World War I
The war which was fought “to make the world safe for democracy,” as U.S. president Wilson put it. It is remarkable, however, the U.S joined the fight at the side of the French republic, the parliamentary monarchy England, and the absolute monarchy Russia in order to fight the parliamentary monarchies of Germany and Austria. Wilson also stated that this was “the war to end all wars;” to the contrary, it triggered an endless chain of conflicts which continue to this day. That these statements make little sense is itself in keeping with this most senseless fratricidal conflict in European history. Here you can find contributions about the prelude, conduct, and aftermath of this first worldwide conflagration that made the lights go out in Europe; about war crimes – real and invented; and about the Russian Revolution emanating from it.
These are boom times for histories of World War I. Like its sequel, though to a lesser degree, it seems to be the war that never ends...
A different view about World War I.
Niall Ferguson, author of The Pity of War, argues that Britain should have stayed aside from the continental war in 1914.
In this six minute video, the creation of the Bavarian Soviet Republic in 1919 is examined. At this time, a defeated Germany was torn asunder by Communist uprisings. It was widely believed that these risings were a prequel to the Communists taking over Germany.