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Friday, August 01, 2014
Today In History: Dominoes falling...
On this day, one hundred years ago, in response to (or on the pretext of, your call) Russian mobilization, the German Empire declared war on the Russian Empire and mobilized its armies. . .
And thus began a textbook study in "It ain't my fight, I'm staying out of it." that we failed to successfully accomplish. The pain and misery commenced by that failure haunts us to this day.
'Dreadnought: Britain, Germany and the coming of the Great War' by R.K. Massie is probably the best researched book on the subject. The German high command wanted the war with Imperial Russia.
And the 1919 Flu that killed so many around the world might be laid at our feet, due to our military's involvement. Researchers have traced it to an Army camp here in CONUS(they raised their own food-pigs, etc, in those days).
Hmm, according to wiki, it's still being debated as to origin, though.
And thus began a textbook study in "It ain't my fight, I'm staying out of it." that we failed to successfully accomplish. The pain and misery commenced by that failure haunts us to this day.
ReplyDelete"Everything that's old is new again!" - A Chorus Line
ReplyDeletegfa
No, that's a Peter Allen and Carole Bayer Sager song used in All That Jazz.
ReplyDelete'Dreadnought: Britain, Germany and the coming of the Great War' by R.K. Massie is probably the best researched book on the subject. The German high command wanted the war with Imperial Russia.
ReplyDeleteAl_in_Ottawa
leaddog:
ReplyDeleteWilson promised to:
Keep us out of WWI
Not sign the Federal Reserve Act
Obstruct passage of the 16th Amendment
OK then. A progressive do-gooder showed his stripes.
Kaiser Bill: "So tell me about this new plan for war with Russia."
ReplyDeleteVon Schlieffen: "Right, so in case of war with Russia, we invade France!"
Kaiser Bill: "Go on..."
Von Schlieffen: "Now here's the brilliant bit- we invade France THROUGH Belgium, thus pissing off almost everyone!"
Kaiser Bill: "OMG, that is just so BRILLIANT!!!"
And Europe marched off to commit collective suicide.
ReplyDeleteAnd the 1919 Flu that killed so many around the world might be laid at our feet, due to our military's involvement. Researchers have traced it to an Army camp here in CONUS(they raised their own food-pigs, etc, in those days).
ReplyDeleteHmm, according to wiki, it's still being debated as to origin, though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu_pandemic
I was thinking it was more like the maneuvering Germany did with Austria/Czechoslovakia before WWII.
ReplyDeleteThinking what was more like what?
ReplyDeleteThat would be a brain fart on my part. Didn't notice this was a history post rather than a contemporary events post.
ReplyDeleteI meant the current stand off between Russia and the Ukraine. I just saw "Russia" and my fingers acted of their own accord.
Totes swear.
"I thought he was going to hit me so I hit him back first."
ReplyDelete