WW I and other Idiocies

It is the 100^th anniversary of WW I, one of the bloodiest and unnecessary wars in human history.  The excuse for the war was the assassination of the Austrian Archduke by a crazy man.  The Austrians demanded compensation (as if there is compensation for murder).  When it was refused, countries began to take sides based on historical and cultural ties—not unlike kids choosing sides on a playground.  The tragedy was compounded by the generals who did not understand machine guns.  Wave after wave of soldiers were sent to slaughter on both sides.  The eventually “victorious” Allies demanded huge reparations from the Germans. The consequence was bitter resentment that provided the base for Hitler’s rise.  We ignored the push-back of human emotions.

      Among the other idiotic moves was the drawing of uninformed boundaries in Africa.  We are still living with the consequences such as ethnic wars. Another result was a revulsion against war that resulted in Western delayed response to the armed invasions by Hitler.