Vimy Ridge and other lessons

This Easter Canadians are being subjected to a barrage of media about The Battle of Vimy Ridge
as it is the 90th anniversary of that battle. Piece after piece extols the heroism and patriotism, (usually treating them as synonyms, which they are not) of those who fought and died. Over and over journalists reiterate how we must never forget what these men fought and died for.

Ok, I agree, except they never talk about what they fought and died for. I guess it is taken as a given that we all know, and further I guess we are to assume that "our boys" always fight for truth, beauty, freedom, etc.

So what were they fighting for?

The causes of World War I are complex are largely related to the economic, political, and military ambitions of the Great Powers of the day. In a nutshell the 'haves' wanted more, most specifically to be the indisputed great power of their age. In this context a great deal of sabre rattling and brinkmanship set the stage for something, anything, to set things off.

The immediate cause was the Austro-Hungarian reaction to the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand. Ferdinand was killed by an assassin and Astro-Hungary responded with an ultimatum demanding all sorts of actions unrelated to the assassination itself and grossly interfering with Serbian sovereignty. Serbia agreed to almost all of the demands except one, but that wasn't enough for Austro-Hungary and the war was on.

So what is the lesson of WW I that we must never forget? Let's see ... how about: Great powers should not unreasonably shove around tiny states making all sorts of unreasonable demands in reaction to terrorist attacks because it can lead to wide spread, pointless wars with great suffering for millions of people.

Yes, that's a good lesson. We should remember that because, unlikely though it may seem today, it could happen someday. Yes, I know it sounds improbable, but I believe it really could happen that a great power could react to a terrorist attack with gross arrogance leading to an invasion, and then a long and pointless war.

"What experience and history teach is this-that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it." Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel