Quote Originally Posted by CBR View Post
One cannot look at the map of Europe and then say "OK nation X is there and nation Y is that strong so that means war"

A series of decisions coupled with random events led to the war and not some type of Tolstoy determinism.


CBR
Agreed. But there were enough factors in play to say that the war was highly probable, if not downright inevitable.

I can't speak to "Tolstoy determinism" - at least not until you explain it to me - but it's clear to see that people were acting like... people, and the outcome of the fear and mistrust and miscreancy was obvious. There was going to be war one way or another. The proof is that there was a war. I don't think the war was so much a mistake as it was simply stupid.

What was it Einstein said about human stupidity?