Whats your opinion on the First World War?

as its the centenary of the First World War, what are your thoughts on the first world war?

A just and necessary War?
A Waste of life?
Should never should have happened?


what is your view?

as its the centenary of the First World War, what are your thoughts on the first world war?

A just and necessary War?
A Waste of life?
Should never should have happened?


what is your view?

It was inevitable.

And it was 100 years ago, don't get why the media is highlighting this.

A bloodbath fought for empire and realpolitik. More disturbingly, while there had of course been precursors (e.g. French Revolutionary Wars), I'd argue it marked the introduction of the 'mass war', or as I've seen it called somewhere, the 'democratisation of killing'. In other words, it was the end of war as a series of short, pitched battles featuring not that many people and the start of unbroken wars where every citizen is a potential soldier and therefore a potential target,

I believe that concept is known as "total war".

A bloodbath fought for empire and realpolitik. More disturbingly, while there had of course been precursors (e.g. French Revolutionary Wars), I'd argue it marked the introduction of the 'mass war', or as I've seen it called somewhere, the 'democratisation of killing'. In other words, it was the end of war as a series of short, pitched battles featuring not that many people and the start of unbroken wars where every citizen is a potential soldier and therefore a potential target,

I disagree with this assessment if you're implying the British fought for the British Empire as it would have been apparent to the British government that involvement in war with Germany would mean redirection of manpower from the colonies, putting them at risk of annex. Before the start of the war the British Empire spanned an obscenely large land (and sea) area; war with Prussia would result in massive loss of influence and wealth (which it did, twice, find a nice before/after map), so why go to war? The answer is basically contrary to what the national curriculum teaches when it's stated that Asquith searched for means to convince the US that involvement was wise; the US wasn't only convinced but were the instigators and British involvement was a result of its status as unofficial Protectorate of the US, or, put more aptly by a US WWII general, Britain was (is? the RAF scrambled not a day after USAF deployment) "America's unsinkable aircraft carrier", making it ironic that Britain as victor lost influence and wealth an order of magnitudes greater than that lost by Prussia.

this may be controversial, but then aren't we the biggest cause of it not Germany?

We rightly, in a way, got scared because the 2nd Reich was up and coming, and there was the naval race, but then Germany offered to stop building ships and we said no. I don't get how Germany was a real threat pre-war, because their empire was small compared to ours. If we weren't so prideful, the war may still have happened but not been as long as it was.

I know this may seem like a slightly obtuse comment but one fascinating thing for me is how lots of working class men up and down the land sat there with their cloth cap and whippets down the local pub suddenly are motivated,almost without question to take up arms and depart to foreign lands all because some bloke who most if not all of them had never heard of ,got shot. No mention of his poor wife Sophie who also died of lead poisoning that day.

Crowd control/peer pressure/social conditioning.............. we all get it from birth.