§ Captain W. BENNasked the Secretary of State for War the number of the 2151W military forces of the European Powers on 1st August, 1914, in a form comparable with the Return recently made of their present numbers?
§ Mr. WALSHAny such comparison is necessarily vitiated by the fact that the
2152W
COMPARATIVE STATEMENTS OF PEACE STRENGTHS OF EUROPEAN ARMIES, 1914 AND 1924. 1914. 1924. 1924. Plus or Minus. Great Britain 183,100 Great Britain 155,935 -27,165 Germany 806,000 Germany 100,000 -706,000 Austria 21,500 Hungary 35,000 Austria-Hungary 424,303 Yugo-Slavia 130,000 Sibera 32,000 Rumania 125,000 Rumania 100,000 Czecho-Slovakia 149,877 556,303 461,377 -94,926 Netherlands 150,000 Netherlands 163,262 + 13,262 Italy 270,000 Italy 250,000 -20,000 Switzerland 400,000 Switzerland 500,000 +100,000 Soviet Union 1,003,000 Finland 30,000 Esthonia 16,000 Latvia 20,000 Lithuania 15,000 Russia 1,300,000 Poland 250,000 1,334,000 +34,000 Norway 50,000 Norway 16,000 -34,000 Sweden 125,000 Sweden 32,000 -93,000 Denmark 30,000 Denmark 27,000 -3,000 Greece 60,000 Greece 110,000 +50,000 Bulgaria 60,000 Bulgaria 20,000 -40,000 Turkey 210,000 Turkey 88,000 -122,000 France 902,500 France 732,248 -170,252 Belgium 63,365 Belgium 86,531 +22,966 Spain 122,000 Spain 240,113 +118,113 Portugal 30,000 Portugal 40,000 +10,000 Total Armed Forces in Europe, 1914. 5,318,468 Total Armed Forces in Europe, 1924. 4,356,466 — -952,002 identity of some of the Powers referred to has been changed, but I have arranged, as given below, the figures for the years in question, to show what numbers of troops certain areas in Europe support at present, and what the same areas supported in 1914: