参考译文：

国外事件促使威尔逊总统开始考虑对外政策

伍德罗.威尔逊担任总统后的第一年，让美国人看到了，他们选择了一位强硬而又富有效率的领导人。威尔逊是1913年就任总统的，他很快就兑现了他竞选时所许下的诺言，他促使国会通过了降低进口关税的法案、通过了开征所得税法案和限制大企业权力的法案。这些事关国家经济重大问题的一些法律的通过将在今后几年中见效。本周，我们继续向你讲述伍德罗.威尔逊政府的故事。

上任伊始伍德罗.威尔逊政治上的胜利，绝大多数都是事关国内问题的，他在国际问题上还没有什么经验可谈。但外交事件的出现很快要求他将越来越多的时间投入到对外政策上。在美国历史上，让人惊讶的是，和在国内取得巨大胜利一样，威尔逊在对外政策上也是让美国人铭记在心的总统。伍德罗.威尔逊在对外政策方面充满高尚和勇敢的政治历程，但同时也充满着激烈的斗争和希望的丧失的政治历程。他的对外政策始于与美国南部接壤的墨西哥。

在当时，墨西哥长期以来由波菲里奥.迪亚斯(Porfirio Diaz)统治，随着迪亚斯的年龄越来越大，他的权力开始弱化。在1911年，墨西哥暴发了叛乱。这次叛乱的领导人由国内一个土地改革运动的领导人弗朗西斯科.马德罗(Francisco Madero)领导。迪亚斯清楚他自己无法保持其权位，他辞职并逃离了墨西哥。马德罗宣布他自己就任总统。然而，国内有许多有权势的政治团体反对他，就在他自命为总统不久，他手下的一位将军，叫维多利亚诺.韦尔塔(Victoriano Huerta)将他逮捕，当韦尔塔夺取权力后不久，便将马德罗杀害了。威尔逊总统拒绝承认韦尔塔政府，他认为在墨西哥还会有势力起来反对韦尔塔。威尔逊的看法是对的，由维纳斯提诺.卡兰萨(Venustiano Carranza)领导的起义暴发了。

威尔逊要向卡兰萨提供援助，但卡兰萨拒绝了美国的援助，他担心美国会借此干涉墨西哥内政。他对威尔逊说，墨西哥军队能够进行各种各样的战争，他只需要枪支和弹药。然而，美国军队还是卷入了墨西哥的内部冲突。威尔逊总统得知，一艘来自德国的船只将向韦尔塔政府提供物资，这艘船将在墨西哥的维拉.克路兹(Vera Cruz)港停泊。威尔逊命令美国海军抢夺这艘船，并占领这个港口。美国的这一行动引来了美国国内和整个拉丁美洲的批评浪潮。

许多人公开指责威尔逊总统，他们称他是帝国主义者和笨蛋，他们质问到：美国有什么权力干涉墨西哥内部事务。威尔逊最终下令美国军队停止在墨西哥的行动。他又设法通过在加拿大尼亚加拉瀑布召开的国际会议来解决墨西哥内部争端，但他的这一努力也失败了，因为这个国际会议什么决议也没有产生。正当外交官们在讨论的时候，卡兰萨的革命武装正在战斗，他们向墨西哥首都墨西哥城进发，韦尔塔总统逃跑了，卡兰萨成立了新的墨西哥政府。

这个新政府几乎在刚成立时就开始分裂了。另一位将军，弗朗西斯科.潘乔.维拉(Francisco "Pancho" Villa)试图夺取权力，他迫使卡兰萨离开了墨西哥城，随后他成立了他自己的新政府。威尔逊总统承认了维拉和他的新政府。然而，卡兰萨拒绝放弃他的权力，随着一天天过去，卡兰萨的军事力量越来越壮大，他将维拉赶出了墨西哥城。随后，威尔逊总统又承认了卡兰萨的政府。和卡兰萨一样，维拉也拒绝放弃他的权力。他决定要在墨西哥和美国之间挑起一场战争，维拉打算让美国进攻卡兰萨，然后他介入，并在战争中领导墨西哥军队，从而使自己成为墨西哥的英雄。当他的这一想法形成时，维拉袭击了与墨西哥交界的美国德克萨斯州的一个镇，他杀死了19个人。

威尔逊总统立即命令美国军队大规模进入墨西哥寻找并惩罚维拉。刚开始，卡兰萨欢迎美国军队的行动，因为维拉是他的敌人，他希望维拉被抓。不过，不久，卡兰萨就开始担心美国军队可能会威协到他的政府，于是他要求所有的美国军队撤出墨西哥。由此，美国和墨西哥两国之间的局势变得越来越紧张。与此同时，维拉的军队双袭击了美国德克萨斯州的几个镇。威尔逊总统考虑请求国会宣布与墨西哥处于战争状态，但就在威尔逊总统决定之前，美国与墨西哥之间的危机平静下来了，美国军队撤出了墨西哥，而且墨西哥人民选出了新的政府，他们选择卡兰萨为他们的总统。

就在威尔逊总统设法解决与墨西哥之间的关系时，在地球的另一边，真正的麻烦浮出水面，这个危机发生在欧洲。在欧洲，一些国家联盟之间的矛盾越来越紧张，他们都处于一场战争的边缘，这场战争将成为第一次世界大战。长期以来，欧洲的主要国家相互威协，但他们已经有四十多年没有发生战争了。因此，绝大多数美国人认为欧洲再也不会发生另一场欧洲战争，这样的战争将造成无法估量的损失，没有一个国家会在战争中获胜。

欧洲依靠两大力量的均势来维持整个欧洲的和平，一方是由德国、奥匈帝国和意大利组成的轴心国(central powers)，另一方是由英国、法国和俄罗斯组成的协约国(triple entente)。这两方都千方百计地想赢得其他欧洲小国的支持，然而，这些欧洲小国，大多数拒绝加入他们的任何一方，这些保持中立的国家有瑞士、比利时、荷兰和斯堪的纳维亚半岛的各国。

这种政治平衡并不能阻止几个大国为了殖民地和经济权力而相互竞争，他们的这种竞争是世界性的，在中国，在中东，在非洲，他们都在竞争，都在投资。他们的竞争在巴尔干半岛尤为激烈。巴尔干半岛是欧洲的一部分，位于亚得里亚海和黑海之间，许多国家都声称他们在巴尔干半岛拥有特殊的利益，而且巴尔干半岛的一些国家也正在相互打战。整个欧洲大陆就好像是火药桶，随时都可能爆炸。

引爆这个火药桶的火星在萨拉热窝市点燃了，这一天是1914年6月28日。萨拉热窝已经被奥地利占领，奥地利的大公费迪南德(Ferdinand)访问萨拉热窝。费迪南德被认为是奥地利下一任皇帝的继任者。萨拉热窝的七名年轻的激进分子决定暗杀费迪南德，以抗议奥地利对萨拉热窝的占领。有一名激进分子向皇宫扔了一枚炸弹，但这颗炸弹没有击中目标。但另一名激进分子则向费迪南德的人群开枪，他杀死了费迪南德和他的妻子。

萨拉热窝的暗杀立即引发一系列事件，这些事件最终导致了整个欧洲爆发战争，很快，整个欧洲被军队、战斗和尸体所覆盖。欧洲战争的爆发，迫使威尔逊总统不得不面临他总统任期中最大的危机。

欲知后事如何，请看下周分解。

简评：

    几个年轻人的一次暗杀事件，挑起了第一次世界大战。看似偶然，实则必然。

必然是因为：德国这个后起之国，面对全世界殖民地大都被别国瓜分自己所得甚少而心有不甘，要从别人手里抢，于是就引出了一系列矛盾和冲突，一系列小的矛盾和冲突，未能最终解决德国所需要的经济资源和势力范围，没办法，只有通过战争来解决，于是出现了普法战争，出现了两次摩洛哥危机，出现了两大阵营的对立，等等，当这一切又都无法解决日益激化的矛盾时，一场涉及整个欧洲大陆，甚至全世界的战争，爆发也就成为必然了。因此，第一次世界大战真正挑起者是德国，是他要打破欧洲的格局，世界的格局。

在当今世界，像德国这样的后起之秀的国家不在少数，他们为了自己国家和民族的利益，也在不断地奋争，也希望从别人手里抢下更多的经济资源和其他权力。然而，能够像日耳曼这样，在最短的时间内挤身世界一流，并能够挑起战争的民族，在当今世界，还真不多。因此，现在的世界比较和平。正是由于这样的原因，我们今天的和平，还真应该感谢像日耳曼这样的民族，他们的国家已经是世界发达国家，不用再担心他们为了本民族的利益而不惜发动战争了。

Foreign Events Begin to Shape Wilson’s Presidency

Woodrow Wilson and his cabinet seated around table, 1913

Woodrow Wilson's first year as president showed the American people that they had elected a strong and effective leader. Wilson took office in nineteen thirteen. He moved quickly to fulfill his campaign promises. He won congressional approval for lower import taxes, a new tax on earnings, and restrictions on the power of big companies. These were some of the most important economic reforms the nation had seen in many years. This week in our series, we continue the story of Wilson's administration.

Most of Woodrow Wilson's political victories were on national issues. He had little experience with international issues. But foreign events soon began to demand more and more of his time. With all of his successes at home, it is a surprising fact of history that his presidency is remembered best for its foreign policy. The story of Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy is full of high ideas and political bravery. But it also is a story of fierce struggle and lost hopes. It is a story that begins across America's southern border--in Mexico.

At that time, Mexico had been ruled for many years by Porfirio Diaz. As Diaz grew older, his power began to weaken. In nineteen eleven, a revolt broke out. It was led by Francisco Madero, the leader of a land reform movement. Diaz understood he could not win. He resigned and fled the country. Madero declared himself president. However, powerful groups in Mexico opposed him. In a short time, one of his own generals, Victoriano Huerta, arrested him. Madero was murdered soon after Huerta seized power. President Wilson refused to recognize Huerta's government. He believed other forces would rise up against him. Wilson was right. Another revolt began, led by General Venustiano Carranza.

Wilson offered aid to Carranza. Carranza rejected the offer. He was afraid of American interference in Mexico. He told Wilson that Mexican troops would do all the fighting. He only wanted guns and ammunition. American forces did, however, get involved in the conflict. President Wilson learned that a ship from Germany was bringing supplies to the Huerta government. The ship would land at the Mexican port of Vera Cruz. Wilson ordered the United States Navy to seize and occupy the port. The move started a storm of criticism in the United States and throughout Latin America.

Many people denounced President Wilson. They called him an imperialist and a fool. They asked: what right did the United States have to interfere in Mexico. Wilson finally stopped American military action in Mexico. He tried to settle the dispute at an international conference at Niagara Falls, Canada. The effort failed. The conference did not produce a settlement. While the diplomats were talking, Carranza's revolutionary forces were fighting. They moved on Mexico City, the capital. President Huerta fled. Carranza formed a new government.

The new government began to split apart almost immediately. Another general, Francisco "Pancho" Villa, tried to seize power. He forced Carranza out of Mexico City. Then he formed his own government. President Wilson recognized Villa and his government. Carranza, however, refused to give up. Day by day, his army grew stronger. He forced Villa to retreat. Then President Wilson recognized Carranza's government. Like Carranza, Villa refused to give up. He decided to try to start a war between Mexico and the United States. Pancho Villa wanted the United States to attack Carranza. Then he would step in to lead Mexican forces in battle. That would make him a hero. With this plan in mind, Pancho Villa attacked an American town across the border in Texas. He killed nineteen persons.

President Wilson immediately ordered a large American force to find and punish Villa. At first, Carranza welcomed the move. Villa was his enemy. He wanted him captured. Then Carranza began to fear that the American troops might threaten his government. He demanded the withdrawal of all American soldiers from Mexico. Tensions increased between the two countries. Villa's forces attacked another town in Texas. President Wilson considered asking Congress to declare war. But the crisis cooled down before then. American forces were withdrawn. And the people of Mexico elected a new government. They chose Carranza as president.

As President Wilson dealt with the situation in Mexico, trouble began to surface in another part of the world. The crisis was in Europe. Tensions were growing between several groups of nations. They were on the edge of what would become World War One. The major powers in Europe had been threatening each other for years. But they had not fought for more than forty years. Most Americans believed there would never be another European war. Such a war would be unbelievably destructive. Millions would die. No nation would win.

Europe depended on a balance of power to keep the peace. On one side were the central powers -- Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. On the other side were the members of the triple entente -- Britain, France, and Russia. Each side made every effort to win the support of Europe's smaller nations. A number of nations refused to join either side. The neutrals included Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Scandinavian countries.

This political balance did not prevent the major nations from competing with each other for colonies and economic power. They competed all over the world. In China, in the Middle East, in Africa -- everywhere money could be invested. Competition was especially sharp in the Balkans. This was the area of Europe between the Adriatic and Black Seas. Many nations claimed special interests in the Balkans. And several Balkan countries were fighting each other. The whole continent seemed ready to explode.

The spark that set off the explosion came in the city of Sarajevo. The date was June twenty-eighth, nineteen fourteen. Sarajevo had been taken over by Austria. And the Archduke of Austria -- Ferdinand -- had come for a visit. Ferdinand was expected to become the next emperor of Austria. Seven young extremists from the area decided to assassinate the Archduke to protest Austrian control. One of the extremists threw a bomb at the royal family. The bomb missed its target. But another extremist shot at the group. He killed both the Archduke and the Archduke's wife.

The assassinations in Sarajevo started a series of events that quickly brought war to all of Europe. Soon the continent was covered with armies, battles, and death. The war in Europe forced President Wilson to face the greatest crisis of his presidency.

That will be our story next week.

http://www.21voa.com/path.asp?url=/201009/se-nation-156-woodrow-wilson-part-two-30-sep-10.mp3