War

(Source)

If you read nothing else today, you must read this.

I first ran across Doctor Grumpy's blog a few weeks ago, very amusing fellow. Who knew he was a fellow lover of history? He's a daily visit now.

I hadn't remembered that the 7th of May was the 104th anniversary of the sinking of RMS Lusitania. There are many historical events I try to keep track of, this one slipped under the radar.

War is cruel and brutal, there's no other way to put it. Were the British in the wrong for shipping munitions aboard a passenger liner? Of course they were. Were the Germans in the wrong for sinking the ship? The U-Boat's quartermaster thought so, and spent the remainder of the war in prison for his beliefs.

One could argue that the Germans started World War I, and one would be only partially correct. The dying Austro-Hungarian Empire was intent on pushing the Ottoman Turks out of the Balkans, and keeping pieces for themselves as well. The resistance to the Empire led to the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in the streets of Sarajevo.

After that Vienna issued an ultimatum to the Serbs, an ultimatum which the Serbs could not possibly accept without losing their sovereignty. War was declared, the Austro-Hungarians mobilized*, the Serbs mobilized, the Russians mobilized, the Germans mobilized, the French mobilized, and the British prepared themselves by letting everyone know that the neutrality of Belgium would be their casus belli, though most of the Imperial General Staff were quite prepared to enter the war on the side of the French regardless of Belgian neutrality.

The European powder keg exploded in August of 1914. Millions would die, it was the last war waged by monarchies (it is worth noting that the French were not ruled by a monarch). It was the costliest war in history up until that point, in terms of deaths and injuries, and in terms of economic costs. What is worse is that the vindictiveness of certain British and French politicians led directly to World War II and all the agony which followed.

The guns of August may have fallen silent in November of 1918, but they echo still.





* Mobilization meant recalling reserve troops to the colors and generally preparing the armed forces for active service. The Germans sought to knock France out of the war as they thought that the massive Russian army would take a long time to mobilize and move against Germany. The Russians surprised everyone (probably themselves as well) when they were ready quicker than expected and were rolling into Prussia while the bulk of the German army was rolling into France, after violating Belgian neutrality and drawing Britain into the war.

Note: Heute ist mein Geburtstag.