Veterans Day Rememberance

This post was originally published last year in recognition of the centennial of the end of the Great War.  Dates have not been changed.

The eleventh day of November 2018 marks the centennial of the end of the Great War – known today as World War One, putting to lie its one-time designation as “The War to End All Wars.”

Though we now call the eleventh of November “Veterans' Day,” this was not always the case. The eleventh of November was at one time known in the United States as Armistice Day, and in other countries Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, all in commemoration of the end of the First World War.

The United States renamed it as Veterans Day in 1954, obscuring the earlier significance of the date and making certain lessons of that conflict less obvious to later generations.

In this article I hope to present some lessons to be learned from the First World War, lessons valuable to soldiers and civilians in both times of peace and times of war.

Intention and Result are Two Different Things

No state intended to become involved in the Great War. The consensus among military experts of the day was that was was so terrible that entire countries could be overthrown in days and the next conflict would be over before the newspapers could properly write about it.

The assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand was responded to by Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. A series of alliances led to a cascade of nations and empires entering the conflict. All the governments involved expected the war to end quickly (“Home by Christmas”), but that did not happen.

If the governments involved had been able to see the future how many would have jumped in? Each individual decision proceeded from the situation of that day, but led to dark places with no easy escape.

Lesson: Just because something makes sense doesn't mean it's a good idea. Do you have the ability to leave a project after beginning or will you be stuck with any unforeseen disasters that occur?

The Big Boys Always Win

The men in the trenches died in the trenches, many of them unidentified, some being plowed up in farmers' fields even today. The politicians, industrialists, and bankers did well by themselves.

In any situation where decision-makers can keep the benefits of a decision while offloading the costs on to others, it will eventually happen. War is especially good for this because the general public expects soldiers to die and does not look far behind the tombstones.

Lesson: Since the decision-makers win, be a decision maker. Don't permit other people or organizations to have involuntary power over you.

Politicians Prefer Appearances Over Substance

The date of the armistice was broadly known even a few days prior but soldiers of armies on both sides of the conflict were still ordered to make suicidal charges. The armistice was signed in a railway car near Paris at 5 AM for a conclusion at 11 AM.

The date and time was chosen for poetic reasons – “On the eleventh day of the eleventh month, at the eleventh hour, the guns fell silent.” Many thousands of men were made to kill each other until that time (https://owlcation.com/humanities/World-War-One-The-Last-Morning). The politicians and the military leaders who answered to them sent good men to die, for poetry.

Lesson: Everything you see has been massaged by experts for a purpose. Learn their tricks so you can see through them.

Economic Consequences

People can argue over the value of the gold standard all day long, but before the Great War the financial systems of Europe were managed fairly conservatively with an aversion towards debt. The expenses of war could not be funded only through taxation and currency manipulation saw wide-spread use beyond the end of the war.

Debts, reparations, and trade imbalances created destructive pressures for years afterwards, possibly contributing to the large economic bubble of the second half of the 1920s and the economic turmoil that followed.

Lesson: When you have money you have options. Becoming embroiled in events and obligations from which you cannot easily extract yourself will push you to make sacrifices of material and integrity you could not have seen from the beginning.

Historic Consequences

While technology continued to advance after the guns fell silent, the same cannot be said for social and legal concerns. The years leading up to the Great War were a highlight of classic liberalism. True, there were wars in Europe from time to time, but a man could reasonably expect his person and affairs to be left alone.

The Great War was a hard break from earlier philosophies that resulted in the destruction of societies and the expansion of governments continuing to this day. Modern state propaganda saw its birth in this era.

Venerable empires died during the war, including the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, while others expanded, such as the British into the Middle East.

The Armistice required Germany to accept unilateral blame for starting the war, which it in fact did not do.

The economic and social turmoil in the Weimar Republic of Germany fed vicious conflict between radicals on the left and the right and resulted in the events of World War 2, in which Germany fought against its old ally Communist Russia, which it had helped create during the First World War.

Nazi Germany forced occupied France to sign a peace treaty in the same railcar in which the Germans had signed the armistice. That railcar was later destroyed by the Germans when they were losing World War 2 in order to prevent the humiliation of surrendering inside it again.

Lessons: The complex and delicate social structures that take years to form on their own can be crushed in short order by states. Organized force arranges the world for its own ends. Pay attention to what is near and what is far-off, and make plans to compensate for both.

Consequences of your actions may be far-off and obscure. Short-term and vindictive thinking can have long-term blowback that can't be controlled.

Conclusion

War makes for inspiring propaganda but the reality is harsh for almost everyone but the decision makers.

Always recognize veterans for their willingness and courage, but remember – the Eleventh of November is a memorial to one of the worst events in human history.

Here are some resources you may find useful:

Waris a Racket: Written by a military veteran between the First and Second World War, he discusses the profits acquired by industrialists and contrasts them with the sacrifices of soldiers and their families.

TheBonus Army: Veterans of the First World War marched on Washington D.C. to demand what was theirs. They were shot, gassed, and generally abused. Some of the bad guys went on to be heroes in WWII, ensuring their bad behavior would never be remembered.

TheLords of Finance: Written from a Keynesian perspective I don't agree with, this book provides interesting insight into the events and market forces before, during, and after the First World War. Not light reading. Get it at a library if you want.

DangerousHistory Podcast Episodes 16-19: Explore the shadier side of the First World War. Unfortunately located behind a paywall, these episodes provide several hours of disappointing insights into the big men on the “good side” of the war.

HardcoreHistory Podcast Episodes 50-55-- Blueprint for Armageddon: In-depth study of the First World War leaning on writings of the participants themselves. They will cost money in a little while but are currently free. Don't listen to these when you are depressed.

Last of the Doughboys: Interviews with WWI vets who survived into their hundreds, fascinating insights, stories, and experiences.