ROUMANIA IN THE WAR.—­Roumania had long looked forward to an extension of her boundaries to include all the Roumanians of southeastern Europe.  Across the border, in southeastern Hungary, were more than two million Roumanians living in the large region known as Transylvania.  The annexation of Transylvania was one of the greatest ambitions of Roumanian leaders.  In August, 1916, encouraged by the promises of Russia, her powerful neighbor and protector, Roumania entered the war on the side of the Allies.

On her western front Roumania could easily defend herself from invasion because of strong mountain barriers.  Her point of danger was the Bulgarian boundary between the Danube and the Black Sea.  Here she should have concentrated her strength for defense against the Bulgarian forces or even for an offensive into Bulgaria.  Instead she sent most of her armies west into Transylvania.  Presently a strong force of Germans and Bulgarians crossed the border into southeastern Roumania (the Dobrudja) and marched north in a resistless offensive.  Meanwhile the Roumanians in Transylvania, far from their base of supplies, had advanced too fast for safety.  Moreover, they suffered from a shortage of ammunition, probably caused by the failure of certain pro-German Russian officials to cooeperate with the Roumanians as they had promised.  A large German army attacked the Roumanian forces and drove them back with heavy losses to their own borders.  The boundaries were then crossed by the invaders and the greater part of the country occupied.  This disaster brought enormous advantages to the enemy.  The battle front of the Central Powers was shortened by five hundred miles, the oil and wheat fields which constitute the chief wealth of Roumania fell into their hands, and their communications with Turkey were materially strengthened.

THE ITALIAN FRONT.—­The winter of 1915-1916 was uncommonly severe in the Alps; snow thirty feet deep lay on some of the passes, and military operations were brought almost to a standstill.  During the spring the Austrians made preparations for a great offensive against Italy, collecting over a third of a million of men and enormous stores of provisions and munitions.  During May and June, 1916, this Austrian force drove back the Italians from their advanced positions in the Trentino valley.  It seemed that the enemy would enter the valley of the Po and capture the cities of the most prosperous part of Italy.  But the farther the Austrian army advanced, the more difficult it was to bring supplies up the narrow Alpine valleys.  Meantime, on the eastern frontier the Russians began their great drive into Austrian territory.  There was nothing for the Austrians to do but retire from the Trentino front.  This they did with the loss of one third of their force, and of great quantities of war material.

The Italians now took the offensive, not only on the Trentino, but also on their eastern frontier, where, the year before, they had begun an advance toward the “unredeemed” territory around Trieste (map, page 50).  The Ison’zo River was crossed and after months of warfare the city and fortresses of Gorizia (go-rit’si-a) were occupied (August 9, 1916).  From this point the Italians continued slowly, overcoming great difficulties, on their way toward Trieste.