Nirvana

Galipoli dead remembered today for their heroism, bravery and sacrifice in World War One. The tragic loss of lives sparked a sense of unity and identity and was one of the key factors that led to the birth of Australia and New Zealand as individual nations.The four year war (1914-1918) resulted in the loss of two million French, two million German and one million English lives and many more. John Keegan’s definitive account of World War One has been interesting to read. He constructs the events in detail - elaborating on each nation’s position prior to the war, turn of each event as it unfolded, how it could have been avoided and it’s consequences.

I have read Barbara Tuschman’s ‘Guns of August’ that covers the events that led to the war and how each nation fared in the month of August. The book although enlightening left me unsatisfied as I was looking for a more broader account of the war. John Keegan’s narrative fits in pretty well.

According to Keegan, the war was an unnecessary conflict and paved the way for the more destructive Second World War. The war could have been avoided if the European nations had been more prudent and had goodwill prevailed during the crisis.

The assassination of Austrian heir, Franz Ferdinand, in Bosnia in June 1914 by a Serb was perceived as a slight to the Austria-Hungary empire - the Serb Slavs were abhorred by the Austrians and posed a threat to their power. Keegan contends that had Austria acted alone and swiftly waged war with Serbia, the crisis could have been averted. But Austria in awe of the imposing ‘Slav brother’ Russia and indecisive, approached Germany leading to mobilisation of the Russian and German forces.

France bound by the treaty with Russia mobilized on the western front, the Triple Alliance between Italy, Austria and Germany came into effect and Italy declared itself neutral. The violation of neutrality of Belgium by Germany in line with the famous ‘Schlieffen’ Plan dragged England into the war. The die was cast and the rest is history.

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