Posted on 09/01/2024 9:07:12 AM PDT by hardspunned
If only the Kaiser hadn’t been a fool, or had the sweet disposition of Lassie ... German historian Holger Herwig adequately established that the principal reason was that the German government wanted a war.
Austria-Hungary should have accepted Serbia’s concessions even though they didn’t concede everything demanded of them. Then work seriously on the internal problems of their polyglot empire and build relations with Serbia.
We face similar problems: We have an uninvited immigrant population that balks at assimilation but instead makes demands that they expect to be met. While meeting them, we sink further into debt without deriving any measurable benefit—IMHO. Our chief external distractions are the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s counter-offensive against Hamas. We waste money we don’t have in those directions, too.
Where we focus on domestic problems at all, it’s to “meet the threats against our democracy from the far right.” …And then (as a nation) immediately tie the right hand behind our back and punch our own face with the left.
We are stuck on stupid and our elected representatives seem hell-bent on ruining our nation in every area imaginable while salivating over a war with Russia.
Austria-Hungary should have accepted Serbia’s concessions even though they didn’t concede everything demanded of them. Then work seriously on the internal problems of their polyglot empire and build relations with Serbia.
As they say, If Diversity Is Our Strength, then Austria-Hungary would have won WWI.
One of the most awful things I have seen were the videos of the young British men getting on trains headed off to World War I.
They were smiling, proud, full of patriotism—and confident of a quick and easy victory.
They had no clue what a slaughterhouse awaited them.
The British political leadership was cynical and cruel. It is a special kind of evil to lead idealistic young men off to slaughter.
The British leadership shared responsibility for the nightmare that followed.
The Kaiser didn’t want war, he begged Cousin Nicky to stop the Russian mobilization, but both were powerless to stop what was coming. The generals on both sides called the shots.
A century before, yes. If you visit the Arc d’Triomphe in Paris, inside it are stone plaques for each of Napoleon’s victories. Almost all of them are German, Austrian, or Czech placenames.
Roger Waters may be despicable, but “Us And Them” says it better than anything I can imagine about that stupid war.
It wasn’t a century, it started in 1871 when Germany reunited.
Europe is still paying in blood for the collapse of the Roman Empire.
And the British were more than ready to sink US ships (we were neutral) headed into German ports.
And the Ottomans were becoming very close to Germany in trade and arms.
Almost certainly so
> If only the Kaiser hadn’t been a fool… <
The Kaiser dismissed Bismarck in 1890. And Bismarck died in 1898. Yet it would have been interesting to see if WW1 could have been avoided if Bismarck were still advising the Kaiser.
“One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans.”
Otto von Bismarck (1888)
If there is coming another world war, then what nations will make up each side?
“If Trump loses it’s secession.”
You mean if it’s stolen again from Trump.
Georgie made fun of Willie’s yachting shoes at the regatta and Nicky stopped answering any of Willie’s letters; the true causes of WW1.
Read the book “The Sleepwalkers”. A very informative book about the political conditions that existed on both sides and led to the outbreak of war.
> Austria-Hungary should have accepted Serbia’s concessions even though they didn’t concede everything demanded of them. <
Yep. But if I recall correctly, the demands were crafted such that Serbia couldn’t accept them all. Austria-Hungary wanted to punish Serbia. A quick little local war, over in a month or so.
Not.
If Austria-Hungary would have defeated Serbia quickly after declaring war on July 28th, there would have been no point to a greater war. Instead, AH delayed and when they finally invaded they were repulsed three times by Serbian and Montenegro.
The French didn’t want to conquer Europe in 1871. Napoleon III foolishly thought he could teach the Prussians a lesson & provoked a war with them — and proceeded to lose everything: the war, his throne, Alsace-Lorraine, and gain a hostile, United German state on France’s border.
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