Quote:
Originally Posted by Hamlet53
It is a shame that The Sleepwalkers looks like it will not be selected. I can see that it could provoke a spirited discussion, and about events now far enough back in history that movement to the P&R forum would not be necessary.
I've not read the book, but if the conclusion is that the assassination of of Archduke Franz Ferdinand caused that war I would certainly question it. What I have always read suggests that there were a great number of contributing factors, some going as far back as Congress of Vienna in 1815. What I have always read in the past is the assassination was the the prick in the highly pressurized vessel that led it to explode.
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From what I understand there were indeed a number of reasons why WWI broke out. One even more interesting fact is one of the reasons why it ended when it did. Our old friend the Flu made its initial appearance in the human population at that time and it was a lot more dangerous than it is now days. The laws against spitting on the sidewalk came about at that time as they were trying to control its spread. Basically there were too many people sick with the flu to keep the fighting going. Or so I understand.