 |
| "The Deserter," World War I anti-war editorial cartoon. Note the helmets of each nation in war |
First off, Happy Hitler’s Birthday,
Everybody! Two years ago
In June I began watching
A series on YouTube,
A history of the first
World war apropos of it
Being the centenary of the
Assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand by the
Teenage Serbian nationalist
Radical Gavrilo Princip.
Still available as the documentary
The Great War (BBC 1964)*
The series uses period film,
Unfortunately repetitively,
To present the history in
A sufficiently understandable
Fashion which I found hard
To turn away from despite
The often graphic depiction
Of events. I recently though
Came across another worthwhile
Documentary of the same period
Also on YouTube titled, The
First World War, a ten-part series,**
I found equally informative, using
Much of the same film but less
Repetitively in that it intersperses
Film of the same countryside in
Modern color and peacefulness
To contrast with the violence and
Devastation of wartime. Likewise
It tells of numerous atrocities on
Each side of the conflict rather
Than concentrating on that of
The Germans alone. Of course
We, benefitting by hindsight, are
Moved to consider whether the
Conflict was at all necessary, a
Topic which is still popular
Among scholars today. There
Were so many opportunities to
Keep the nations in check of
Which I will cite only two—
The initial reaction to the murders
And the rise of worker solidarity
And the rise of worker solidarity
In the many socialist efforts
Of the period. Had the shooting
Of Franz Ferdinand and his wife
Sophie been handled as a crime
By an individual rather than as
A government-sponsored plot.
It might have been possible to
Prevent a widening of difficulties
Right then and there. But there
Were so many ready for conflict,
So fervent about their nationhood,
Being “disrespected” (to use a more
Modern term) that the killings
Sparked the conflagration. Had
The workers’ movements been
More effective the war could
Have been squelched in its
Infancy. They argued quite
Rightly, I feel, that this should
Not become a war of the nations
As it was not the people who
Bore great enmity but the ruling
Classes. What would be the
Sense of workers in Germany
Killing workers in France or
Russia in a fight that wasn’t
Theirs? Time and again, when
The soldiers had an opportunity
To set the war aside, the Christmas
Truce of 1914, the “Live and let
Live” attitude that quieted both
Sides of the trenches, the soldiers
Spontaneously refrained from
Battle. Everything could have
Ground the murderous war to
A halt. Everyone, soldiers and
Civilians had tired of the fight—
Many from the very beginning.
Civilians had tired of the fight—
Many from the very beginning.
c. J.S.Manista, 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment