100 years ago on August 4th following Germanys invasion of Belgium, Britain declared war. The Great War was so horrific it was supposed to be the war to end all wars Some 17 million were killed from 1914-18. Britain alone suffered over a million dead and two million wounded during the conflict. The ill fated battle of the Somme 1916 alone accounted for 420,000 British casualties. The US entered the war in 1917 and suffered over 320,000 casualties. All across Europe lights went out to commemorate the centenary of WW1. The wrath of the reparations imposed on Germany were so crippling, it provided a solid foundation for discontent and Hitlers rise to power. Despite repeated warnings from Churchill, weak leadership by Neville Chamberlain and other Western Europeans leaders failed to check Hitlers power plays and in short order 1939 marked the commencement of World War II. Japan sensing weakness later embarked on its expansion plans too. I truly have to wonder whether todays politicians pay attention to the lessons of history.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 20:13:08 +0000
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