T
The Byre
- Original Poster
- #1
In 1961, John F Kennedy said "Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind." and Einstein told us "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
"Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it." wrote Spanish American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist, George Santayana. "Only the dead have seen an end of war."
Chancellor Otto von Bismark (famous for the unification of the German states into one country and for the creation of the World's first welfare state) fought for many decades against German involvement in the Austria-Hungarian Empire's meddling in the Balkan states.
"I am opposed to the notion of any sort of active participation of Germany in these matters, so long as I can see no reason to suppose that German interests are involved, no interests on behalf of which it is worth our risking the health and well-being of just one of our riflemen."
The young and impetuous Kaiser wanted German greatness and he and his generals were yearning to create a larger and more powerful army and expand the German empire. Bismark opposed him in this at every turn. For several decades Bismark was able to prevent war in Europe through a series of treaties and alliances with Italy, Russia, France, Austria and Britain.
On being deposed as Chancellor in 1890 by the young emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II, Bismark warned him, "The Battle of Jena came twenty years after the death of Frederick the Great and a great conflict will come twenty years after my departure if things continue as they are."
A year before his death in 1898, Bismark predicted "One day, the greatest of European Wars will come out of some pointless idiocy in the Balkans."
"The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our life”. said Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey in 1914 and the greatest of European wars became 'The Great War' and it could be argued that WW2 was merely the continuation of that war. Some pointless idiocy in the Balkans lead to the death of 17 million and if we include the Second World War, conflict in Europe cost over 100 million lives.
History teaches us that one simple act, such as the assassination of one lone archduke does not cause a war, but may only trigger that war. Other tensions must be created first, sources of conflict must bring about hatred between nations and possible enemies must be vilified in the eyes of the people.
The building blocks for war must be built.
We must also loosen ties between nations. Alliances must be torn apart and new alliances created in preparation for war. We must also create a global feeling of fear and danger. The enemy must be seen to be all around us. Images of the unfeeling British tank and the cruel German jack-boot, the murderous American bomber and the evil Russian bear must strike fear into hearth and home.
Old alliances must be replaced with new feelings of national pride and countries must spend vast sums on building up their military.
At the same time, if our war is to be a particularly effective war, we must vilify an entire people - Jews, blacks, Japanese, Chinese, Catholics, Protestants, Muslims - there must be something intrinsically 'wrong' with an entire people, if we are to dehumanise them and make the killing of those people socially acceptable.
But there is one more ingredient to the recipe for a major war - strong, charismatic leaders. Hitler in particular made a close study of how to inspire and arouse the masses. Great torch-lit rallies were organised and mass gatherings became mass hysteria, as 'an enemy within' was found and like rats, had to be exterminated.
Jews, communists, homosexuals, gypsies, even the disabled and the mentally ill - all these people were enemies of the state and must be eradicated completely. Strong leaders call for the taking of difficult decisions in the face of a terrible enemy - but to do that, those strong leaders need to be even stronger than before.
Nationalists such as Viktor Orban of Hungary and Vladimir Putin of Russia and now Erdogan in Turkey are all election winners. But democracy brings constraints and constraints are obstacles to strong government and the ruling party has a right to subvert institutions, such as the judiciary, parliament and the press.
As a frontier state, Turkey must cope with the violence spewing out of war-ravaged Syria; it is a test case of whether democracy can be reconciled with political Islam and it must navigate between Western liberalism and the authoritarian nationalism epitomised by Russia. Yesterday, under Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey took a step backwards. In a referendum to give Erdogan dictatorial powers, he won by 51%.
Independent observers say that the vote was rigged. "It is the will of the people." said Erdogan.
In the past, he tamed inflation and ushered in economic growth. Encouraged by the EU, he tackled the cabal of military officers and bureaucrats in the 'deep state', strengthened civil liberties and talked peace with the Kurds. He also spoke up for working-class religious conservatives, who had been locked out of power for decades. But today Turkey is beset by problems. In the shadow of the Syrian civil war, jihadists and Kurdish militants are waging campaigns against the state.
Last summer the army attempted a coup, probably organised by supporters of an American-based cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who had penetrated the bureaucracy, judiciary and army in their tens of thousands. The economy, once a strength, is slowing, plagued by corruption, poor management and a collapse in tourism. Since the failed coup, he has been governing under a state of emergency that demonstrates how cruelly power can be abused.
Roughly 50,000 people have been arrested; 100,000 more have been sacked. Only a fraction of them were involved in the coup. Anyone Mr Erdogan sees as a threat is vulnerable: ordinary people who went to a Gulenist school or saved with a Gulenist bank; academics, journalists and politicians who betray any sympathy for the Kurdish cause; anybody, even children who mock the president on social media, end up in prison.
Everywhere we look, nationalism is on the rise and like Hitler before them, use democracy itself to subvert democracy. Popularist newspapers prepare the ground for despotic measures and the suspension of the rule of law, by calling judges 'Enemies of the People!'
In Europe, the various neo-Nazi nationalist movements have one common cause - to dismantle the European Union. Most of the building blocks to war are in place. We are well on our way and what follows will be darker and more terrible than anything we have ever seen.
"Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it." wrote Spanish American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist, George Santayana. "Only the dead have seen an end of war."
Chancellor Otto von Bismark (famous for the unification of the German states into one country and for the creation of the World's first welfare state) fought for many decades against German involvement in the Austria-Hungarian Empire's meddling in the Balkan states.
"I am opposed to the notion of any sort of active participation of Germany in these matters, so long as I can see no reason to suppose that German interests are involved, no interests on behalf of which it is worth our risking the health and well-being of just one of our riflemen."
The young and impetuous Kaiser wanted German greatness and he and his generals were yearning to create a larger and more powerful army and expand the German empire. Bismark opposed him in this at every turn. For several decades Bismark was able to prevent war in Europe through a series of treaties and alliances with Italy, Russia, France, Austria and Britain.
On being deposed as Chancellor in 1890 by the young emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II, Bismark warned him, "The Battle of Jena came twenty years after the death of Frederick the Great and a great conflict will come twenty years after my departure if things continue as they are."
A year before his death in 1898, Bismark predicted "One day, the greatest of European Wars will come out of some pointless idiocy in the Balkans."
"The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our life”. said Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey in 1914 and the greatest of European wars became 'The Great War' and it could be argued that WW2 was merely the continuation of that war. Some pointless idiocy in the Balkans lead to the death of 17 million and if we include the Second World War, conflict in Europe cost over 100 million lives.
History teaches us that one simple act, such as the assassination of one lone archduke does not cause a war, but may only trigger that war. Other tensions must be created first, sources of conflict must bring about hatred between nations and possible enemies must be vilified in the eyes of the people.
The building blocks for war must be built.
We must also loosen ties between nations. Alliances must be torn apart and new alliances created in preparation for war. We must also create a global feeling of fear and danger. The enemy must be seen to be all around us. Images of the unfeeling British tank and the cruel German jack-boot, the murderous American bomber and the evil Russian bear must strike fear into hearth and home.
Old alliances must be replaced with new feelings of national pride and countries must spend vast sums on building up their military.
At the same time, if our war is to be a particularly effective war, we must vilify an entire people - Jews, blacks, Japanese, Chinese, Catholics, Protestants, Muslims - there must be something intrinsically 'wrong' with an entire people, if we are to dehumanise them and make the killing of those people socially acceptable.
But there is one more ingredient to the recipe for a major war - strong, charismatic leaders. Hitler in particular made a close study of how to inspire and arouse the masses. Great torch-lit rallies were organised and mass gatherings became mass hysteria, as 'an enemy within' was found and like rats, had to be exterminated.
Jews, communists, homosexuals, gypsies, even the disabled and the mentally ill - all these people were enemies of the state and must be eradicated completely. Strong leaders call for the taking of difficult decisions in the face of a terrible enemy - but to do that, those strong leaders need to be even stronger than before.
Nationalists such as Viktor Orban of Hungary and Vladimir Putin of Russia and now Erdogan in Turkey are all election winners. But democracy brings constraints and constraints are obstacles to strong government and the ruling party has a right to subvert institutions, such as the judiciary, parliament and the press.
As a frontier state, Turkey must cope with the violence spewing out of war-ravaged Syria; it is a test case of whether democracy can be reconciled with political Islam and it must navigate between Western liberalism and the authoritarian nationalism epitomised by Russia. Yesterday, under Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey took a step backwards. In a referendum to give Erdogan dictatorial powers, he won by 51%.
Independent observers say that the vote was rigged. "It is the will of the people." said Erdogan.
In the past, he tamed inflation and ushered in economic growth. Encouraged by the EU, he tackled the cabal of military officers and bureaucrats in the 'deep state', strengthened civil liberties and talked peace with the Kurds. He also spoke up for working-class religious conservatives, who had been locked out of power for decades. But today Turkey is beset by problems. In the shadow of the Syrian civil war, jihadists and Kurdish militants are waging campaigns against the state.
Last summer the army attempted a coup, probably organised by supporters of an American-based cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who had penetrated the bureaucracy, judiciary and army in their tens of thousands. The economy, once a strength, is slowing, plagued by corruption, poor management and a collapse in tourism. Since the failed coup, he has been governing under a state of emergency that demonstrates how cruelly power can be abused.
Roughly 50,000 people have been arrested; 100,000 more have been sacked. Only a fraction of them were involved in the coup. Anyone Mr Erdogan sees as a threat is vulnerable: ordinary people who went to a Gulenist school or saved with a Gulenist bank; academics, journalists and politicians who betray any sympathy for the Kurdish cause; anybody, even children who mock the president on social media, end up in prison.
Everywhere we look, nationalism is on the rise and like Hitler before them, use democracy itself to subvert democracy. Popularist newspapers prepare the ground for despotic measures and the suspension of the rule of law, by calling judges 'Enemies of the People!'
In Europe, the various neo-Nazi nationalist movements have one common cause - to dismantle the European Union. Most of the building blocks to war are in place. We are well on our way and what follows will be darker and more terrible than anything we have ever seen.
It was actually from the Spanish civil war but I cant find where but it highlighted that many fighters did not really understand what they were fighting for
