Quote: (07-12-2014 05:36 PM)Truth Teller Wrote:
I misconstrued your words. They were technically provoked by the fact that Russian mobilization occurred a day before German mobilization, though the historiographic account varies on this.
Russian mobilization started because of Austria
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Austria-Hungary was on its way to being dissolved either way, war or not. The repressed national groups (Serbs, Germans, etc.) were, sooner or later, going to create a situation in which the Empire could no longer exist.
??? Germans ruled that state. They were not oppressed, they were oppressors. Second largest national group, Hungarians not only got what they wanted with reformation of Austrian empire into Austria-Hungary, with clear division of territories, but were active proponents of war. Indeed, Kingdom of Serbia was invaded under command of Potiorek, who was Hungarian, and into Austrian service were also Czechs, Polaks, and Croatians, who perpetrated some of the war crimes in Serbia. In the aftermath of assassination, Muslims and Croats stared looting Serbian stores and homes in Sarajevo. So, technically, there was opposition to Austria-Hungary, but not a violent one, and not even politically significant one. Actually, if Serbia, Italy and Romania were not so thirsty for territories, Allies even considered letting Austria-Hungary survive.
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Enforcement of Versailles fell upon the League of Nations. The League of Nations lacked the United States. Once again, whether or not the US would've made a difference is up for debate, but I believe that it would have. Also, keep in mind that the Western governments truly believed that Hitler would stop with the Sudetenland. Appeasement was thought to be an effective strategy. The Western powers wanted to avoid war at any cost, and they believed that appeasing Hitler would do it.
Well, that's exactly what I'm talking about, they "believed". You don't put lives of millions and vast fortune and cultural heritage to be wiped out on the pretext of "they believed". You enforce what must be enforced.
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Also, it's much easier said than done to enforce Versailles. With the Treaty of Rapallo, in 1922, the Germans were already beginning to flout the terms of Versailles.
Yes, and in 1922, Germany should have been invaded to prevent rearmament.
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Hold on, that's simply not true. Clemenceau himself said that the purpose of Versailles was to punish Germany.
Among other things. What were they supposed to do, reward them ?
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France quickly capitulating had nothing to do with Versailles either. The French were so overwhelmed by the Luftwaffe that, despite their superiority in armor, they had absolutely no chance.
Prior to German invasion, France was on par with Germany, even considered superior. I'm not talking about what happened during fall of Paris, I'm talking about how they started losing the war in the first place.