[Arctic_Menace]

[BartSimpson]

Without Napoleon there'd have been no reason for the Germans to unite - without the Franco-Prussian war there'd have been no reason for the Germans to fear France and get involved in the alliances necessary to protect them from France - with the Versailles Treaty and the French invasion of the Ruhr in 1922 there'd have never been a Nazi elected Chancellor of Germany....

France was a very aggressive nation and it just happened that they ended up on the right side of history.

WW1 could've easily been the UK & Germany vs. France even as late as 1914 (anyone ever read Dreadnought? )

For the turn of an event it could've easily been different.

[Arctic_Menace]

Quote:

WW1 could've easily been the UK & Germany vs. France even as late as 1914 (anyone ever read Dreadnought? )

For the turn of an event it could've easily been different.

I remember hearing something like that, but never got it verified. I'm going to check out that book. Speaking of books, read Europe's Last Summer. It gives some pretty interesting evidence that the war may ahve been Germany's fault. I had to use it for my Major Term Paper.

[Mustang1]

BartSimpson wrote:

Without Napoleon there'd have been no reason for the Germans to unite - without the Franco-Prussian war there'd have been no reason for the Germans to fear France and get involved in the alliances necessary to protect them from France - with the Versailles Treaty and the French invasion of the Ruhr in 1922 there'd have never been a Nazi elected Chancellor of Germany....

France was a very aggressive nation and it just happened that they ended up on the right side of history.

WW1 could've easily been the UK & Germany vs. France even as late as 1914 (anyone ever read Dreadnought? )

For the turn of an event it could've easily been different.

Are you kidding? This is supposed to be analytical history? Nice try.

[BartSimpson]

Arctic_Menace wrote:

Quote:

WW1 could've easily been the UK & Germany vs. France even as late as 1914 (anyone ever read Dreadnought? )

For the turn of an event it could've easily been different.

I remember hearing something like that, but never got it verified. I'm going to check out that book. Speaking of books, read Europe's Last Summer. It gives some pretty interesting evidence that the war may ahve been Germany's fault. I had to use it for my Major Term Paper.

Wiki has a note on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreadnought_(book)

Also: http://www.amazon.com/Dreadnought-Rober ... 0345375564

It's the definitive work on the politics leading up to the war and the sequel, Castles of Steel, is a riveting work that reads like a great novel - the Battle of Jutland is just amazingly well told in the second book.

[BartSimpson]

Mustang1 wrote:

BartSimpson wrote:

Without Napoleon there'd have been no reason for the Germans to unite - without the Franco-Prussian war there'd have been no reason for the Germans to fear France and get involved in the alliances necessary to protect them from France - with the Versailles Treaty and the French invasion of the Ruhr in 1922 there'd have never been a Nazi elected Chancellor of Germany....

France was a very aggressive nation and it just happened that they ended up on the right side of history.

WW1 could've easily been the UK & Germany vs. France even as late as 1914 (anyone ever read Dreadnought? )

For the turn of an event it could've easily been different.

Are you kidding? This is supposed to be analytical history? Nice try.

Read Dreadnought. Unlike my poorly written paragraph, it actually is analytical history and Massie delves into the thoughts I'd posted. Massie is where I got a few of them.

By the way, Dreadnought is required reading at Annapolis, Newport, and Dartmouth. It's that good a book.

[Mustang1]

BartSimpson wrote:

Mustang1 wrote:

BartSimpson wrote:

Without Napoleon there'd have been no reason for the Germans to unite - without the Franco-Prussian war there'd have been no reason for the Germans to fear France and get involved in the alliances necessary to protect them from France - with the Versailles Treaty and the French invasion of the Ruhr in 1922 there'd have never been a Nazi elected Chancellor of Germany....

France was a very aggressive nation and it just happened that they ended up on the right side of history.

WW1 could've easily been the UK & Germany vs. France even as late as 1914 (anyone ever read Dreadnought? )

For the turn of an event it could've easily been different.

Are you kidding? This is supposed to be analytical history? Nice try.

Read Dreadnought. Unlike my poorly written paragraph, it actually is analytical history and Massie delves into the thoughts I'd posted. Massie is where I got a few of them.

By the way, Dreadnought is required reading at Annapolis, Newport, and Dartmouth. It's that good a book.

I have read it - and dozens more on the subject. You’re right; it is analytical history and it certainly doesn’t thrust the blame of WWI on France. Nor does Stokesbury, Parker, or Granatstein and many other fine military historians

[BartSimpson]

"History is a series of dominoes that fall in progression. Blaming the fall of one domino for the fall of the next is only correct when it is the first one to fall."

- Lord David Howell, Wednesday 17th May 2006

[Mustang1]

BartSimpson wrote:

"History is a series of dominoes that fall in progression. Blaming the fall of one domino for the fall of the next is only correct when it is the first one to fall."

- Lord David Howell, Wednesday 17th May 2006

Throwing up anything doesn’t equal something. This still doesn’t help your erroneous assertions regarding France’s sole culpability in the cause of the Great War. I’ll assume you’ve got nothing.

[Arctic_Menace]

I've said it before and I'll say it again:


Everyone had a hand in WWI.

[Scape]

Mustang1 wrote:

Let’s keep things initially simple; who/what do you feel is to blame (directly or indirectly) for causing the Great War?

Man's inhumanity to man.

[Arctic_Menace]

Quote:

Man's inhumanity to man.

I'd actually say greed and self-interests...

[Scape]

6/ one half dozen the other. The set up was begging for conflict.