A worrying attitude

[Benny Moore]

... Except the Nazis.  Nazis are bad apples.

[Laurie]

Originally posted by Benny Moore
... Except the Nazis.  Nazis are bad apples.

I am by no means a fan of the Germans or appeasement but not all german soldiers where nazi's. Yes all Nazi' should be left to rot in a cold dark cellar, but a few german soldiers actually sympathised with allies/jews.

As a group theyre still a bunch of bastards though.

Not sure wether you meant the whole german army or just members of the nazi party in your post,

[storch]

laurie, do you know why WWI was fought?

[Stampf]

A considerbaly large chunk of my anscestory did not give their lives for freedom and justice to be put on some second shelf to another.

Freedom ? Justice?  You are kidding right?  Sorry for the losses your family has incured, I know the feeling well.  But that's the price of Empire.

[Laurie]

Originally posted by storch
laurie, do you know why WWI was fought?

Yes i know a heck of a lot since i have got A* GCSE on WW1 and 2.

there was not one but many factors for the outbreak of war in 1914,

-In late july viceduke ferdinand was assinated under suspicous circumstances,

-Russia like other countris (england,france) had alliance 'chains' this meant, because of all the alliances and treatis of protection that if one country was invaded, it would be a spark and a chain of promises were kept and there we had a huge multi national conflict brewing,

-germany was rather envious of british and french sucsses

-Austria was collapsing and needed something to rekindle their countries flame,

-Italy wanted to expand

-Britain felt under threat from its top spot,

-France was scared of germany due to thier close proximity,

-Russia felt obliged to protect the serbs,

-the triple entente were paraniod of being over come whilst the triple alliance was agressive and hungry,

this from memory so please excuse lack of dates and deeper insight, i do not have  my book on me.

[Laurie]

Originally posted by Laurie
Yes i know a heck of a lot since i have got A* GCSE on WW1 and 2.

there was not one but amny factors for the outbreak of war in 1914,

-In late july viceduke ferdinand was assinated under suspicous circumstances,

-Russia like other countris (england,france) had alliance 'chains' this meant, because of all the alliances and treatis of protection that if one country was invaded, it would be a spark and a chain of promises were kept and there we had a huge multi national conflict brewing,

-germany was rather envious of british and french sucsses

-Austria was collapsing and needed something to rekindle their countries flame,

-Italy wanted to expand

-Britain felt under threat from its top spot,

-France was scared of germany due to thier close proximity,

-Russia felt obliged to protect the serbs,

-the triple entente were paraniod of being over come whilst the triple alliance was agressive and hungry,

N.B. some people get fed up of the planet america crap,

[Stampf]

It had nothing to do with British Imperial Oil intersts in the middle east Storch.  

Forget everything you know, or think you know...

[Laurie]

Originally posted by Stampf
Freedom ? Justice?  You are kidding right?  Sorry for the losses your family has incured, I know the feeling well.  But that's the price of Empire.

No i am not. Is freeing the jews from ethnic cleansing not Justice?
Is fighting to save europe from control by a dictator not freedom?

If  i am right in assuming you are from america it is ironic for you too comment on empires since you have lacked one. Your country is not the only one that has ahd a civil war you know........

[JohnnyT]

I was a 'weekend warrior' who carried a radio

[68Boomer]

Lets end this one on a pleasant note for once.....

Any person who volunteers in ANY Military, be it U.S., Britain, China.......Lower Slobovia....whatever..is a person who believes in what they are serving for and does it in spite of miserable pay, crappy hours, Jacked around benifits and to often, Politicians who have their heads up and locked.

They all command respect, loyalty and support.

[storch]

it probably had nothing to do with germany building a navy to rival the royal navy either.

the fact is that wwi was started by england because the english of that period would not allow and rivalry from any continental power. especially not a sea power that could hamper the british empire.

tirpitz took the philosphies of mahan seriously and with his winsome ways convinced german farmers to fund that very expensive naval expansion.  kaiser wilhelm being the petulant enfant terrible that he was wanted a navy simply because his uncle eddie had one.  the die was cast.

[Oldman731]

Originally posted by storch
the fact is that wwi was started by england because the english of that period would not allow and rivalry from any continental power. especially not a sea power that could hamper the british empire.

..um...

While this was clearly one of the reasons for the beginning of that most stupid of all wars, it was only one of many.  It's very difficult to get most of the "civilized" world to start shooting at each other over one cause.  Probably not even the Thirty Years War had so many different causes, each so pathetically insignificant.

It's always made me wish that when the major powers all started mobilization in July, 1914, they had just taken the hundred-or-so old men who started the war out into a field somewhere, given them clubs, and let them finish each other off.  The world would be a much better place today.

- oldman

[storch]

ya well that was by far the most obvious reason and in keeping with english tradition for the previous two centuries.

[Laurie]

Originally posted by storch
it probably had nothing to do with germany building a navy to rival the royal navy either.

the fact is that wwi was started by england because the english of that period would not allow and rivalry from any continental power. especially not a sea power that could hamper the british empire.

tirpitz took the philosphies of mahan seriously and with his winsome ways convinced german farmers to fund that very expensive naval expansion.  kaiser wilhelm being the petulant enfant terrible that he was wanted a navy simply because his uncle eddie had one.  the die was cast.

yes it did, as i said, britain felt it was going to be pushed off its top spot,

things like naval supremacy come under this,

and it is also niave to blow away all the other reasons i gave to TRY and nitpick,

[Simaril]

Originally posted by storch

the fact is that wwi was started by england because the english of that period would not allow and rivalry from any continental power. especially not a sea power that could hamper the british empire.

Facile nonsense. In no way, shape or form did England "start" the war.

You're describing reasons for political conflict, not for the firing of guns. There is a HUGE difference between the pressures that lead to conflict, and the actual opening of hostilities.

Don't think so? Consider the half century of Cold War! The struggle between communism and the free world had even more reason to erupt into a world war, than did World War I.



World War I STARTED because Germany and her allies picked up there guns and attacked their neighbors. The listed "reasons for war" cover the conflicts that applied political pressure, but the moral responsibility for turning those pressures into war lies solely on the Central Powers.







PS Just so you know, storch, "facile" means "shallow."