From: dgrev (dgrev@iinet.net.au)
Date: Mon Feb 06 2006 - 18:58:15 PST
Marty
> Something tells me WWI would have been kindled whether Ferdinand had
> been assassinated or not.
I was under the impression that the general consensus was that war
had been brewing for years. The trouble was that nobody wanted to
appear to be the aggresor. The assasination of the Arch Duke was
the excuse needed for the whole thing to break loose.
All comes down to political outlook. There are countless occurences
in history of "incidents" where diplomacy "won the day". Or is it
more a case of the reality that nobody really felt like a war at
that time, so everybody did some sabre rattling, saved face and
backed off.
Just think back to a few famous airliner and military aircraft
downings that could have easily sparked something nasty.
Or incidents where military ships have been seized, or returned
home looking like more like sieves. Some of these started a war,
some didn't.
The difference being the political desire at the time.
Regards
Doug
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