Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site whuxl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!houxm!whuxl!orb
From: orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Re: Wisdom of European Heads of State
Message-ID: <371@whuxl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Nov-84 11:54:57 EST
Article-I.D.: whuxl.371
Posted: Wed Nov 28 11:54:57 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 30-Nov-84 11:39:51 EST
References: <106@talcott.UUCP> <679@erix.UUCP> <2797@ucbcad.UUCP> <358@whuxl.UUCP> <1499@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs
Lines: 34

> sdcdcf!alan writes: 
> The circumstances leading to WWI had nothing to do with a build-up of
> weapons, and little to do with "wisdom" of the leaders.  WWI started
> very sloppily. I refer you to "The Guns of August" by Margaret Tuchman.
> 
If World War I had nothing to do with a mutual buildup of weapons and
entangling alliances, with the desire of Germany to get in on the
other European powers colonialism, what did it have to do with?
George Kennan just wrote a book about the origins of World War I
which he ends by explicitly suggesting an analogy with our present nuclear
age.  None of the great powers wanted WW I -- but they were not willing
to take reasonable steps to avoid war.

> WWII started because the leaders of the past did *not* have the wisdom
> to keep their country prepared to defend itself, both in terms of
> modern and plentiful weaponry, and in terms of morale.  The type of
> thinking Wayne refers to, if applied to 1937 Europe, would have
> *prevented* WWII. It was the *opposite* thinking that led to WWII.
> 
Again, you don't suppose that the Versailles Treaty which forced Germany
to pay enormous war reparations had anything to do with the rebirth
of a vengeful German nationalism under Hitler?  In this case Woodrow
Wilson was a strong voice for restraint by Britain and France in exacting
revenge on Germany for World War I.  Unfortunately he could not prevent
them from extracting enormous reparation payments anyway.  Those reparation
payment helped foster the economic collapse of the Weimar Republic
and focussed people's discontent on Britain and France.  Just as Americans
focussed their resentment on Iran and other Middle Eastern nations after
the oil crisis, people tend to seek a scapegoat outside themselves for
their problems.  Unfortunately in the case of Germany after WWI there was
some justification for blaming Britain and France.

tim sevener whuxl!orb