100 Short Years Ago....

[PoliticalChic]

...World War I began.


1. July 28th, 1914 World War I begins: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia after it failed to meet the conditions of an ultimatum it set on July 23 following the killing of Archduke Francis Ferdinand by a Serbian assassin. This event leads to the outbreak of war.


2. "In Flanders Fields" is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Alexis Helmer, who died in the Second Battle of Ypres. According to legend, fellow soldiers retrieved the poem after McCrae, initially dissatisfied with his work, discarded it. "In Flanders Fields" was first published on December 8 of that year in the London-based magazine Punch."
In Flanders Fields - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


3. In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
First World War Poems - In Flanders Fields by John McCrae

 

[PoliticalChic]

WWI exacted a terrible toll....and one result was a feeling on the continent that there was nothing worth fighting and dying for.....'better red than dead.'

Ronald Reagan came along and convinced many Europeans otherwise.




And, before Reagan...

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. "

John Stuart Mill




And, a Mill contemporary wrote:

Then out spoke brave Horatius, the Captain of the Gate:
‘To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his Gods,
'Horatius at the Bridge' by Lord Macaulay

 

[Steven_R]

I like Reagan as much as he next guy, but Europe's mass ennui had nothing to do with being better red than dead. Lots of people felt nothing was worth fighting for, the world was just a meat grinder, so why bother? The Lost Generation wasn't about politics or any of the millions of -isms floating about; it was about the attitude that we might as well live for the now because either we die in the trenches or the flu will get us or we'll buy it in a factory or our lives will get pissed away by our political masters.

And really, after the horrors of WW1, who can blame that attitude?

 

[PoliticalChic]

I like Reagan as much as he next guy, but Europe's mass ennui had nothing to do with being better red than dead. Lots of people felt nothing was worth fighting for, the world was just a meat grinder, so why bother? The Lost Generation wasn't about politics or any of the millions of -isms floating about; it was about the attitude that we might as well live for the now because either we die in the trenches or the flu will get us or we'll buy it in a factory or our lives will get pissed away by our political masters.

And really, after the horrors of WW1, who can blame that attitude?

"....who can blame that attitude?"


Me.

 

[PoliticalChic]

I like Reagan as much as he next guy, but Europe's mass ennui had nothing to do with being better red than dead. Lots of people felt nothing was worth fighting for, the world was just a meat grinder, so why bother? The Lost Generation wasn't about politics or any of the millions of -isms floating about; it was about the attitude that we might as well live for the now because either we die in the trenches or the flu will get us or we'll buy it in a factory or our lives will get pissed away by our political masters.

And really, after the horrors of WW1, who can blame that attitude?

"....Europe's mass ennui had nothing to do with being better red than dead."


"Summer of 1982:… Millions were marching against NATO and America; pacifism and neutralism were given a new name: "Hollanditis." The Soviets were playing missile angst to the hilt, predicting that Western Europe would crack under the pressure.

Many forces contributed to the fall of the "Evil Empire", but foremost among them was the deployment of those 464 cruise and 108 Pershing II missiles slated to offset triple-warhead Soviet SS-20s and Backfire bombers that could reach all of Western Europe (but not the American homeland). Needless to say, it was not the "theo-logic" of deterrence that drove the counter-deployment. The drama was not really about "circular-errors probable" or "hard-target kill capabilities." The name of the game was as old as Thucydides' disquisitions on Peloponnesian power politics. It was a pure test of will and strength, and on its outcome hung, as it turned out, history. Yet what a slender thread it was.

Enter Ronald Reagan, a president who, whatever else he was and did, was an extraordinary exemplar of "Only in America." He was an ingenue even by American standards, but as tough and hard-bitten as any Soviet general-secretary (post-Stalin, that is). He hated communism, but embraced Mikhail Gorbachev. He presided over the greatest peace-time military buildup in American history, but loathed nuclear weapons, confiding in An American Life that his "dream became a world free of nuclear weapons." He elevated supply-side economics from Arthur Laffer's back-of-the-envelope doodles to the reigning dogma of the White House and radically cut taxes--only to pragmatically raise them again in 1982 and 1983 when a "decent respect" for the opinions of Congress so demanded."
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2751/is_77/ai_n6353166/pg_3/?tag=content;col1



"... It was a pure test of will and strength, and on its outcome hung, as it turned out, history."



We sleep soundly in our beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf.
Winston Churchill or George Orwell

 

[westwall]

We here in the modern era really have no clue how good we have it. The carnage was unbelievable. One battle, the Battle of the Somme witnessed the end of the British Empire, and there are still 160,000 MISSING, from both sides, from that single battle....

 

[Steven_R]

I like Reagan as much as he next guy, but Europe's mass ennui had nothing to do with being better red than dead. Lots of people felt nothing was worth fighting for, the world was just a meat grinder, so why bother? The Lost Generation wasn't about politics or any of the millions of -isms floating about; it was about the attitude that we might as well live for the now because either we die in the trenches or the flu will get us or we'll buy it in a factory or our lives will get pissed away by our political masters.

And really, after the horrors of WW1, who can blame that attitude?

"....who can blame that attitude?"


Me.

Either you lack any empathy for what the Europeans that actually suffered through WW1 went through, you simply don't know enough about the subject, or you're just a moron.

 

[Steven_R]

I like Reagan as much as he next guy, but Europe's mass ennui had nothing to do with being better red than dead. Lots of people felt nothing was worth fighting for, the world was just a meat grinder, so why bother? The Lost Generation wasn't about politics or any of the millions of -isms floating about; it was about the attitude that we might as well live for the now because either we die in the trenches or the flu will get us or we'll buy it in a factory or our lives will get pissed away by our political masters.

And really, after the horrors of WW1, who can blame that attitude?

"....Europe's mass ennui had nothing to do with being better red than dead."


"Summer of 1982:… Millions were marching against NATO and America; pacifism and neutralism were given a new name: "Hollanditis." The Soviets were playing missile angst to the hilt, predicting that Western Europe would crack under the pressure.

Many forces contributed to the fall of the "Evil Empire", but foremost among them was the deployment of those 464 cruise and 108 Pershing II missiles slated to offset triple-warhead Soviet SS-20s and Backfire bombers that could reach all of Western Europe (but not the American homeland). Needless to say, it was not the "theo-logic" of deterrence that drove the counter-deployment. The drama was not really about "circular-errors probable" or "hard-target kill capabilities." The name of the game was as old as Thucydides' disquisitions on Peloponnesian power politics. It was a pure test of will and strength, and on its outcome hung, as it turned out, history. Yet what a slender thread it was.

Enter Ronald Reagan, a president who, whatever else he was and did, was an extraordinary exemplar of "Only in America." He was an ingenue even by American standards, but as tough and hard-bitten as any Soviet general-secretary (post-Stalin, that is). He hated communism, but embraced Mikhail Gorbachev. He presided over the greatest peace-time military buildup in American history, but loathed nuclear weapons, confiding in An American Life that his "dream became a world free of nuclear weapons." He elevated supply-side economics from Arthur Laffer's back-of-the-envelope doodles to the reigning dogma of the White House and radically cut taxes--only to pragmatically raise them again in 1982 and 1983 when a "decent respect" for the opinions of Congress so demanded."
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2751/is_77/ai_n6353166/pg_3/?tag=content;col1



"... It was a pure test of will and strength, and on its outcome hung, as it turned out, history."



We sleep soundly in our beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf.
Winston Churchill or George Orwell

What the hell does Ronald Reagan, ICBMs, and Gorby have to do with 1920s European just-not-giving-a-shit-about-politics-because-of-what-they-saw-in-the-trenches-ism?

 

[PoliticalChic]

I like Reagan as much as he next guy, but Europe's mass ennui had nothing to do with being better red than dead. Lots of people felt nothing was worth fighting for, the world was just a meat grinder, so why bother? The Lost Generation wasn't about politics or any of the millions of -isms floating about; it was about the attitude that we might as well live for the now because either we die in the trenches or the flu will get us or we'll buy it in a factory or our lives will get pissed away by our political masters.

And really, after the horrors of WW1, who can blame that attitude?

"....who can blame that attitude?"


Me.

Either you lack any empathy for what the Europeans that actually suffered through WW1 went through, you simply don't know enough about the subject, or you're just a moron.

Unlike you, I don't go along with roll-over and play dead, pantywaist.....

 

[Mad Scientist]

Either you lack any empathy for what the Europeans that actually suffered through WW1 went through, you simply don't know enough about the subject, or you're just a moron.

Why don't you "dazzle" us with yer WWI knowledge Steve.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

I could trace America's problems back to Constitutional absuses by Jefferson and Lincoln (allegedly great men). Maybe, we are the greatest nation in history. But there's still been a lot of room for improvement.

 

[westwall]

I could trace America's problems back to Constitutional absuses by Jefferson and Lincoln (allegedly great men). Maybe, we are the greatest nation in history. But there's still been a lot of room for improvement.

Nah, we're not the greatest ever. The Mongol empire witnessed greater control over a far greater area with less crime and greater tolerance for all religions than the world has ever seen.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

I could trace America's problems back to Constitutional absuses by Jefferson and Lincoln (allegedly great men). Maybe, we are the greatest nation in history. But there's still been a lot of room for improvement.

Nah, we're not the greatest ever. The Mongol empire witnessed greater control over a far greater area with less crime and greater tolerance for all religions than the world has ever seen.

Not debating it.....If you have sources, I'd love to see them though.

 

[westwall]

I could trace America's problems back to Constitutional absuses by Jefferson and Lincoln (allegedly great men). Maybe, we are the greatest nation in history. But there's still been a lot of room for improvement.

Nah, we're not the greatest ever. The Mongol empire witnessed greater control over a far greater area with less crime and greater tolerance for all religions than the world has ever seen.

Not debating it.....If you have sources, I'd love to see them though.

A small missive on the subject. There are new books coming out as well that go into detail of how the Mongols benefited the world....

Legacy of the Mongol Conquests

One may see the Mongol Empire as a gigantic political force, bringing almost the entire continent of Asia under the control of one Great Khan. The Mongol government was a superior one, and thus the whole continent became interconnected. During the Mongol Empire, one was guaranteed safety in travel throughout the entire empire. Thus, the Empire created a huge economical boom and a great exchange of culture and knowledge throughout the entire world. As a result of the Mongol conquests, the Silk Road was reopened and the route from Europe to Asia was no longer thought to be impassable. A great deal of knowledge reached Europe, including art, science, and gunpowder; which greatly contributed in bringing Western Europe out of the dark ages. Likewise, in Asia, we saw an exchange of ideas between Persia and China.



The Mongols obviously had a direct on the political situation of the world. China was once again united under a single ruler. Russia was separated from the rest of Europe, but was no longer a disunited feudalistic society. The Mongols ended the short-lived Kwarezmian Empire, and brought the fall of the Abbasid Caliph and dealt a great blow to Islamic culture. Although the Mongols did indeed bring a huge list of deaths and destruction, the economical boom that followed is obviously something not to be overlooked. One of the only ones that clearly did not benefit from Mongol conquest was Poland and Hungary, and that was because the Mongols withdrew and did not set up a revitalizing government. In conclusion, the Mongol Empire is one of great significance; for the better or worse of the world, it is not one that is to be forgotten.



Today the Mongols and their great leaders are sometimes remembered in two different: as valiant heroes who conquered vast lands against all odds to build a mighty empire or as ruthless conquerors who destroyed everything in their path. The latter is particularly interesting because it is probably more of a natural consequence of the sheer extent of the Mongol conquests rather than the actual creulty of the Mongols since conquerors like Caesar or Alexander the Great were just as cruel as Chingis Khan. Furthermore, the Mongols did not destroy everything in their path. In the end, civilization was rebuilt and benefited greatly from the newly established global economy. In any case, the Mongols should be remembered as a significant player in world history. The significance of their conquests surpasses what any history article can describe...

The Mongol Empire - All Empires

 

[R.C. Christian]

And soon the guns of August.

WWI is not represented well in cinema like "Tora Tora Tora" or the fictitious "Saving Private Ryan" although there have been a few.

I wish it was more represented in that genre.

Unintended consequences can lead to bad things. WWI is the greatest evidence of that I can think of presently.

The main issue was that this all evolved while European statesman where on holiday, strewn about the globe and of course, the Austro Hungarian empire was clinging to it's final days. Too much pride.

 

[whitehall]

Ironic that the democrat former Princeton Professor was elected in 1916 with the slogan "he kept us out of war" and then he turned around and sent the Doughboys to die for France.

 

[R.C. Christian]

It is interesting the influences that led him to make that decision.

 

[whitehall]

Was there a compelling US interest in interfering in the tribal squabbles in Europe at the dawn of the 20th century at the cost of an estimated 100,000 American Troops in three years? We had to do it all over again barely two decades later. Wilson's re-election campaign slogan was "he kept us out of war". Maybe his wife sent the Doughboys to Europe after democrat operatives kept Woodie's stroke a secret.

 

[Manonthestreet]

I have a rendezvous with Death (1917)
Alan Seeger

I have a rendezvous with Death
At some disputed barricade,
When Spring comes back with rustling shade
And apple-blossoms fill the air—
I have a rendezvous with Death
When Spring brings back blue days and fair.

It may be he shall take my hand
And lead me into his dark land
And close my eyes and quench my breath—
It may be I shall pass him still.
I have a rendezvous with Death
On some scarred slope of battered hill,
When Spring comes round again this year
And the first meadow-flowers appear.

God knows ’twere better to be deep
Pillowed in silk and scented down,
Where Love throbs out in blissful sleep,
Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath,
Where hushed awakenings are dear…
But I’ve a rendezvous with Death
At midnight in some flaming town,
When Spring trips north again this year,
And I to my pledged word am true,
I shall not fail that rendezvous.
Poetry By Heart | I have a rendezvous with Death

 

[Manonthestreet]

Grass
By Carl Sandburg
.Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work—
I am the grass; I cover all.

And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:
What place is this?
Where are we now?

I am the grass.
Let me work.