World War 1

This year we, in the UK, will be commemorating the the start of World War One. I hope we shall not be celebrating and I hope that representatives for Germany and the Central Allies and all other combatants are also invited.

No country won the the first World War; there were only losers. The UK lost over 750,000 of its young men: France lost 1,300,000; Germany up to 2,000,000;  Austria-Hungary up to 1,200,000; Italy up to 1,3000,000; Russia up to 1,700,000: Turkey over 300,000; The British Empire over 250,000 and the USA over 120,000.

These casualty figures are mind boggling. The UK lost as many soldiers during one day of the first World War than it has in the whole of the latest Afghan conflict.

World War One was entered into without much debate or consent and the UK was not a full democracy as women still did not have the vote. The war was caused by colonialism and rivalry between the UK and Germany and the other colonial powers of Europe. It must be remembered that much of the war was conducted in Africa where the colonial powers were competing for vast tracts of land; land to which European powers had no right to take by force.

We fought this war for no purpose and there were no ultimate beneficiaries. The war exposed some rampant jingoism extant in the combatant nations. Those who sent white feathers to conscientious objectors were the shameful representatives of this misplaced patriotism and nationalism.

The soldiers were exposed to the most appalling conditions and some of them who fell mentally ill from shell shock were cruelly executed in a form of unjust punishment.

Of course there was bravery and we should honour the brave, the fallen and the injured. But we should honour the combatants of all nations not just the "victorious" ones.


In Britain we are having left wing - right wing "politically correct" arguments about whether the war was caused by colonialism or not and whether we should celebrate victory or not. The colonialism was all too obvious but the victory was not.

The USA has no such left wing -right wing arguments about colonialism as colonialism is condemned by all political parties. It was Dwight Eisenhower who insisted that the British and French withdraw from Egypt during the 1956 Suez crisis. Eisenhower was a Republican and right of centre. There is no doubt that a left of centre Democratic president would have done the same.

World War One lead directly to World War Two but after the second conflagration the USA had no appetite for revenge. It made generous efforts to mend the broken economies of its adversaries. Germany was not subjected to the  stringent economic reparations which impoverished it after World War One but imposed by the European powers. Perhaps, a World War Three was averted because of this American generosity.

Let us forget about the left-right debate and who was to blame and who was victorious but commemorate those who fell with a sense of dignity, humility and resolve. Let us resolve that such a dreadful war should never be repeated.