K
knowltok
Guest
Giorgicus, I absolutely love your signature. Classic! Hat's off to you.
WW1, better then WW2
- Thread starter Pellaken
- Start date
Magnus
Diplocat
Direct cause of WW1 was continental expansionism by Germany, Russia and Austria. Austria hated the Serbs and was just looking for a war with them to eliminate their pan-slav nationalistic threat, Russia, who had interests in the Balkans (with eyes always on Constantinople) and was 'protector of the Slavs' was not going to allow Austria to absorb another Slavic state. Germany held all the cards - they could have told Austria to back down. But Germany felt it was their time to bring Europe to its knees - quick victory over France (who was sworn to come to Russia's aid) would allow them to then turn against the slow-mobilizing Russians and deal them a lethal blow. Germany did not WANT war with England, they felt threatened by the English fleet, but were otherwise amicable towards them. Germany decided to attack thru Belgium to circumvent the French fortifications along the Alsace-Lorraine border to get to Paris faster and end that front quickly. Unfortunately, the British were sworn to uphold Belgian soverignty and thus England declared war on Germany - Germany didnt think England would get involved in a continental war over a "scrap of paper" but they were wrong, and the two things that lost the war for Germany:
1. Tannenburg and the Masurian Lakes - the French urged the Russians to attack the Germans rear even though the Russians were far from ready - but in doing so (and getting slaughtered) the Germans had to take troops away from their encirclement of Paris to defend against Russia - this made them fail at their atempt at ending the war quickly - only THEN did the war become a stalemate.
2. The british blocakde - Germany fought dor 4 years but only capitulated because they ran out of food and war materiel.
Why WW2 started: two reasons
1. an American wrote the Peace treaty of Versailles - Woodrow Wilson. The treaty should have been written by Europeans - the American enteed the war - basically did little and lost relatively few men, yet THEY write the peace treaty? Not a good idea.
2. because the treaty was so harsh COUPLED with the fact thet Germnay was NEVER CONQUERED, made the Germans feel they got shafterd and they laud in wait 20 years until someone showed them how to get revenge.
WW1 was very interesting at the beginning, but that lasted only one month before the stalemate took away its plans. Read Barbara Tuchman's "The Guns of August" for more on the amazing build-up and first month of The Great War - you will not be disappointed.
1. Tannenburg and the Masurian Lakes - the French urged the Russians to attack the Germans rear even though the Russians were far from ready - but in doing so (and getting slaughtered) the Germans had to take troops away from their encirclement of Paris to defend against Russia - this made them fail at their atempt at ending the war quickly - only THEN did the war become a stalemate.
2. The british blocakde - Germany fought dor 4 years but only capitulated because they ran out of food and war materiel.
Why WW2 started: two reasons
1. an American wrote the Peace treaty of Versailles - Woodrow Wilson. The treaty should have been written by Europeans - the American enteed the war - basically did little and lost relatively few men, yet THEY write the peace treaty? Not a good idea.
2. because the treaty was so harsh COUPLED with the fact thet Germnay was NEVER CONQUERED, made the Germans feel they got shafterd and they laud in wait 20 years until someone showed them how to get revenge.
WW1 was very interesting at the beginning, but that lasted only one month before the stalemate took away its plans. Read Barbara Tuchman's "The Guns of August" for more on the amazing build-up and first month of The Great War - you will not be disappointed.
Kahran Ramsus
Warlord
World War I is called that because pretty much the entire world was involved, for the first time in history. It started being called the First World War in the 1920s when pessimists said that it solved nothing and that their would be another great war within 20 years. You can't have a sequel without the first one.
About the History Channel. In Canada it has largely Canadian programming. I assumed that each country's History Channel would feature its own history more than any other.
About the History Channel. In Canada it has largely Canadian programming. I assumed that each country's History Channel would feature its own history more than any other.
K
knowltok
Guest
I must disagree with your point Magnus on the Americans writing the treaty. All of the points weren't accepted by the Europeans who insisted on harsh restrictions and reparations. The Germans went to the bargaining table because they thought that they would get all of the 14 points, but Clemenceou and Lloyd George stuck it to them. This harsh treatment casued the resentment and the harsh reparations made the great depression all the worse in Germany. These two things combined to allow the rise of a fanatic.
The Europeans made their own mess in the rise of Hitler and failed to stop it when they could have in the mid 30's. Don't blame the U.S. for that.
The Europeans made their own mess in the rise of Hitler and failed to stop it when they could have in the mid 30's. Don't blame the U.S. for that.
PolarisXP
HMS Polaris
There was a program on either Discovery or History Channel that said that WWII & the Cold War were one long war. Depending on which country you were with depends when WWII started, for the British it was 1939, the US 1941, for the Chinese it was 1937 ???(not sure exact let me know and I will edit). After the fall of Germany and Japan the Iron Curtain drew across Eastern Europe and the Cold War took place. After the fall of the Berlin wall the cold war was finally over. The US and Russia were no longer enemies.
Makes you think "World War II 1937 - 1990".
Makes you think "World War II 1937 - 1990".
Magnus
Diplocat
Hamlet
Manic Depressive
I don't see why. WW1 involved all major powers of the era. I can't see how an additional scrap between Japan and America, and a more diverse range of locations for the fighting make WW2 any more global. Generally, the combatants were the same, but simply more mobile. Methinks I detect "America wasn't as important in it, hence it's irrelevant" syndrome here.
Helped, in part by the terms of the treaty, and the economic cost of reperations.
Magnus
Diplocat
With that kind of logic, then World War I would have to have been the Napoleanic Wars.
Hamlet
Manic Depressive
It doesn't really have the destructiveness of a world war, though.
redtom
Proudhonist
The First World War can be exclusively blamed on the Germans:
Read this file you'll be convinced that the German leviathan was seeking hegemony in Europe and possibly the world.
Read this file you'll be convinced that the German leviathan was seeking hegemony in Europe and possibly the world.
redtom
Proudhonist
The First World War can be exclusively blamed on the Germans:
Read this file you'll be convinced that the German leviathan was seeking hegemony in Europe and possibly the world.
Read this file you'll be convinced that the German leviathan was seeking hegemony in Europe and possibly the world.
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