Lest We Forget - 100 years since the end of WW1

[sarahtasher]

Yes they were not in trenches for 4 years but their anabasis through Siberia while fighting Reds was not vacation either. They were conscripted to fight for A-H but noone forced them to fight for a nation that did not even exist yet (Czechoslovakia). No need to put "" in volunteered. They were volunteers. They could sit whole war out if they wanted to.

Asking POWs in camp to ''volunteer'' is a loaded question.

[Zaktar]

Pretty sure that our volunteers in ww1 fought and died for our freedom and right of self determination.

Did they now, what caused the war and what did it resolve?

[cparle87]

Except population flatlines, which it's doing right now. Once again you have a boring and misinformed edgelord opinion.

Didn't we have a little ice age in the 1600s and 1700s because the black death killed so many people?

[therealstegblob]

Didn't we have a little ice age in the 1600s and 1700s because the black death killed so many people?

The population decline is one of the less popular theories for the global temperature decrease, according to Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ice_Age

[Cizr]

Asking POWs in camp to ''volunteer'' is a loaded question.

not really. If you think that they would be otherwise executed you are insane.

[Puupi]

A good series, but ridiculously long, is Dan Carlin's series on WW1.

Yep, it's amazing. It's what...35 hours or something? Not too bad. Dan Carlin's stuff is just so great, I can listen to him from dusk til dawn.

The Great War on youtube is awesome, too, if you are really into WW1, which I am.

[Cizr]

Did they now, what caused the war and what did it resolve?

It gave us right of self determination

[McFuu]

We did learn from WW1, though. Or rather what lead to WW2 was not from a repeat of WW1 but that we didn't know how to properly end WW1. The issue with WW2 was that the world had no idea how to handle a post WW1-world, and no one at the time had the presence of understanding to know what leaving Germany in a state of social and financial destruction would result in. We learned very well from WW1, which is why we ended WW2 correctly.

We live in the most peaceful time period in human history. The proliferation of information may make you a single point for all the world's ills, but that doesn't mean the world isn't better off than it has been.

[Zaktar]

It gave us right of self determination

Repeating yourself doesn't answer the question, but I'll try a different one: how? Be specific.

[therealstegblob]

We live in the most peaceful time period in human history. The proliferation of information may make you a single point for all the world's ills, but that doesn't mean the world isn't better off than it has been.

I have no idea what you're trying to say. Are you agreeing with me or arguing with me?

[Cizr]

Repeating yourself doesn't answer the question, but I'll try a different one: how? Be specific.

I thought thats pretty clear. What do you know about Austria-Hungary and nations that were in it?

[cparle87]

The population decline is one of the less popular theories for the global temperature decrease, according to Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ice_Age

Yeah, that's where I got it from.

[McFuu]

I have no idea what you're trying to say. Are you agreeing with me or arguing with me?

You insisted that the world is worse off now than what it was post WWII. I'm saying that's incorrect. We live in an unprecedented time of peace, it just doesn't seem that way because unlike previously, we receive world news to a little electric screen in our pockets. Minutes after an event happens in India, the entire globe is aware of it.
I'm saying people, individuals, become focal points for information and they are incapable of processing the scale of that information, mainly because information on that kind of scale has only existed for 20 years.

[therealstegblob]

You insisted that the world is worse off now than what it was post WWII.

No I didn't. You misread what I said, though my post what a bit confusing.

At the end of WW1 none of the world leaders really understood the ramifications of leaving Germany in shambles, no one had the mindset of "we need to help Germany rebuild as a European power so the country and world can prosper", this was before the European Union or NATO or even really the League of Nations (which was only just being founded). Germany was left in ruins and stricken with poverty, with the victors of WW1 carving out whatever pieces they wanted in order to pay for reparations. France was especially vicious in taking Germany's most productive swathes of land, leaving Germany literally crippled and the German people (who had little to do with the war or why it happened) in a state of depression and financial famine, conveniently making them very angry at the rest of the European powers (especially France).

This created the hotbed that led to Hitler and WW2. When WW2 ended, we had gained enough hindsight and wisdom to know that we couldn't leave Germany as a smoking crater and demand its broken people to make steep payments. So it was focused on by the western powers and rebuilt into an industrial and economic powerhouse that helped ultimately rebuild the rest of Europe, connect more of the world's countries than ever before, and lead to the lasting peace we still have today.

[McFuu]

No I didn't. You misread what I said, though my post what a bit confusing.

At the end of WW1 none of the world leaders really understood the ramifications of leaving Germany in shambles, no one had the mindset of "we need to help Germany rebuild as a European power so the country and world can prosper", this was before the European Union or NATO or even really the League of Nations (which was only just being founded). Germany was left in ruins and stricken with poverty, with the victors of WW1 carving out whatever pieces they wanted in order to pay for reparations. France was especially vicious in taking Germany's most productive swathes of land, leaving Germany literally crippled and the German people (who had little to do with the war or why it happened) in a state of depression and financial famine, conveniently making them very angry at the rest of the European powers (especially France).

This created the hotbed that led to Hitler and WW2. When WW2 ended, we had gained enough hindsight and wisdom to know that we couldn't leave Germany is a smoking crater and demand its broken people to make steep payments. So it was focused on by the western powers and rebuilt into an industrial and economic powerhouse that helped ultimately rebuild the rest of Europe, connect more of the world's countries than ever before, and lead to the lasting peace we still have today.

Lol, bro. I'm super embarrassed. I actually meant to reply to the poster above you, I don't really know how I replied to you to begin with.

I agree with everything you said, even the first post I quoted. I should have really re-read before I posted the first time.

Just reading this post, I was thinking, "this is not at all what this guy posted, am I having a stroke that I misunderstood it that bad." In reality I read one post and replied to an entirely different post.

[Puupi]

Germany was left in ruins and stricken with poverty

Ruins?

Germany wasn't left in ruins, hardly any enemy soldier stepped on German land during the whole war (only briefly in the beginning of the war in East Prussia by the Russians and the French in Elsass-Lothringen).

Poverty? Hell yeah (but so were the others). The reparations and seizure of Rheinland were catastrophic for Germany.

Anyway, there were some places in the world which were in ruins after WW1 (Belgium obviously was fubar compared to anyone else), but none of them were in Germany.

[Dalistar]

Lest we forget that WW1 started with a wave of nationalism and authoritarian leaders lying to the people. Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it. God bless all the soldiers that had to give their lives to right the ship of democracy.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

At least our governments aren't looking to maintain current ones and start new ones. Unlike the 'peace loving' americans.

Never fails I leave here with a trap filled with galuabibliy. Thank you.

[Blightrose]

Those Czech and Slovaks first deserted or surrendered in EXTREMELY discutable circumstances. They fought extremely well during the Brusilov Offensive, but the were not in trenches for 4 years. Above all, 40 000 people who ''volunteered'' from Russian POW camps are not terribly representative of the experience for most Czechs, let alone Europeans.

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That the Germans revolted for being treated ''unfairly'' is a myth-the Versailles treaty was about as humilating as the one they imposed on France in 1870 and was generous compared to Brest-Livstok.

We dont know what Brest-Livstok would have led to if Germany had won the war, so the repercussions of that is hard to tell and as far as I can tell, the 1919 is worse than 1871 simply because of how much it limits the army size and the massive payments required compared to 1871. Relative to the value of their currencies, the cost in 1919 was double that of 1871 treaty, per head. That is a hell of a lot of money. I would say that 1919 treaty very much paved the way for 1939 and many historians and politicians at the time called this out as well.

[therealstegblob]

Lol, bro. I'm super embarrassed. I actually meant to reply to the poster above you, I don't really know how I replied to you to begin with.

/pet

wasn't left in ruins, hardly any enemy soldier stepped on German land during the whole war (only briefly in the beginning of the war in East Prussia by the Russians and the French in Elsass-Lothringen).

Except, you know, the bombing of Germany factories and bases along with many other areas, leaving key German industrial communities in ruin.

Anyway, there were some places in the world which were in ruins after WW1 (Belgium obviously was fubar compared to anyone else), but none of them were in Germany.

Germany was left both in literal ruins and in financial ruin and its ability to produce food and material goods for itself was crippled. Unlike the Allied powers no one was lending Germany any aid, they all had this attitude of "you started it, you lost, fuck you pay for it".