10 myths about World War One

[Richard Hakluyt]

Wilhelmine Germany was a rapidly rising power with a bumptious idiot at the controls. If only they had had the tech to keep Bismarck alive and Chancellor indefinetely.

[Malthus]

Wilhelmine Germany was a rapidly rising power with a bumptious idiot at the controls. If only they had had the tech to keep Bismarck alive and Chancellor indefinetely.

Should you encounter the enemy, he will be defeated! No quarter will be given! Prisoners will not be taken! Whoever falls into your hands is forfeited. Just as a thousand years ago the Huns under their King Attila made a name for themselves, one that even today makes them seem mighty in history and legend, may the name German be affirmed by you in such a way in China that no Chinese will ever again dare to look cross-eyed at a German.

Rousing stuff.

Vicky shoulda fed her grandson a poisoned candy at Christmas. 

[jimmy olsen]

Wilhelmine Germany was a rapidly rising power with a bumptious idiot at the controls. If only they had had the tech to keep Bismarck alive and Chancellor indefinetely.

When he had to make a choice he chose to continue the alliance with Austria rather than Russia. Not the greatest foreign policy decision.

[Drakken]

How is that a myth?  I don't think anybody believes that.  After all the war broke out primarily due to the Austria-Hungary and Russia rivalry in the Balkans and all the difficulties that came with that.  Certain very scholarly historians hold Germany primarily responsible, and make good points, but even then they do not claim they are solely responsible.  'Guilty' is a weird concept in this case anyway.  Like trying to figure out who is guilty of the Punic Wars or something.

The myth is right there in the Versailles Treaty. Remember, Germany was forced to sign this.

Art. 231

"The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies."

We might know it was more than that, but for the common Frenchman and the common Briton on the street taking his or her history lesson from Historia or the BBC, if asked who's responsible for World War One most if not all of them will answer Germany.

[Sheilbh]

We might know it was more than that, but for the common Frenchman and the common Briton on the street taking his or her history lesson from Historia or the BBC, if asked who's responsible for World War One most if not all of them will answer Germany.

I doubt it.

I'd say the opposite. Most people would say no-one was really to blame and how sad it all was (the pity of war). It's more of an academic view to blame Germany (or anyone else).

That may be different in France.

[Drakken]

Vicky shoulda fed her grandson a poisoned candy at Christmas. 

Queen Victoria was always nice with her first grandson, and Wilhelm rushed to be at her bedside when she died. If in real life, however, Vicky the mother had offered her son candy for Christmas, Willy would have made her taste it first.

It was notorious that there was no love lost between adult Wilhelm and his mother, in part because of Bismarck yes but in no smaller part because of Vicky herself, her stern and harsh parenting vision, and her anti-Prussian. It's no secret that the extreme love-hate relationship between Wilhelm and Britain stems from his twisted relations with his mother.

[Razgovory]

Wilhelmine Germany was a rapidly rising power with a bumptious idiot at the controls. If only they had had the tech to keep Bismarck alive and Chancellor indefinetely.

The Kaiser wasn't an idiot, (though the Czar very well may have been), he was simply ill-suited for the job he had.  He was considered by his contemporaries to be quite intelligent, unfortunately he was also neurotic, arrogant, and erratic.  He worked very hard to keep an alliance with Russia, but the allure of the French alliance was to great to pass up for the Russians.

[Jacob]

Vicky shoulda fed her grandson a poisoned candy at Christmas. 

Queen Victoria was always nice with her first grandson, and Wilhelm rushed to be at her bedside when she died. If in real life, however, Vicky the mother had offered her son candy for Christmas, Willy would have made her taste it first.

It was notorious that there was no love lost between adult Wilhelm and his mother, in part because of Bismarck yes but in no smaller part because of Vicky herself, her stern and harsh parenting vision, and her anti-Prussian. It's no secret that the extreme love-hate relationship between Wilhelm and Britain stems from his twisted relations with his mother.

There was a documentary on a night or two ago, where they went into a bit of detail on Queen Victoria's relationship with her kids; it seems she was incredibly emotionally needy and self-centred. In other words, Vicky's relationship with her mother seems pretty similar to Wilhelm's relationship with his.

Kind of funny how individual family bullshit can be passed along the generations, and how it can have significant consequences from time to time.

[Ed Anger]

I liked the Kaiser. He had a fabulous hat.

[Admiral Yi]

Starting on the biography of Edward VII, I'm getting the distinct impression that Victoria was a right cunt.

[Valmy]

Art. 231

"The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies."

So there were losses to Allied and associate governments Germany and her allies were not responsible for?  And yes if Austria-Hungary, Germany's ally, had backed off from attacking Serbia once Russia threatened to mobilize there would have been no war.  But seriously though so what?  Attitudes on all sorts of things have changed since 1919.

We might know it was more than that, but for the common Frenchman and the common Briton on the street taking his or her history lesson from Historia or the BBC, if asked who's responsible for World War One most if not all of them will answer Germany.

Germany might very well be the country most responsible, many people believe so.  But sole responsible party is something else.  Each of the major powers had a role to play except perhaps the British.  If the French and the Germans had just pulled their heads out of their asses at some point between 1860 and 1933 and realized they were natural allies none of it would have probably gone down.

[Valmy]

I liked the Kaiser. He had a fabulous hat.

That mustache was pretty awesome as well.

[Valmy]

Starting on the biography of Edward VII, I'm getting the distinct impression that Victoria was a right cunt.

Every relationship in her life was weird.  Maybe that just comes with her weird job but man every relationship from her parents to her husband to her kids were all a little off.

[Neil]

I don't really see France and Germany as natural allies in the era of Great Powers.

[jimmy olsen]

Germany might very well be the country most responsible, many people believe so.  But sole responsible party is something else.  Each of the major powers had a role to play except perhaps the British.  If the French and the Germans had just pulled their heads out of their asses at some point between 1860 and 1933 and realized they were natural allies none of it would have probably gone down.

Britain and Germany I could see, but France and Germany?