of Days. We make

mention of thee for the sake of God, and desire

that thy name may be exalted through thy

remembrance of God, the Creator of earth and

heaven. He, verily, is witness unto that which I

say. We have been informed that thou hast

forbidden the trading in slaves, both men and

women. This, verily, is what God hath enjoined in

this wondrous Revelation. God hath, truly,

destined a reward for thee, because of this. He,

verily, will pay the doer of good his due

recompense, wert thou to follow what hath been

sent unto thee by Him Who is the All-Knowing,

the All-Informed. As to him who turneth aside, and

swelleth with pride, after that the clear tokens

have come unto him, from the Revealer of signs,

his work shall God bring to naught. He, in truth,

hath power over all things. Man’s actions are

acceptable after his having recognized (the

Manifestation). He that turneth aside from the

True One is indeed the most veiled amongst His

creatures. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who

is the Almighty, the Most Powerful.

We have also heard that thou hast entrusted

the reins of counsel into the hands of the

representatives of the people. Thou, indeed, hast

done well, for thereby the foundations of the

edifice of thine affairs will be strengthened, and

the hearts of all that are beneath thy shadow,

whether high or low, will be tranquillized. It

behoveth them, however, to be trustworthy among

His servants, and to regard themselves as the

representatives of all that dwell on earth. This is

what counselleth them, in this Tablet, He Who is

Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablet to Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria reigned 64 years (1837-1901),one of the longest reigns of any monarch, ever.

Queen Victoria continued ...

the Ruler, the All-Wise... Blessed is he that

entereth the assembly for the sake of God, and

judgeth between men with pure justice. He,

indeed, is of the blissful....

Turn thou unto God and say: O my Sovereign

Lord! I am but a vassal of Thine, and Thou art, in

truth, the King of Kings. I have lifted my suppliant

hands unto the heaven of Thy grace and Thy

bounties. Send down, then, upon me from the

clouds of Thy generosity that which will rid me of

all save Thee, and draw me nigh unto Thyself. I

beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thy name, which

Thou hast made the king of names, and the

manifestation of Thyself to all who are in heaven

and on earth, to rend asunder the veils that have

intervened between me and my recognition of the

Dawning-Place of Thy signs and the Day Spring

of Thy Revelation. Thou art, verily, the Almighty,

the All-Powerful, the All-Bounteous. Deprive me

not, O my Lord, of the fragrances of the Robe of

Thy mercy in Thy days, and write down for me

that which Thou hast written down for thy

handmaidens who have believed in Thee and in

Thy signs, and have recognized Thee, and set

their hearts towards the horizon of Thy Cause.

Thou art truly the Lord of the worlds and of those

who show mercy the Most Merciful. Assist me,

then, O my God, to remember Thee amongst Thy

handmaidens, and to aid Thy Cause in Thy

lands. Accept, then, that which hath escaped me

when the light of Thy countenance shone forth.

Thou, indeed, hast power over all things. Glory

be to Thee, O Thou in Whose hand is the

kingdom of the heavens and of the earth.

”Queen Victoria, it is said, upon reading theTablet revealed for her remarked: ‘If this isof God, it will endure; if not, it can do noharm.’”

—Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, 65.

End of Bahá’u’lláh’s Tablet to Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria continued ...

Victoria (queen), (1819-1901), queen of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland(1837-1901) and empress of India (1876-1901).

Born Alexandrina Victoria on May 24, 1819, inKensington Palace, London, Victoria was thedaughter of Victoria Mary Louisa, daughter ofthe duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld; her fatherwas Edward Augustus, duke of Kent andStrathern, the fourth son of George III andyoungest brother of George IV and William IV,kings of Great Britain. Because William IV hadno legitimate children, his niece Victoria becameheir apparent to the British crown upon hisaccession in 1830. On June 20, 1837, with thedeath of William IV, she became queen at theage of 18.

Early in her reign Victoria developed a seriousconcern with affairs of state, guided by her firstprime minister, William Lamb, 2nd ViscountMelbourne. Melbourne was leader of that wing

of the Whig Party that later became known asthe Liberal Party. He exercised a stronglyprogressive influence on the political thinking ofthe queen.

Marriage

In 1840 Victoria was married to her firstcousin, Albert, prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,whom she had known for about four years.Although this was a marriage of state, it was ahighly romantic and successful one, andVictoria was devoted to her domesticresponsibilities. The first of their nine childrenwas Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise, laterempress of Germany. Their first son, AlbertEdward, Prince of Wales and later king ofGreat Britain as Edward VII, was born in 1841.When the conservative Prince Albert convincedher that Liberal policy jeopardized the future ofthe Crown, the queen began to lose herenthusiasm for the party. After 1841, when the

Queen Victoria continued ...

In 1857, Victoria had the title of prince consortbestowed on Albert. Four years later he died,and she remained in virtual mourning for muchof the rest of her life. She avoided publicappearances, letting the Prince of Wales fulfillmost of the royal ceremonial duties. Herdetailed personal interest in the affairs of statecontinued, however.

Reign After 1861

Several prime ministers served during the latterpart of Victoria’s reign, but only theConservative Party leader Benjamin Disraeli,who held office in 1868 and from 1874 to 1880,gained her confidence. He ingratiated himselfwith the queen by his cultivated personalapproach and his gift for flattery. He alsoallowed her a free hand in the awarding ofchurch, military, and some politicalappointments. She fully endorsed his policy ofstrengthening and extending the British Empire,and in 1876 Disraeli secured for her the title of

Melbourne government fell and Sir Robert Peelbecame prime minister, Victoria was an ardentsupporter of the Conservative Party. Also underAlbert’s influence, she began to question thetradition that restricted the British sovereign toan advisory role. In 1850 she challenged theauthority of Henry John Temple, 3rd ViscountPalmerston, foreign secretary in the Whiggovernment that had been in power since 1846.Her position was that the sovereign should atleast be consulted on foreign policy.Palmerston, independent and self-assertive,ignored the request. Their struggle reached aclimax in 1851, when the prime minister, LordJohn Russell, who was also displeased withPalmerston’s arbitrary methods, dismissed himfrom the British Foreign Office. Theiraltercations with Palmerston, one of the mostpopular political leaders in the country, causedVictoria and Albert to lose some of the esteemof their subjects. Their popularity dwindled evenmore in 1854, when they tried to avert theCrimean War. After the war had begun,however, they gave it their wholeheartedsupport. In 1856, shortly before the end of thewar, the queen instituted the Victoria Cross, thehighest British award for wartime valor.

empress of India. She rarely agreed with thebrilliant leader of the Liberal Party, William E.Gladstone, who served as prime minister fourtimes between 1868 and 1894. Victoriadisapproved of the democratic reforms heenunciated, such as abolishing the purchase ofmilitary commissions and legalizing tradeunions, and his powerful intellectualized methodof argument. She was also strongly opposed tohis policy of home rule for Ireland. TheConservative leader Robert Arthur TalbotGascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury,who served as prime minister three timesbetween 1885 and 1902, more often found favorwith the queen. Like Disraeli, he advocatedprotecting British interests and increasing Britishinfluence abroad.

British Idol

Victoria’s popularity among all classes in Britishsociety reached its height in the last twodecades of her reign. Her golden jubilee in 1887and her diamond jubilee in 1897 were occasionsfor great public rejoicing. Her subjects werethen enjoying an unprecedented period ofprosperous complacency, and her enthusiasticexecution of the Boer War increased her appealat home and abroad. Victoria died on January22, 1901. Her 63-year reign was the longest inthe history of England. Her descendants,including 40 grandchildren, married into almostevery royal family of Europe.

With her personal example of honesty,patriotism, and devotion to family life, Victoriabecame a living symbol of the solidity of theBritish Empire. The many years of her reign,often referred to as the Victorian age, witnessedthe rise of the middle class and were marked bya deeply conservative morality and intensenationalism.

Victoria’s correspondence was published inthree series, Letters, 1837-61 (3 vol., 1907),Letters, 1862-85 (3 vol., 1926-1928), andLetters, 1886-1901 (3 vol., 1930-32).

...[G]reat messages from the Guardian's pen, suchas "The Goal of a New World Order" and "TheDispensation of Bahá'u'lláh", threw brilliant lighton precisely the issue that most concerned them,the relationship between spiritual truth and socialdevelopment, inspiring in them a determination toplay their part in laying the foundations ofhumanity's future. The Guardian provided, as well,the organizing image for this mighty work. The"Heroic Age" of Bahá'u'lláh's Dispensation, hedeclared, had ended with the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The Bahá'í community now embarked on the"Iron Age", the "Formative Age", in which theAdministrative Order would be erected throughoutthe planet, its institutions established and the"society building" powers inherent in it fullyrevealed. Far ahead lay what Shoghi Effendi calledthe "Golden Age" of the Dispensation, leadingeventually to the emergence of the Bahá'í WorldCommonwealth that will constitute the establish-ment on earth of the Kingdom of God and thecreation of a world civilization.—The Universal House of Justice, Century ofLight, 55-56.Underline and italics emphasis added.

The unity of the human race, as envisaged byBaha'u'llah, implies the establishment of a worldcommonwealth in which all nations, races, creedsand classes are closely and permanently united,and in which the autonomy of its state membersand the personal freedom and initiative of theindividuals that compose them are definitely andcompletely safeguarded. This commonwealthmust, as far as we can visualize it, consist of aworld legislature, whose members will, as thetrustees of the whole of mankind, ultimatelycontrol the entire resources of all the componentnations, and will enact such laws as shall berequired to regulate the life, satisfy the needs andadjust the relationships of all races and peoples. Aworld executive, backedby an international Force, will carry out the deci-sions arrived at and apply the laws enacted by, thisworld legislature, and will safeguard the organic

unity of the whole commonwealth. A world tribu-nal will adjudicate and deliver its compulsory andfinal verdict in all and any disputes that may arisebetween the various elements constituting thisuniversal system. A mechanism of world inter-communication will be devised, embracing thewhole planet, freed from national hindrances andrestrictions, and functioning with marvellousswiftness and perfect regularity. A world metropo-lis will act as the nerve center of a world civiliza-tion, the focus towards which the unifying forcesof life will converge and from which its energizinginfluences will radiate. A world language willeither be invented or chosen from among theexisting languages and will be taught in theschools of all the federated nations as an auxiliaryto their mother tongue. A world script, a worldliterature, a uniform and universal system ofcurrency, of weights and measures, will simplifyand facilitate intercourse and understanding amongthe nations and races of mankind. In such a worldsociety, science and religion, the two most potentforces in human life, will be reconciled, willcooperate, and will harmoniously develop. Thepress will, under such a system, while giving fullscope to the expression of the diversified viewsand convictions of mankind, cease to be mischie-vously manipulated by vested interests, whetherprivate or public, and will be liberated from theinfluence of contending governments and peoples.The economic resources of the world will beorganized, its sources of raw materials will betapped and fully utilized, its markets will becoordinated and developed, and the distribution ofits products will be equitably regulated. Nationalrivalries, hatred, and intrigues will cease, andracial animosity and prejudice will be replaced byracial amity, understanding and cooperation. Thecauses of religious strife will be permanentlyremoved, economic barriers and restrictions willbe completely abolished, and the inordinate dis-tinction between classes will be obliterated. Desti-tution on the one hand, and gross accumulation ofownership on the other, will disappear. The enor-mous energy dissipated and wasted on war,whether economic or political, will be consecratedto such ends as will extend the range of human

“Commonwealth of all the nations”

inventions and technical development, to theincrease of the productivity of mankind, to theextermination of disease, to the extension ofscientific research, to the raising of the standard ofphysical health, to the sharpening and refinementof the human brain, to the exploitation of theunused and unsuspected resources of the planet, tothe prolongation of human life, and to the further-ance of any other agency that can stimulate theintellectual, the moral, and spiritual life of theentire human race.

A world federal system, ruling the whole earth andexercising unchallengeable authority over itsunimaginably vast resources, blending and em-bodying the ideals of both the East and the West,liberated from the curse of war and its miseries,and bent on the exploitation of all the availablesources of energy on the surface of the planet, asystem in which Force is made the servant ofJustice, whose life is sustained by its universalrecognition of one God and by its allegiance to onecommon Revelation—such is the goal towardswhich humanity, impelled by the unifying forces oflife, is moving. "One of the great events," affirms`Abdu'l-Baha, "which is to occur in the Day of themanifestation of that incomparable Branch is thehoisting of the Standard of God among all nations.By this is meant that all nations and kindreds willbe gathered together under the shadow of thisDivine Banner, which is no other than the LordlyBranch itself, and will become a single nation.Religious and sectarian antagonism, the hostility ofraces and peoples, and differences among nations,will be eliminated. All men will adhere to onereligion, will have once common faith, will beblended into one race and become a single people.All will dwell in one common fatherland, which isthe planet itself." "Now, in the world of being," Hehas moreover explained, "the Hand of Divinepower hath firmly laid the foundations of this all-highest bounty, and this wondrous gift. Whatso-ever is latent in the innermost of this holy Cycleshall gradually appear and be made manifest, for

this holy Cycle shall gradually appear and be mademanifest, for now is but the beginning of itsgrowth, and the dayspring of the revelation of itssigns. Ere the close of this century and of this age,it shall be made clear and evident how wondrouswas that spring-tide, and how heavenly was thatgift."

Napoleon I (1769-1821), emperor of the French,who consolidated and institutionalized manyreforms of the French Revolution. One of thegreatest military commanders of all time, heconquered the larger part of Europe and did muchto modernize the nations he ruled.

Napoleon was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio,

Corsica, and was given the name Napoleone (inFrench his name became Napoleon Bonaparte). Hewas the second of eight children of Carlo (Charles)Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino Buonaparte, bothof the Corsican-Italian gentry. No Buonaparte hadever been a professional soldier. Carlo was a lawyerwho had fought for Corsican independence, butafter the French occupied the island in 1768, heserved as a prosecutor and judge and entered theFrench aristocracy as a count. Through his father’sinfluence, Napoleon was educated at the expenseof King Louis XVI, at Brienne and the École Militaire,in Paris. Napoleon graduated in 1785, at the age of16, and joined the artillery as a second lieutenant.

After the Revolution began, he became a lieutenantcolonel (1791) in the Corsican National Guard. In1793, however, Corsica declared independence, andBonaparte, a French patriot and a Republican, fled toFrance with his family. He was assigned, as a captain,to an army besieging Toulon, a naval base that, aidedby a British fleet, was in revolt against the republic.Replacing a wounded artillery general, he seizedground where his guns could drive the British fleetfrom the harbor, and Toulon fell. As a result Bonapartewas promoted to brigadier general at the age of 24. In1795 he saved the revolutionary government bydispersing an insurgent mob in Paris. In 1796 hemarried Joséphine de Beauharnais, the widow of anaristocrat guillotined in the Revolution and the motherof two children.1"Napoleon I,”

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“Napoleonic upheaval”

Holy Alliance, loose organization of

European sovereigns who agreed to

advance the principles of the Christian

faith. The alliance was established by a

treaty drawn up by Emperor Alexander I

of Russia. It was signed in Paris on

September 26, 1815, by Francis I,

emperor of Austria; by Frederick William

III, king of Prussia; and by Alexander.

The alliance was proclaimed at the

Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) and

eventually all European rulers signed the

treaty, except the Prince Regent of

Great Britain, the pope, and the sultan of

Turkey. The importance of the alliance

lay not in the ineffectual agreement itself

but in its becoming a symbol of

absolutist policies. Autocratic and

repressive rulers used the alliance as an

instrument to maintain the status quo in

Europe. During the mid-1800s, many

democratic and nationalist uprisings

were put down in the name of the

alliance.

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Vienna, Congress

of, European conference called toreestablish the territorial divisions ofEurope at the end of the NapoleonicWars after the downfall of Napoleon. Theconference was held in Vienna fromSeptember 1814 to June 1815.

Prominent Delegates

Representatives of all the Europeanpowers, except Turkey, assembled at theCongress, which was interrupted inFebruary 1815 by Napoleon’s escapefrom Elba. Most conspicuous among thenumerous monarchs who attended theCongress was Alexander I, emperor ofRussia, who supported such generallyunpopular causes as the unification ofthe German states and the establishmentof a constitutional government in Poland.Of the diplomats, Prince Klemens vonMetternich, the Austrian minister of statewho acted as the president of theCongress, played what was probably themost prominent part in the negotiations.Although the major powers—GreatBritain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria—had agreed that neither France nor Spain,nor any of the smaller powers, should beparty to any important decisions, theFrench diplomat Charles Maurice deTalleyrand-Périgord, who represented therestored French king Louis XVIII,succeeded in securing for France anequal share in the deliberations. GreatBritain was represented mainly by itsforeign minister Robert Stewart, ViscountCastlereagh, and by the general andstatesman Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke ofWellington. The principal delegate fromPrussia was Prince Karl August vonHardenberg.

"Vienna, Congress of,”

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Major Decisions

As a result of the negotiations at theCongress, France was deprived of all theterritory conquered by Napoleon; theDutch Republic was united with theAustrian Netherlands to form a singlekingdom of the Netherlands under thehouse of Orange; Norway and Swedenwere joined under a single ruler, CharlesXIV John of Sweden; and theindependence and neutrality ofSwitzerland were guaranteed, with theunion of its cantons reconstituted as aloose confederation. In addition, Russiareceived the major part of the formerduchy of Warsaw as the kingdom ofPoland, with Alexander I as king; Prussiareceived West Prussia, Posen (now thePolish province of Poznan), the northernhalf of Saxony, and the greater part of theprovinces of the Rhine and Westphalia;Hannover received territorial additionsand became a kingdom; Austria wasgiven back most of the territory it hadrecently lost and was compensated inGermany and Italy (Lombardia andVenice) for the loss of the AustrianNetherlands. The formerly Venetian partof Dalmatia (now in Croatia) also went toAustria; Britain kept Cape Colony inSouth Africa, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka),Mauritius, Helgoland, and Malta; the kingof Sardinia recovered Piedmont, Nice,and Savoy and received Genoa; theBourbon king Ferdinand I was restoredto the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies; andthe duchy of Parma was bestowed onNapoleon’s wife, Marie Louise of Austria.A territorial commission was convened atFrankfurt, and by 1819 it had establishedthe German Confederation, uniting 39sovereign states, including Prussia,under the presidency of Austria.

The Congress took the important step ofcondemning the slave trade and alsoprovided for freedom of navigation onrivers that traversed several states orformed boundaries between states. Its

chief accomplishment was inreestablishing a balance of power amongthe countries of Europe, with the resultthat the peace of Europe remainedpractically undisturbed for 40 years.

“Geneva Protocol”

“In 1929 and 1931 twoimportant internationalinitiatives … might have madea considerable contribution toeasing Germany’s economicproblems and thus helping aGerman democraticGovernment to withstand Nazipropaganda. They were[Aristide] Briand’s proposal fora Federal Europe and thesuggested Austro-GermanCustoms Union. Neithermaterialized.

***

The fierce opposition whichgreeted the abortive scheme ofthe Geneva Protocol; the ridiculepoured upon the proposal for aUnited States of Europe whichwas subsequently advanced, andthe failure of the general schemefor the economic union of Europe,may appear as setbacks to theefforts which a handful offoresighted people are earnestlyexerting to advance this nobleideal.

—Shoghi Effendi, 1931, WorldOrder of Bahá’u’lláh, 44

[The] … Federal Plan [waslaunched] at the League ofNations on 5 September 1929 ,… … [The] … main aim [of theplan] was the reduction andremoval of all import tariffs ontrade between Europeancountries.” (p. 43)

“The French and Czechgovernments denounced theplan as a first move towards theAnschluss [annexation —eventual union of Austria andGermany] in breach of theProtocol of October 1922, whichgave financial assistance toAustria in return for the promisethat she would do nothing whichput her economicindependence at risk withoutthe consent of the Council ofthe League.” (p. 47)—Above quoted from The Drift toWar 1922-1939 by Richard Lamb,pp.

The fear was a revived and united Austria andGermany that might again raise the spectre ofwar in Europe. This fear was unfounded whenone considers that 23 Europeans nations wereeligible and welcome to join the union. Aneconomically recovered Germany and Austriawould have been much less susceptible to thecharms of Hitler and his social democrats.

—Ed.

O YE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD! Know, verily, that an unforeseen calamityfolloweth you, and grievous retributionawaiteth you. Think not that which ye havecommitted hath been effaced in My sight. ByMy beauty! All your doings hath My pengraven with open characters upon tablets ofchrysolite.—Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian #63.

The Hidden Words

Translated by Shoghi EffendiA “treasury of divine mysteries” that Bahá’u’lláhdescribes as “the inner essence” of the revelations of theProphets, clothed in “the garment of brevity.” The HiddenWords covers such themes as the nobility of creation, themystical relationship between God and humanity, andthe importance of humanity’s response to divine counsel.Baha’u’llah revealed these “gem-like utterances” whilemeditating on the banks of the Tigris River around 1858.According to Shoghi Effendi, they rank next to The Kitáb-i-Iqán and hold a position of unsurpassed preeminence”among Baha’u’llah’s ethical writings. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá hasencouraged us to Memorize” and “recite day and night”The Hidden Words and has said that one who lives bythem will become “a torch of fire of the love of God, anembodiment of humility, of lowliness, of evanescenceand of selflessness.”

The Master Key: Unlocking the Hearts of Humankind,1.

The period of one thousand years duringwhich (according to one interpretation ofRev. 20:1–5) Christ will reign in person onearth.

—The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary

“that millennium of which poets of all ageshave sung”

“swords shall be beaten into ploughshares”

‘Beating Swords into Plowshares’

In the Bahá’í Writings the term ‘Ark’ is often usedto signify the Cause of God, or the Covenant, andBahá’u’lláh, the Holy Mariner. For example, theBáb in the Qayyumu’l-Asma has lauded the com-munity of the Most Great Name, the Bahá’ís, asthe companions of the Crimson-coloured Ark. Butthe ‘Ark’ in the Tablet of Carmel, according toShoghi Effendi signifies the Ark of the Law ofGod. He explains that the sailing of the Ark uponMount Carmel is an allusion to the establishmentof the Universal House of Justice, the supremelegislative body of the Faith from which the law ofGod will flow to all mankind. Shoghi Effendialso refers to the members of the House of Justiceas occupants of the Ark mentioned in the Tablet ofCarmel. The Universal House of Justice is themain organ of the international AdministrativeCentre of the Faith, while there are other institu-tions which form part of this centre.

Again, the Prophets of Israel foresaw these eventsthousands of years ago, as in this quotation fromIsaiah:

And it shall come to pass in the last days, thatthe mountain of the Lord’s house shall be estab-lished in the top of the mountains, and shall beexalted above the hills, and all nations shall flowunto it.

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, andlet us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to thehouse of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us ofhis ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out ofZion shall go forth the law and the word of theLord from Jerusalem.

And he shall judge among the nations, and shallrebuke many people: and they shall beat theirswords into plowshares, and their spears intopruninghooks: nation shall not lift up swordagainst nation, neither shall they learn war any-more.

—Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation ofBahá’u’lláh, Volume 4, 361.

At the simplest level the above phrase promisesthat the implements of war—swords and spears—will be transformed into the tools of peace—plowshares and pruninghooks.

—Ed.

‘ABDU’L-AZÍZ was the Sultán of the OttomanTurkish Empire (ruled 1861-1876) who banishedBahá’u’lláh from Constantinople (Istanbul) toAdrianople (Edirene) in 1863, and finally to ‘Akkáin 1868. The Sultán’s decree condemnedBahá’u’lláh and His companions to permanentbanishment and ordered that they be strictly con-fined and forbidden to associate with each other orwith the local inhabitants. Bahá’u’lláh is reportedto have said that in banishing Him without reasonto the Most Great Prison (‘Akká), ‘Abdu’l-’Azíz’styranny was worse than Násir’d-Dín Sháh’s.Bahá’u’lláh addressed the Sultán in two Tabletsincluding the Súriy-i-Mulúk (Tablet to the Kings),but he did not respond. ‘Abdu’l-’Azíz was deposedand assassinated in 1876.”

—A Basic Bahá’í Dictionary, 2.

“Nor was the then representative of the Britishgovernment, Colonel Sir Arnold BurrowsKemball, consul-general in Baghdad, insensible ofthe position which Bahá'u'lláh now occupied.Entering into friendly correspondence with Him,he, as testified by Bahá'u'lláh Himself, offeredHim the protection of British citizenship, called onHim in person, and undertook to transmit toQueen Victoria any communication He mightwish to forward to her. He even expressed hisreadiness to arrange for transfer of His residence toIndia, or to any place agreeable to Him. Thissuggestion Bahá'u'lláh declined, choosing to abidein the dominions of the Sultan of Turkey[‘Abdu’l-Azíz].”

—Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, 131.

“two of the most powerful Orientalpotentates of His day”

Sultán ‘Abdu’l-Azíz (1861-1876)

Abdu’l-Hamid II succeeded ‘Abdu’l-Azíz.

“‘Abdu’l-Hamid II (b. Sept. 21, 1842, Constantinople—d. Feb. 10, 1918, Constantinople), Ottoman sultanfrom 1876 to 1909, under whose autocratic rule thereform movement of Tanzimat (Reorganization)reached its climax and who adopted a policy of pan-Islamism in opposition to Western intervention inOttoman affairs.

A son of Sultan Abdu’l Majid I, he came to the throneat the deposition of his mentally deranged brother,Murad V, on Aug. 31, 1876. He promulgated the firstOttoman constitution on Dec. 23, 1876, primarily toward off foreign intervention at a time when the Turks’savage suppression of the Bulgarian uprising (May

‘ABDU’L-HAMÍD II“Sultán of the Ottoman Turkish Empire (ruled 1876-1909). As a result of the plotting of Mírzá Muhammad-’Alí, in 1901 ‘Abdu’l-Hamíd restricted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’sfreedom, confining Him and His family within the citywalls of ‘Akká. Later the Sultán sent two commissionsof inquiry to investigate false charges made against‘Abdu’l-Bahá by Covenant-breakers, and for a time‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in great danger. However, with theYoung Turk’s revolution in 1908, all religious andpolitical prisoners in the Ottoman Empire were freedand the Sultán was overthrown the following year. Hedied in 1918.”

–A Basic Bahá’í Dictionary, 4.

1876) and Ottoman successes in Serbia andMontenegro had aroused the indignation of Westernpowers and Russia. After a disastrous war with Russia(1877), Abdu’l Hamid was convinced that little helpcould be expected from the Western powers withouttheir intrusion into Ottoman affairs. He dismissed theParliament, which had met in March 1877, andsuspended the constitution in February 1878.Thenceforth for 40 years he ruled from his seclusionat Yildiz Palace (in Constantinople), assisted by asystem of secret police, an expanded telegraphnetwork, and severe censorship.”

—Encyclopedia Brittanica 1994-1999

‘Edifice’

The “Edifice” referred to is the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, IL.

Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, USA in 1931

‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave permission for theconstruction of this house of worship in1903. The Master laid the cornerstoneof the building in 1912. In 1933—whenthis letter was written—constructionhad been underway since 20 Decem-ber 1920. GPB 303. The above photo-graph was taken shortly after the domewas put in place in 1931. The orna-mentation of the dome was completed

in 1934, however the remaining exte-rior ornamentation was not completeduntil World War II.

The House of Worship was dedicatedMay 1, 1953.

—Photograph and most of the forego-ing information taken from The Bahá’íWorld, 1932-1934.

Ataturk, Mustafa Kemal (1881-1938),Turkish soldier, nationalist leader, andstatesman, who founded the republic ofTurkey and was its first president(1923-1938). The name Ataturk (FatherTurk) was bestowed upon him in 1934 bythe Grand National Assembly as a tributefor his unique service to the Turkishnation. Ataturk was born in Salonika(now Thessaloníki, Greece), the son of aminor official who became a timbermerchant. When Ataturk was 12 yearsold, he went to military schools inSalonika and Monastir, centers of anti-Turkish Greek and Slavic nationalism. In1899 he attended the military academy inIstanbul, graduating as staff captain inJanuary 1905.

A Greek army occupied Izmir on theAnatolian coast on May 15, 1919.Atatürk, who had been appointedinspector of the Third Army in Anatolia,reached Samsun on May 19. Heimmediately set about uniting the Turkishnational movement and creating an armyfor defense. First, however, thenationalists had to wage a struggleagainst the Ottoman sultan’s regime inIstanbul, which seemed willing to allowthe dismemberment of the nationalterritory. By 1920 the Istanbulgovernment had been discredited foracquiescing to the Allied occupation ofthe capital and signing the Treaty ofSèvres, which recognized Greek controlover parts of Anatolia. Ataturk,meanwhile, had set up a provisionalgovernment in Ankara in April 1920.After initial setbacks, he won decisivebattles against Greek forces at Sakarya

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(August 1921) and Dumlupinar (August1922), reoccupying Izmir in September.

National Leader

Having dealt with the external threat,Ataturk turned to the internal one posedby the conservative forces around thesultan. The sultanate was abolished onNovember 1, 1922, and the republicproclaimed on October 29, 1923, withAtaturk as president. He founded thePeople’s Party (renamed RepublicanPeople’s Party in 1924) in August 1923and established a single-party regimethat, except for two brief experiments(1924-1925 and 1930) with oppositionparties, lasted until 1945.

8 January, 1918President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points(Delivered in Joint Session, January 8, 1918)

Gentlemen of the Congress:

Once more, as repeatedly before, the spokesmen ofthe Central Empires have indicated their desire todiscuss the objects of the war and the possiblebasis of a general peace. Parleys have been inprogress at Brest-Litovsk between Russsian repre-sentatives and representatives of the CentralPowers to which the attention of all thebelligerents have been invited for the purpose ofascertaining whether it may be possible to extendthese parleys into a general conference with regardto terms of peace and settlement.

The Russian representatives presented not only aperfectly definite statement of the principles uponwhich they would be willing to conclude peace butalso an equally definite program of the concreteapplication of those principles. The representativesof the Central Powers, on their part, presented anoutline of settlement which, if much less definite,seemed susceptible of liberal interpretation untiltheir specific program of practical terms wasadded. That program proposed no concessions atall either to the sovereignty of Russia or to thepreferences of the populations with whose fortunesit dealt, but meant, in a word, that the CentralEmpires were to keep every foot of territory theirarmed forces had occupied -- every province, everycity, every point of vantage -- as a permanentaddition to their territories and their power.

It is a reasonable conjecture that the general prin-ciples of settlement which they at first suggestedoriginated with the more liberal statesmen ofGermany and Austria, the men who have begun tofeel the force of their own people's thought andpurpose, while the concrete terms of actual settle-ment came from the military leaders who have nothought but to keep what they have got. Thenegotiations have been broken off. The Russianrepresentatives were sincere and in earnest. They

cannot entertain such proposals of conquest anddomination.

The whole incident is full of signifiances. It is alsofull of perplexity. With whom are the Russianrepresentatives dealing? For whom are the repre-sentatives of the Central Empires speaking? Arethey speaking for the majorities of their respectiveparliaments or for the minority parties, that mili-tary and imperialistic minority which has so fardominated their whole policy and controlled theaffairs of Turkey and of the Balkan states whichhave felt obliged to become their associates in thiswar?

The Russian representatives have insisted, veryjustly, very wisely, and in the true spirit of moderndemocracy, that the conferences they have beenholding with the Teutonic and Turkish statesmenshould be held within open not closed, doors, andall the world has been audience, as was desired. Towhom have we been listening, then? To those whospeak the spirit and intention of the resolutions ofthe German Reichstag of the 9th of July last, thespirit and intention of the Liberal leaders andparties of Germany, or to those who resist and defythat spirit and intention and insist upon conquestand subjugation? Or are we listening, in fact, toboth, unreconciled and in open and hopelesscontradiction? These are very serious and pregnantquestions. Upon the answer to them depends thepeace of the world.

But, whatever the results of the parleys at Brest-Litovsk, whatever the confusions of counsel and ofpurpose in the utterances of the spokesmen of theCentral Empires, they have again attempted toacquaint the world with their objects in the warand have again challenged their adversaries to saywhat their objects are and what sort of settlementthey would deem just and satisfactory. There is nogood reason why that challenge should not beresponded to, and responded to with the utmostcandor. We did not wait for it. Not once, but againand again, we have laid our whole thought andpurpose before the world, not in general termsonly, but each time with sufficient definition to

make it clear what sort of definite terms of settle-ment must necessarily spring out of them. Withinthe last week Mr. Lloyd George has spoken withadmirable candor and in admirable spirit for thepeople and Government of Great Britain.

There is no confusion of counsel among the adver-saries of the Central Powers, no uncertainty ofprinciple, no vagueness of detail. The only secrecyof counsel, the only lack of fearless frankness, theonly failure to make definite statement of theobjects of the war, lies with Germany and herallies. The issues of life and death hang upon thesedefinitions. No statesman who has the least con-ception of his responsibility ought for a moment topermit himself to continue this tragical and appall-ing outpouring of blood and treasure unless he issure beyond a peradventure that the objects of thevital sacrifice are part and parcel of the very life ofSociety and that the people for whom he speaksthink them right and imperative as he does.

There is, moreover, a voice calling for thesedefinitions of principle and of purpose which is, itseems to me, more thrilling and more compellingthan any of the many moving voices with whichthe troubled air of the world is filled. It is the voiceof the Russian people. They are prostrate and allbut hopeless, it would seem, before the grim powerof Germany, which has hitherto known no relent-ing and no pity. Their power, apparently, is shat-tered. And yet their soul is not subservient. Theywill not yield either in principle or in action. Theirconception of what is right, of what is humane andhonorable for them to accept, has been stated witha frankness, a largeness of view, a generosity ofspirit, and a universal human sympathy whichmust challenge the admiration of every friend ofmankind; and they have refused to compound theirideals or desert others that they themselves may besafe.

They call to us to say what it is that we desire, inwhat, if in anything, our purpose and our spiritdiffer from theirs; and I believe that the people ofthe United States would wish me to respond, withutter simplicity and frankness. Whether their

present leaders believe it or not, it is our heartfeltdesire and hope that some way may be openedwhereby we may be privileged to assist the peopleof Russia to attain their utmost hope of liberty andordered peace.

It will be our wish and purpose that the processesof peace, when they are begun, shall be absolutelyopen and that they shall involve and permit hence-forth no secret understandings of any kind. The dayof conquest and aggrandizement is gone by; so isalso the day of secret covenants entered into in theinterest of particular governments and likely atsome unlooked-for moment to upset the peace ofthe world. It is this happy fact, now clear to theview of every public man whose thoughts do notstill linger in an age that is dead and gone, whichmakes it possible for every nation whose purposesare consistent with justice and the peace of theworld to avow nor or at any other time the objectsit has in view.

We entered this war because violations of right hadoccurred which touched us to the quick and madethe life of our own people impossible unless theywere corrected and the world secure once for allagainst their recurrence. What we demand in thiswar, therefore, is nothing peculiar to ourselves. It isthat the world be made fit and safe to live in; andparticularly that it be made safe for every peace-loving nation which, like our own, wishes to liveits own life, determine its own institutions, beassured of justice and fair dealing by the otherpeoples of the world as against force and selfishaggression. All the peoples of the world are ineffect partners in this interest, and for our own partwe see very clearly that unless justice be done toothers it will not be done to us. The program of theworld's peace, therefore, is our program; and thatprogram, the only possible program, as we see it, isthis:

14 Points begin on next page.

I. Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, afterwhich there shall be no private international under-standings of any kind but diplomacy shall proceedalways frankly and in the public view.

II. Absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas,outside territorial waters, alike in peace and in war,except as the seas may be closed in whole or in partby international action for the enforcement of interna-tional covenants.

III. The removal, so far as possible, of all economicbarriers and the establishment of an equality of tradeconditions among all the nations consenting to thepeace and associating themselves for its maintenance.

IV. Adequate guarantees given and taken that nationalarmaments will be reduced to the lowest point consis-tent with domestic safety.

V. A free, open-minded, and absolutely impartialadjustment of all colonial claims, based upon a strictobservance of the principle that in determining all suchquestions of sovereignty the interests of the popula-tions concerned must have equal weight with theequitable claims of the government whose title is to bedetermined.

VI. The evacuation of all Russian territory and such asettlement of all questions affecting Russia as willsecure the best and freest cooperation of the othernations of the world in obtaining for her an unham-pered and unembarrassed opportunity for the indepen-dent determination of her own political developmentand national policy and assure her of a sincere wel-come into the society of free nations under institutionsof her own choosing; and, more than a welcome,assistance also of every kind that she may need andmay herself desire. The treatment accorded Russia byher sister nations in the months to come will be theacid test of their good will, of their comprehension ofher needs as distinguished from their own interests,and of their intelligent and unselfish sympathy.

VII. Belgium, the whole world will agree, must beevacuated and restored, without any attempt to limitthe sovereignty which she enjoys in common with allother free nations. No other single act will serve as thiswill serve to restore confidence among the nations inthe laws which they have themselves set and deter-mined for the government of their relations with oneanother. Without this healing act the whole structure

and validity of international law is forever impaired.VIII. All French territory should be freed and theinvaded portions restored, and the wrong done toFrance by Prussia in 1871 in the matter of Alsace-Lorraine, which has unsettled the peace of the worldfor nearly fifty years, should be righted, in order thatpeace may once more be made secure in the interestof all.

IX. A readjustment of the frontiers of Italy should beeffected along clearly recognizable lines of nationality.

X. The peoples of Austria-Hungary, whose placeamong the nations we wish to see safeguarded andassured, should be accorded the freest opportunity toautonomous development.

XI. Rumania, Serbia, and Montenegro should beevacuated; occupied territories restored; Serbiaaccorded free and secure access to the sea; and therelations of the several Balkan states to one anotherdetermined by friendly counsel along historicallyestablished lines of allegiance and nationality; andinternational guarantees of the political and economicindependence and territorial integrity of the severalBalkan states should be entered into.

XII. The Turkish portion of the present OttomanEmpire should be assured a secure sovereignty, butthe other nationalities which are now under Turkishrule should be assured an undoubted security of lifeand an absolutely unmolested opportunity of autono-mous development, and the Dardanelles should bepermanently opened as a free passage to the shipsand commerce of all nations under internationalguarantees.

XIII. An independent Polish state should be erectedwhich should include the territories inhabited byindisputably Polish populations, which should beassured a free and secure access to the sea, andwhose political and economic independence andterritorial integrity should be guaranteed by interna-tional covenant.

XIV. A general association of nations must be formedunder specific covenants for the purpose of affordingmutual guarantees of political independence andterritorial integrity to great and small states alike.

President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points

[Wilson’s speech continued on next page.]

In regard to these essential rectifications of wrongand assertions of right we feel ourselves to beintimate partners of all the governments andpeoples associated together against the Imperial-ists. We cannot be separated in interest or dividedin purpose. We stand together until the end. Forsuch arrangements and covenants we are willing tofight and to continue to fight until they areachieved; but only because we wish the right toprevail and desire a just and stable peace such ascan be secured only by removing the chief provo-cations to war, which this program does remove.We have no jealousy of German greatness, andthere is nothing in this program that impairs it. Wegrudge her no achievement or distinction of learn-ing or of pacific enterprise such as have made herrecord very bright and very enviable. We do notwish to injure her or to block in any way herlegitimate influence or power. We do not wish tofight her either with arms or with hostile arrange-ments of trade if she is willing to associate herselfwith us and the other peace- loving nations of theworld in covenants of justice and law and fairdealing. We wish her only to accept a place ofequality among the peoples of the world, -- thenew world in which we now live, -- instead of aplace of mastery.

Neither do we presume to suggest to her anyalteration or modification of her institutions. But itis necessary, we must frankly say, and necessary asa preliminary to any intelligent dealings with heron our part, that we should know whom herspokesmen speak for when they speak to us,whether for the Reichstag majority or for themilitary party and the men whose creed is imperialdomination.

We have spoken now, surely, in terms too concreteto admit of any further doubt or question. Anevident principle runs through the whole program Ihave outlined. It is the principle of justice to allpeoples and nationalities, and their right to live onequal terms of liberty and safety with one another,whether they be strong or weak.

Unless this principle be made its foundation nopart of the structure of international justice canstand. The people of the United States could actupon no other principle; and to the vindication ofthis principle they are ready to devote their lives,their honor, and everything they possess. Themoral climax of this the culminating and final warfor human liberty has come, and they are ready toput their own strength, their own highest purpose,their own integrity and devotion to the test.

Edited version of "Wilson, (Thomas) Woodrow,” Microsoft® Encarta® 98 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1997Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

The Fourteen PointsWilson’s crusade for democracy received a severeshock when the Russian Revolution was supersededin October 1917 by a Communist Party uprising and anew regime headed by Vladimir Lenin and LeonTrotsky. The new regime was opposed to all warringnations and was eager to undermine them. When thenew government found copies of secret treaties theAllies had made with the czar, they immediatelypublished them. The treaties revealed that the Allieshad not entered the war for purely idealistic purposesany more than Germany had.Wilson was not disillusioned to learn that the Allieshad been plotting the dissolution of the GermanEmpire. He was well aware that Allied leaders wereprimarily concerned with national self-interest. Hisbelief was that a league of nations could force them toact on behalf of peace and equity whether theywanted to do so or not.To counter a peace plan suggested by the Bolsheviks,Wilson offered his own plan for peace. AddressingCongress on January 8, 1918, Wilson outlined whathe called his Fourteen Points. Wilson’s programimagined “open covenants of peace, openly arrivedat,” freedom of the seas, weapons reduction, territorialadjustments between nations, and Wilson’s dearestcause, the League of Nations: A general associationof nations must be formed under specific covenantsfor the purpose of affording mutual guarantees ofpolitical independence and territorial integrity to greatand small states alike.

Last YearsThe league remained Wilson’s constantpreoccupation. As president he had created no

organization to carry on his program and haddeveloped no associates to sustain his cause. Afterleaving office he retired to a house in Washington,D.C., and for the most part he disappeared frompublic view. Although he had led the country duringthe course of the war, the country was now in otherhands. He died in 1924 and was buried in the NationalCathedral in Washington, D.C.

ALLIES & ASSOCIATED POWERS

Great Britain

Bulgaria

WORLD WAR I

France

Germany

Italy

Russia

In 1917—duringWWI—

Russia over-

Turkey

Austria-Hungary

United States

2.2 Million

0.81 Million

0.36 Million

0.34 Million

1.25 Million

0.75 Million

1.2 Million

0.15 Million

0.18 MillionBELGIUM

CENTRAL POWERS

0.71 Million

“besotted woman”

Ruth White—an American Bahá’í—charged thatthe Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was aforgery; something Shoghi Effendi said that eventhe enemies of the Faith in the Holy Land didn’tquestion.

In 1930 the “Bahá’í World Union” was formed inGermany by Covenant-Breaker Wilhelm Herrigelas a result of the activities of Ruth White.

She renewed her activities in 1940 with no result.At the age of 100 she became a devotee of MeherBaba.

—Most of the above taken from Peter Smith, TheBábí and Bahá’í Religions, 124.

“the lion and the lamb lie down together”

“The Peaceable Kingdom”

The painting—The Peaceable Kingdom—illustrates Isaiah 11:6: “The wolf shalldwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf andthe lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.”

"Hicks, Edward,” Microsoft® Encarta® 98 Encyclopedia © 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

‘a little child shall lead them’—Isaiah 11:6

“Many years before His [‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s] passing,in answer to a question from some Persianbelievers as to whether there would be oneperson to whom all should turn after His death,‘Abdu’l-Bahá had written: “...Know verily that thisis a well-guarded secret. It is even as a gemconcealed within its shell. That it will be revealedis predestined. The time will come when its lightwill appear, when its evidences will be mademanifest, and its secrets unravelled.”

More light is thrown on this subject by the diary ofDr. Yunis Khan, who spent three months in ‘Akkáwith ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during 1897, and returned in1900 for a stay of many years. From his wordswe infer that, perhaps due to news havingreached the West that a grandson had been bornto the Master, a believer in America had written toHim that in the Bible is mentioned that after‘Abdu’l-Bahá “a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah11:6) and does this mean a real, live child whoexists? Dr. Yunis Khan was not aware, in 1897,that this question had been put and that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had revealed the following Tablet in answerto it:

O Maidservant of God! Verily, that child isborn and is alive and from him will appear won-

[The Will & Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was written inthree different parts over a period of years. It is ofspecial interest that in that document‘Abdu’l-Bahá hadalready appointed Shoghi Effendi (without any one’sknowledge) His successor and Guardian of the Causeof God. —Ed.]

“'Abdu'l-Baha extols Shoghi Effendi in matchlessterms, as 'blest, tender, verdant and flourishing ... themost wondrous, unique and priceless pearl'. Bearing inmind that when 'Abdu'l-Baha wrote these wordsShoghi Effendi was not yet ten years old, we canobserve the superhuman foresight of the Master, whosaw in that child such divine attributes as to appointhim the Guardian of the Cause of God and pay tributeto him in such laudatory terms.”

—Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant, p.266.

The Will & Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—addressed toShoghi Effendi—was read in January 1922. Shoghi

Effendi was only 25 years old at that time.

Shoghi Effendi Rabbani asa child

drous things that thou wilt hear of in the future.Thou shalt behold him endowed with the mostperfect appearance, supreme capacity, absoluteperfection, consummate power and unsurpassedmight. His face will shine with a radiance thatillumines all the horizons of the world; thereforeforget this not as long as thou dost live inasmuchas ages and centuries will bear traces of him.

Upon thee be greetings and praise‘Abdu’l-Baha Abbas”—The Priceless Pearl by Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhiyyih Khánum,pages 1 and 2.

In 1963—100 years after the declaration ofBahá’u’lláh in Baghdad—The UniversalHouse of Justice was elected in Haifa, Israel.—Ed.

“On April 21, 1963, the momentous firstInternational Baha’i Convention yielded thelong-awaited crown of the Baha’i Administra-tive Order: the Universal House of Justice.

This institution came into being at an unprec-edented landmark in Bahá’í history known asthe Most Great Jubilee, which, all at once,displayed the rich harvest of the Ten YearWorld Crusade inaugurated by the belovedGuardian of the Cause of God, ShoghiEffendi, in 1953; brought to an auspiciousconclusion at the Bahá’í World Congress inLondon the dynamic ninth part of the spiritualevolution of man that began with the AdamicCycle; and ushered mankind to the thresholdof the tenth part of that divine process des-tined to culminate in the Christ-promisedKingdom of God on earth.

Although the Guardian had passed away atthe midway point of the Ten Year Crusade, theBahá’ís executed with unflagging determina-tion the goals of the Crusade in keeping withhis explicit instructions. The Hands of theCause of God, the “Chief Stewards ofBahá’u’lláh’s embryonic World Common-wealth,” impelled by the impending necessityto restore unerring guidance to the day-to-dayaffairs of the swelling Bahá’í community,called for the election of the supreme legisla-tive institution of the Faith as set forth in theWill and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Eversince its first reassuring message to thebelievers from the platform of the Jubileecelebration in London, the Universal House ofJustice has been communicating its guidanceto the Bahá’íi world through letters and cable-grams.

—Wellspring of Guidance, v.

“the hundredth anniversary of theDeclaration of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh”

First Message of The Universal House of Justiceread to Friends at London Congress 30 April 1963:

Beloved friends: On this glorious occasion, thecelebration of the Most Great Jubilee, we raise ourgrateful thanks to Baha'u'llah for all His bountiesshowered upon the friends throughout the world.This historic moment marks at one and the sametime the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy. theHundredth Anniversary of the Declaration of thePromised One of all ages, the termination of thefirst epoch of the Divine Plan of `Abdu'l-Bahadesigned to establish the Faith of God in all theworld. and the successful establish the Faith ofGod in all the world. and the successful conclusionof our beloved Guardian's world encircling Cru-sade, enabling his lovers and loved ones every-where to lay this glorious harvest of victory in hisname at the feet of the Blessed Beauty.

This Most Great Jubilee is the crowning victory ofthe lifework of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of theCause of God. He it was. and he alone, whounfolded the potentialities of the widely scattered,numerically small. and largely unorganized Baha'icommunity which had been called into beingduring the Heroic Age of the Faith.___FOOTNOTEThe statement was presented by Mr. DavidHofman, a member of the Universal House ofJustice, to the Baha'is assembled in Royal Albert

Membership of The Universal House of Justice elected in 1963.

Hall, London, 28 April-2 May 1963, at the Baha'iWorld Congress, which commemorated the MostGreat Jubilee, the one hundredth anniversary ofBaha'u'llah's declaration of His mission, and alsomarked the victorious completion of the Ten YearCrusade launched by Shoghi Effendi in April 19531-2. Baha'u'llah, in BP, p. 120. 1-3. 'Abdu'l-Bahaexplained that Daniel's prophecy ("Blessed is hewho cometh unto the thousand three hundred andthirty five days," Dan. 12:12) points to one centuryafter Baha'u'llah's appearance and declaration ofHis mission in 1863 and refers to the spread of theteachings of the Baha'i Faith across the world.

The Universal House of Justice building.Occupied in January, 1983.

1414. Predictions of Peace, Prophecy of Daniel— 1335 Days

“Now concerning the verse in Daniel, theinterpretation whereof thou didst ask, namely,‘Blessed is he who cometh unto the thousand andthree hundred and thirty five days.’ These daysmust be reckoned as solar and not lunar years.For according to this calculation a century willhave elapsed from the dawn of the Sun of Truth,when will the Teachings of God be firmlyestablished upon the earth, and the Divine Lightshall flood the World from the East even unto theWest, Then, on this day, will the faithful rejoice.”(‘Abdu’l-Bahá-: From a Tablet to a Kurdish friend:The Passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 31, ShoghiEffendi and Lady Blomfield)

“.. The 1335 days is figured according to thesolar calendar, but in adjusting the 1335 days,one must take into solar time, which would bringthe date to 1963. “There is one thing of importance for the Baha’isto understand; and that is, that this prophecyrefers to happening within the Faith, notoccurrences outside the Faith. It refers specificallyto the spread of the Faith over the face of theearth This will be accomplished when the Bahá’íFaith is firmly established in all the virgin areasoutlined in the Ten-Year Crusade, and the othergoals of the Crusade are completed. Thus itbehooves us to work day and night in order toaccomplish this glorious goal.”(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian toan individual believer, May 4, 1946: SomeExtracts from Letter written on behalf of theGuardian on the Subject of the Prophecy ofDaniel: A Compilation from the World Center tothe compiler)

—Lights of Guidance, 432.

“the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy,”

And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall betaken away, and the abomination that makethdesolate set up, there shall be a thousand twohundred and ninety days.

Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to thethousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

—King James trans. Bible, Dan. 12:12

‘The 1335 days’

Shoghi Effendi associates Daniel's refer-ence to the 1,335 days and 'Abdu'l-Baha'sstatements about the prophecy with thecentenary of Baha'u'llah's declaration ofHis mission in 1863 and with the world-wide triumph of the Faith. He stressed thatthe prophecy refers to occurrences withinthe Baha'i community, rather than to eventsin the outside world.

While Shoghi Effendi clearly allied theFaith's triumph with the successful comple-tion of the third teaching plan to be under-taken by the Baha'is, in his letters and inthose written on his behalf, four specificdates are mentioned as marking the fulfill-ment of Daniel's prophecy: 1953, 1957,1960, and 1963. Regarding the year 1960(derived by a lunar reckoning), ShoghiEffendi anticipated, in God Passes By, p.

151, and in a number of his letters, thesuccessful completion of a third SevenYear Plan that was to be inaugurated. Hadthere been a third Seven Year Plan, itwould have concluded in 1960, one hun-dred lunar years after Baha'u'llah's declara-tion. When the Ten Year Crusade (1953-63) was announced in 1952, ShoghiEffendi linked its completion with thefulfillment of Daniel's prophecy. There arealso several references in letters written onShoghi Effendi's behalf that give 1957 asthe date of the prophecy's fulfillment. Instill other letters Shoghi Effendi allies the"hundred lunar years" after Baha'u'llah'sdeclaration with the year 1953, althoughthe significance of this hundred years isunclear.

Thus it seems the prophecy is not fulfilledby a single date but, rather, by a processthat extended over a period of time. Aletter dated 7 March 1955 written onShoghi Effendi's behalf says, "In the TenYear Crusade, we are actually fulfilling theprophecy of Daniel, because with thecompletion of the Ten Year Crusade in1963 we will have established the Faith inevery part of the globe." Thus the fulfill-ment of the prophecy coincided with theperiod of the Ten Year Crusade, a span oftime that included 1953, 1957, 1960, and1963.

—Messages from the Universal House ofJustice, 1963-1986, p. 738.

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NOTES OF BRENT POIRER ON SHOGHIEFFENDI’S LETTER:

“GOAL OF A NEW WORLD ORDER”

GUARDIAN’S COMMENT

”With regard to your request for a special articlefrom the Guardian which you wish to havepublished in the forthcoming issue of yourmagazine. He would suggest that you shouldtranslate his general letter addressed to the friendsa few years ago, entitled “The Goal of a NewWorld Order”, as this, he feels, is a very suitablematerial for publication in that review, and is by farbetter than anything he can write at present.”

(Shoghi Effendi, letter to an individual dated 3August 1935, The Light of Divine Guidance, Vol.II, p. 34)

“It is difficult to realize, looking back upon ShoghiEffendi’s achievements, that he actually wrote onlyone book of his own, as such, and this was GodPasses By published in 1944. Even The PromisedDay Is Come, written in 1941, is a 136-page-longgeneral letter to the Bahá’ís of the West. This factalone is a profound indication of the deeply modestcharacter of the man. He communicated with theBahá’ís because he was appointed to guide them,because he was the Custodian of the Faith ofBahá’u’lláh; he was impelled by forces strongerthan himself over which he had no control. Asidefrom the stream of letters of moderate length thatconstantly flowed from him to the Bahá’ís of theWest and their National Assemblies, there arecertain general letters of a different nature, someaddressed to the Bahá’ís of the United States andCanada, some to the Bahá’ís of the West, whichhave been gathered together in one volume underthe title of The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. TheWorld Order of Bahá’u’lláh and The World Orderof Bahá’u’lláh Further Considerations were writtenin 1929 and 1930 respectively; they were designedto clarify for the believers the true meaning andpurpose of their Faith, its tenets, its implications,its destiny and future and to guide the unfolding

and slowly maturing Community in North Americaand in the West to a better understanding of itsduties, its privileges and its destiny. This wasfollowed in 1931 by a letter known as The Goal ofa New World Order, which with a new mastery andassurance in its tone, rises above the level of aletter to co-workers in a common field and beginsto reflect the extraordinary power of exposition ofthought that must characterize a great leader and agreat writer. In a letter of the Guardian written inJanuary 1932 his secretary, obviously referring toThe Goal of a New World Order, states: ‘ShoghiEffendi wrote his last general letter to the Westernfriends because he felt that the public should bemade to understand the attitude the Bahá’í Faith

Shoghi Effendi sitting outside of the room built for him by theGreatest Holy Leaf. The typewriter was one of the preciousfew gifts the Master allowed into the Holy Household. Herehe sits typing these letters for the guidance of humanity,laboriously typing, in a hunt-and-peck style ... magnificent

letters which will live forever.

maintains towards prevailing economic andpolitical problems. We should let the world knowwhat the real aim of Bahá’u’lláh was.’ ShoghiEffendi associated this letter with the tenthanniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing and in itdwells at length on the condition of the world andthe change which must be brought about betweenits component parts in the light of the teachings ofBahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. . . . Important andeducative as these wonderful letters of theGuardian were they provided, in their wealth ofapposite quotations from Bahá’u’lláh’s own wordswhich the Guardian had translated and lavishlycited, spiritual sustenance for the believers, for weknow that the World of the Manifestation of God isthe food of the soul. They also containedinnumerable beautifully translated passages fromthe beloved Master’s Tablets. All this bounty theGuardian spread for the believers in feast afterfeast, nourished them and raised up a new stronggeneration of servants in the Faith. His words firedtheir imagination, challenged them to rise to newheights, drove their roots deeper in the fertile soilof the Cause.

“It is really during the 1930’s that one seesa change manifest in Shoghi Effendi’s writings.With the rapier of his pen in hand he now standsforth revealed as a giant. Where before one couldtrace a certain diffidence, an echo of the afflictionof soul he had passed through after the ascensionof the Master and his assumption of his highoffice, the crying out of his heart in its longing forthe departed beloved of his life, now the tonechanges and a man speaks forth his assurance withgreat confidence and strength. The warrior nowknows what war is. He has been surprised, beset,wounded by vicious and spiritually perverseenemies. Something of the tender and trustingyouth has gone forever. This change is manifestnot only in the nature and power of his directivesto the Bahá’í world, the fashion in which he isshaping the administration East and West andwelding into a whole the disparate and diversifiedcommunities of which it is composed, but in a

beauty and assurance in his style that steadilygathers glory as the years go by.

“Concurrent with the period when thesefirst illuminating letters on such major subjectswere streaming from the pen of Shoghi Effendi, heundertook the translation of two books. In a letterwritten on 4 July 1930 Shoghi Effendi says ‘I feelexceedingly tired after a strenuous year of work,particularly as I have managed to add to mylabours the translation of the Íqán, which I havealready sent to America.’ This was the first of hismajor translations, Bahá’u’lláh’s great expositionon the station and role of the Manifestations ofGod, more particularly in the light of Islamicteachings and prophecies, known as the Kitáb-i-Íqán of Book of Certitude. It was an invaluableadjunct to the western Bahá’ís in their study of theFaith they had embraced and infinitely enrichedtheir understanding of Divine Revelation.

“During that same year the Guardian beganwork on the second book published during thisperiod, a work that was neither a translation ofBahá’u’lláh’s words nor one of Shoghi Effendi’sgeneral letters, but which must be considered aliterary masterpiece and one of his most pricelessgifts for all time. This was the translation of thefirst part of the narrative compiled by acontemporary follower of both the Báb andBahá’u’lláh known as Nabil, which was publishedin 1932 under the title The Dawn-Breakers. If thecritic and skeptic should be tempted to dismiss theliterature of the Bahá’í Faith as typical of the betterclass of religious books designed for the initiateonly, he could not for a moment so brush aside avolume of the quality of Nabil’s Narrative, whichdeserves to be counted as a classic among epicnarratives in the English tongue. Althoughostensibly a translation from the original PersianShoghi Effendi may be said to have re-created it inEnglish, his translation being comparable toFitzgerald’s rendering of Omar Khayyam’sRubaiyat which gave to the world a poem in aforeign language that in many ways far exceededthe merits of the original.”

(Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 215)

“What gifts he had, what gifts he gave: Gleaningsfrom the Writings Bahá’u’lláh, The Dawn-Breakers — Nabil’s Narrative, The Kitáb-i-Íqán,The Hidden Words, and the Epistle to the Son ofthe Wolf, translations of superlative style andpower, making available the essence ofBahá’u’lláh’s Message to the western world. Whatlife he breathed into us through his own writings,beginning with his World Order letters — the Goalof a New World Order, the Dispensation ofBahá’u’lláh, followed by the Unfoldment of WorldCivilization (now The World Order ofBahá’u’lláh), The Advent of Divine Justice, ThePromised Day is Come, works which weresupplemented by dynamic cables and specialmessages. To such a long list of distinguishedworks was added the finest flower of his mind, hismasterful review of the first one hundred years ofthe greatest Dispensation vouchsafed by God toman on this planet — God Passes By.” (AdibTaherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant, p. 319)

32

NEVER INDEED HAVE THERE BEEN SUCHWIDESPREAD AND BASIC UPHEAVALS

”The sorrows, fears and perplexities evoked by thislatest conflict in the unfoldment of the LesserPeace have intensified the feelings of grievanceand outrage at the recurrent crises agitating theplanet. The anxieties of people across the globe areeven now being played out publicly in angrydemonstrations too overwhelming to be ignored.The issues they protest and the emotions theyarouse often add to the chaos and confusion theyhope by such public displays to resolve. For thefriends of God, there is an unambiguousexplanation for what is occurring; they have onlyto recall the vision and principles offered by theFaith if they are to respond effectively to thechallenges posed by the spread of distress anddismay. Let them strive to understand more deeplythe Teachings that are relevant by reviewing lettersof Shoghi Effendi which have been published inThe World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, particularly those

entitled ‘The Goal of a New World Order’,‘America and the Most Great Peace’, and ‘TheUnfoldment of World Civilization’.

(The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 160,2003)

32

THE WICKED, UNBRIDLED RACE OFARMAMENTS SWALLOWING AN EVER-INCREASING SHARE OF THE SUBSTANCEOF ALREADY IMPOVERISHED NATIONS(ALSO 44 FORGING AHEAD TO ESTABLISHHIS KINGDOM AND 48 ADHERENTS) (ONANOTHER NOTE: IN ÍQÁN P. 233BAHÁ’U’LLÁH SAYS THE CLERGY HAVESWALLOWED THE SUBSTANCE OF THEFAITHFUL)

“As to the Lesser Peace, Shoghi Effendi hasexplained that this will initially be a political unityarrived at by the decision of the governments ofvarious nations; it will not be established by directaction of the Bahá’í community. This does notmean, however that the Bahá’ís are standing asideand waiting for the Lesser Peace to come beforethey do something about the peace of mankind.Indeed, by promoting the principles of the Faith,which are indispensable to the maintenance ofpeace, and by fashioning the instruments of theBahá’í Administrative Order, which we are told bybeloved Guardian is the pattern for future society,the Bahá’ís are constantly engaged in laying thegroundwork for a permanent peace, the Most GreatPeace being their ultimate goal.

“The Lesser Peace itself will pass throughstages; at the initial stage the governments will actentirely on their own without the consciousinvolvement of the Faith; later on, in God’s goodtime, the Faith will have a direct influence on it inways indicated by Shoghi Effendi in his “The Goalof a New World Order”. In connection with thesteps that will lead to this latter stage, theUniversal House of Justice will certainly determinewhat has to be done, in accordance with theguidance in the Writings, such as the passage youquoted from ‘Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh’, page 89. [“It

is incumbent upon the ministers of the House ofJustice to promote the Lesser Peace so that thepeople of the earth may be relieved from theburden of exorbitant expenditures. This matter isimperative and absolutely essential, inasmuch ashostilities and conflict lie at the root of afflictionand calamity” – from Tablet of the World] In themeantime, the Bahá’ís will undoubtedly continueto do all in their power to promote theestablishment of peace.”

(From a letter written on behalf of the UniversalHouse of Justice, January 31, 1985; Lights ofGuidance, 2nd edition, p. 437)

34

DIVINE PROGRAM

A detailed and exact knowledge of the presentstructure of Bahá’í Administration, or of the By-laws of National and Local Spiritual Assemblies,or of the many and varied applications of Bahá’ílaw under the diverse conditions prevailing aroundthe world, while valuable in itself, cannot beregarded as the sort of knowledge primarilyintended by deepening. Rather is suggested aclearer apprehension of the purpose of God forman, and particularly of His immediate purpose asrevealed and directed by Bahá’u’lláh, a purpose asfar removed from current concepts of human well-being and happiness as is possible. We shouldconstantly be on our guard lest the glitter and tinselof an affluent society should lead us to think thatsuch superficial adjustments to the modern worldas are envisioned by humanitarian movements orare publicly proclaimed as the policy ofenlightened statesmanship — such as an extensionto all members of the human race of the benefits ofa high standard of living, of education, medicalcare, technical knowledge — will of themselvesfulfil the glorious mission of Bahá’u’lláh. Farotherwise. These are the things which shall beadded unto us once we seek the Kingdom of God,and are not themselves the objectives for which theBáb gave His life, Bahá’u’lláh endured suchsufferings as none before Him had ever endured,the Master and after Him the Guardian bore their

trials and afflictions with such superhumanfortitude. Far deeper and more fundamental wastheir vision, penetrating to the very purpose ofhuman life. We cannot do better, in this respect,than call to the attention of the friends certainthemes pursued by Shoghi Effendi in his trenchantstatement The Goal of a New World Order. “Theprinciple of the Oneness of Mankind” he writes,“implies an organic change in the structure ofpresent-day society, a change such as the world hasnot yet experienced.” Referring to the “epoch-making changes that constitute the greatestlandmarks in the history of human civilization,” hestates that “... they cannot but appear, when viewedin their proper perspective, except as subsidiaryadjustments precluding that transformation ofunparalleled majesty and scope which humanity isin this age bound to undergo.” [WOB, pp. 42-43,45, 46]. In a later document he refers to thecivilization to be established by Bahá’u’lláh as one“with a fullness of life such as the world has neverseen nor can as yet conceive.” [The Promised Dayis Come, p. 302]

(The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan Message1967, Messages 1963 to 1986, p. 107, paragraph42.23)

36

THOSE INTO WHOSE HANDS THEIMMEDIATE DESTINIES OF PEOPLES ANDNATIONS HAVE BEEN COMMITTED(General discussion of references in letter toimportance of world leaders acceptingBahá’u’lláh’s Plan)

“Individual Bahá’ís were active participantsin the international activities of the League. TwoBahá’í women contributed notably to the earlywork with governments and with non-governmental organizations. Martha Root andLaura Dreyfus-Barney attended public sessions ofthe 1930 League of Nations DisarmamentConference in Geneva. For over three months,Root met statesmen from more than fifty countries,spoke with them about the Bahá’í principles andgave them Bahá’í literature, including Shoghi

Effendi’s “Goal of a New World Order.” Dreyfus-Barney was active in the International Council ofWomen and a vice-president of the DisarmamentCommittee of Women’s InternationalOrganizations, which represented fifteenorganizations with branches in fifty-six countries.The International Bahá’í Bureau was maintainedeven after the League of Nations ceased tofunction.” (Baha’i International Community,letter of 1995 Feb 29)

38

ENDEAVOR, CEASELESS ENDEAVOR

(same concept as “jihad” in its true meaning)

The Arabic word “jihad” does not really mean“war,” it means “effort”. Here are a few examplesof how Shoghi Effendi has translated the wordjihad when it has been used in the Writings ofBaha’u’llah and the Master:

Strive, that ye may truly recognize and know Him,and observe befittingly His precepts. Gleanings p.5 Bend your energies to whatever may foster theeducation of men. Gleanings p. 9 arise to disseminate, with the utmost wisdom, theverities of His Cause. Gleanings p. 14 With the utmost unity, and in a spirit of perfectfellowship, exert yourselves, that ye may beenabled to achieve that which beseemeth this Dayof God. Gleanings p. 196 It is incumbent upon every man of insight andunderstanding to strive to translate that which hathbeen written into reality and action. Gleanings p.250 Exert yourselves that ye may attain thistranscendent and most sublime station, the stationthat can ensure the protection and security of allmankind. Gleanings p. 288 It is the duty of every seeker to bestir himself andstrive to attain the shores of this ocean, Gleaningsp. 326 Verily I say, the world is like the vapor in a desert,which the thirsty dreameth to be water and strivethafter it with all his might, untilwhen he cometh unto it, he findeth it to be mereillusion. Gleanings 328 Gird up the loins of thine endeavor, that haply thoumayest guide thy neighbor to the law of God, theMost Merciful. Gleanings 339 69. O CHILDREN OF ADAM!Holy words and pure and goodly deeds ascendunto the heaven of celestial glory. Strive that yourdeeds may be cleansed from the dust of self andhypocrisy and find favor at the court of glory; Persian Hidden Words 69

Shoghi Effendi shortly after returning to the Holy Landfrom London in 1922.

“Baha’u’llah after His return (fromSulaymaniyyih) made such strenuous efforts ineducating and training this community, inreforming its manners, in regulating its affairs andin rehabilitating its fortunes, that in a short whileall these troubles and mischiefs were quenched,and the utmost peace and tranquility reigned inmen’s hearts.” GPB 133 This body of the Hands of the Cause of God isunder the direction of the Guardian of the Cause ofGod. He must continually urge them to strive andendeavor to the utmost of their ability to diffusethe sweet savors of God, and to guide all thepeoples of the world Will and Testament 13

40

INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE

“As regards the International Executive referred toby the Guardian in his ‘Goal of a New WorldOrder’ it should be noted that this statement refersby no means to the Bahá’í Commonwealth of thefuture, but simply to that world government whichwill herald the advent and lead to the finalestablishment of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.The formation of this International Executive,which corresponds to the executive head or boardin present-day national governments, is but a stepleading to the Bahá’í world government of thefuture, and hence should not be identified witheither the institution of the Guardianship or that ofthe International House of Justice.” (From letterwritten on behalf of the Guardian to an individualbeliever, March 17, 1934; Lights of Guidance, 2nd

edition, #1077, p. 320)

41

SUPREME TRIBUNAL

1. and 2. The Supreme Tribunal is an aspect of aWorld Super-state; the exact nature of itsrelationship to that state we cannot at presentforesee.

3. Supreme Tribunal is the correct translation; itwill be a contributing factor in establishing theLesser Peace. (19 November 1945, on behalf ofShoghi Effendi to an individual believer, cf.“Bahá’í News”, no. 210, August 1948, p. 3)

The above statements were given in response tothe following questions:

1. Is the Supreme Tribunal the world court orworld tribunal referred to in “The Unfoldment ofWorld Civilization”, p. 41 and “Goal of a NewWorld Order”, p. 203? Is it a part of the worldSuper-State just as our Supreme Court is part ofthe federal government at Washington?

2. Will the Supreme Tribunal (a world court) existapart from the world government?

3. From the Master’s letter to The Hague it lookslike the Supreme Tribunal might of itself establishthe Lesser Peace. Some have suggested thatpossibly the term “Supreme Tribunal” is not thebest translation.

(The Universal House of Justice, 1996 May 09,Extracts on International Tribunal)

44

FORGING AHEAD ROLE OF BAHÁ’ÍINSTITUTIONS IN ESTABLISHING PEACE,I.E. IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL SPIRITUALASSEMBLIES

For a few in the young communities of the West,such a departure from traditional conceptions ofthe nature and role of religion proved too great atest, and Bahá’í communities suffered the distressof seeing valued co-workers drift away in search ofspiritual pursuits more congenial to theirinclinations. For the vast majority of believers,however, great messages from the Guardian’s pen,such as “The Goal of a New World Order” and“The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh”, threw brilliantlight on precisely the issue that most concernedthem, the relationship between spiritual truth andsocial development, inspiring in them adetermination to play their part in laying the

foundations of humanity’s future. (Century ofLight, p. 55)

44

HOLY ALLIANCE

[From a website about the Holy Alliance:]

The Holy Alliance Treaty - September 26, 1815

This treaty, drawn up by TsarAlexander, reflects the return toconservative politics in Europe afterthe long struggle againstRevolutionary and Imperial France.It was subsequently acceded to by

all the monarchs of Europe exceptthe King of Great Britain, whodeclined to sign on constitutionalgrounds, Pope Pius VII, whorefused to treat with Protestantmonarchs, and the Sultan of Turkey.Both Castlereagh and Metternichdismissed the wording of the treatyas largely meaningless, and it hadlittle influence on the policies of thesignatories. Liberals andnationalists hated the Alliance as asymbol of the reactionaryRestoration.

In the name of the Most Holy and IndivisibleTrinity.

Holy Alliance of Sovereigns of Austria, Prussia,and Russia.

THEIR Majesties the Emperor of Austria, the Kingof Prussia, and the Emperor of Russia, having, inconsequence of the great events which havemarked the course of the three last years in Europe,and especially of the blessings which it has pleasedDivine Providence to shower down upon thoseStates which place their confidence and their hopeon it alone, acquired the intimate conviction of thenecessity of settling the steps to be observed by thePowers, in their reciprocal relations, upon thesublime truths which the Holy Religion of ourSaviour teaches:

Government and Political Relations

They solemnly declare that the present Act has noother object than to publish, in the face of thewhole world, their fixed resolution, both in theadministration of their respective States, and intheir political relations with every otherGovernment, to take for their sole guide theprecepts of that Holy Religion, namely, theprecepts of Justice, Christian Charity, and Peace,which, far from being applicable only to privateconcerns, must have an immediate influence on thecouncils of Princes, and guide all their steps, asbeing the only means of consolidating humaninstitutions and remedying their imperfections. In

The Greatest Holy Leaf (Bahiyyih Khánum) withShoghi Effendi. She was his revered Great Aunt and

the supreme woman of the Bahá’í Dispensation.

consequence, their Majesties have agreed on thefollowing Articles:

Principles of the Christian Religion

ART. I. Conformably to the words of the HolyScriptures, which command all men to considereach other as brethren, the Three contractingMonarchs will remain united by the bonds of a trueand indissoluble fraternity, and considering eachother as fellow countrymen, they will, on alloccasions and in all places, lend each other aid andassistance; and, regarding themselves towards theirsubjects and armies as fathers of families, they willlead them, in the same spirit of fraternity withwhich they are animated, to protect Religion,Peace, and Justice.

Fraternity and Affection

ART. II. In consequence, the sole principle offorce, whether between the said Governments orbetween their Subjects, shall be that of doing eachother reciprocal service, and of testifying byunalterable good will the mutual affection withwhich they ought to be animated, to considerthemselves all as members of one and the sameChristian nation; the three allied Princes lookingon themselves as merely designated by Providenceto govern three branches of the One family,namely, Austria, Prussia, and Russia, thusconfessing that the Christian world, of which theyand their people form a part, has in reality no otherSovereign than Him to whom alone power reallybelongs, because in Him alone are found all thetreasures of love, science, and infinite wisdom, thatis to say, God, our Divine Saviour, the Word of theMost High, the Word of Life. Their Majestiesconsequently recommend to their people, with themost tender solicitude, as the sole means ofenjoying that Peace, which arise from a goodconscience, and which alone is more durable, tostrengthen themselves every day more and more inthe principles and exercise of the duties which theDivine Saviour has taught to mankind.

Accession of Foreign Powers

ART. III. All the powers who shall choosesolemnly to avow the sacred principles which havedictated the present Act, and shall acknowledgehow important it is for the happiness of nations,too long agitated, that these truths shouldhenceforth exercise over the destinies of mankindall the influence which belongs to them, will bereceived with equal ardour and affection into thisHoly Alliance.

Done in triplicate, and signed at Paris, the year ofGrace 1815, 14/26th September.

[L.S.] Francis [Emperor Francis I of Austria]

[L.S.] Frederick William [King Frederick WilliamIII of Prussia]

[L.S.] Alexander [Tsar Alexander I of Russia]

The only European powers that did not sign wereEngland, for constitutional reasons; the Pope,because he would not contract with ProtestantPowers; and the Sultan of Turkey. Later, LouisXVIII of France acceded to it, as did the PrinceRegent of England. During the years 1814-15, anumber of treaties were concluded between thevarious countries of Europe. In this series ofcompacts the Holy Alliance forms merely one linkand in a practical sense the most unimportant one;it was also the only treaty which was religious incharacter. All these treaties have, however, onetrait in common. They revive the conception of acentralized Europe, in which the rights of theindividual states seem to be limited by the dutieswhich each state has in regard to the whole body ofstates. The signatories announced the end of thewar that had been carried on since the era of theThirty Years War by those grasping powers andinterests, which took only into consideration theratio status. They further asserted that all justpolitical demands were satisfied, that the greatPowers were “saturated”, and on the strength ofthis, they introduced into international law theconception of a common European responsibility,the application of which was to be secured byagreement of the great Powers as cases arose. Thiscommon responsibility was to be used for the

liberal promotion of all economic, intellectual, andsocial life

The Quadruple Alliance of Mar., 1814, wasconcluded among Great Britain, Austria, Prussia,and Russia at Chaumont, France, in order tostrengthen their coalition against Napoleon I. AfterNapoleon’s first abdication the four powers madepeace with France (see Paris, Treaty of, 1814);after Napoleon’s return from Elba, they defeatedhim in the Waterloo campaign and imposed onFrance the more severe Treaty of Paris of 1815. Onthe same day that treaty was signed (Nov. 20), theQuadruple Alliance was renewed in order to insurethe treaty’s execution. The so-called Holy Alliance,signed a few days earlier by Russia, Austria, andPrussia, became confused with the QuadrupleAlliance,

44GENEVA PROTOCOL

At the end of World War I, the victorious Alliesdecided to reaffirm in the Versailles Treaty (1919)the prewar prohibition of the use of poisonousgases and to forbid Germany to manufacture orimport them. Similar provisions were included inthe peace treaties with Austria, Bulgaria, andHungary.

Drawing upon the language of these peace treaties,the United States — at the WashingtonDisarmament Conference of 1922 — took theinitiative of introducing a similar provision into atreaty on submarines and noxious gases. The U.S.Senate gave its advice and consent to ratificationof this treaty without a dissenting vote. It neverentered into force, however, since Frenchratification was necessary, and France objected tothe submarine provisions.

At the 1925 Geneva Conference for theSupervision of the International Traffic in Arms,the United States similarly took the initiative ofseeking to prohibit the export of gases for use in

war. At French suggestion it was decided to drawup a protocol on non-use of poisonous gases and atthe suggestion of Poland the prohibition wasextended to bacteriological weapons. Signed onJune 17, 1925, the Geneva Protocol thus restatedthe prohibition previously laid down by theVersailles and Washington treaties and added a banon bacteriological warfare.

Before World War II the protocol was ratified bymany countries, including all the great powersexcept the United States and Japan. When theyratified or acceded to the protocol, some nations —including the United Kingdom, France, and theUSSR — declared that it would cease to bebinding on them if their enemies, or the allies oftheir enemies, failed to respect the prohibitions ofthe protocol. Although Italy was a party to theprotocol, it used poison gas in the Ethiopian war.Nevertheless, the protocol was generally observedin World War II. Referring to reports that the Axispowers were considering the use of gas, PresidentRoosevelt said on June 8, 1943:

Use of such weapons has been outlawed bythe general opinion of civilized mankind.

This country has not used them, and I hopethat we never will be compelled to usethem. I state categorically that we shallunder no circumstances resort to the use ofsuch weapons unless they are first used byour enemies.

Although the Senate Foreign Relations Committeefavorably reported the protocol in 1926, there wasstrong lobbying against it, and the Senate nevervoted on it. After the war, President Trumanwithdrew it from the Senate, together with otherinactive older treaties. Little attention was paid tothe protocol for several years thereafter. During theKorean war the Communist side accused theUnited States of using bacteriological weapons inKorea, but at the same time they rejected Americanproposals for international investigation of theircharges. In the Security Council, the Soviet Union

introduced a draft resolution calling on all U.N.members to ratify the protocol. At that time theUnited States was not willing to agree to prohibitthe use of any weapons of mass destruction unlessthey could be eliminated through a disarmamentagreement with effective safeguards. On June 26,1952, the Soviet resolution was rejected by a voteof 1 to 0, with 10 abstentions (including the UnitedStates, the United Kingdom, and France).

48

GENERAL TREND OF RECENT EVENTS

(One Method by which one can Criticize thePresent Day Socio-Political Order)

“There is, however, one case in which one cancriticize the present social and political orderwithout being necessarily forced to side with oroppose any existing regime. And this is the methodadopted by the Guardian in his Goal of a newWorld Order’. His criticisms of the worldconditions beside being very general in characterare abstract; that is, instead of condemning existinginstitutional organizations it goes deeper andanalyzes the basic ideas and conceptions whichhave been responsible for their establishment. Thisbeing a mere intellectual and philosophicalapproach to the problem of world political crisis,there is no objection if you wish to try such amethod, which immediately carries you from thefield of practical politics to that of political theory.But in view of the fact that no clear cut line can bedrawn between theory and practice you should beextremely careful not to make too free a use ofsuch method.”

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendito an individual believer, dated March 2, 1934;Lights of Guidance, p. 451 #1469) Remember:

Interior of the Mansion of Bahji showing the model forthe Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.