Quote:
Originally Posted by SCAJolly
What I perhaps did not emphasize, or remember to point out, was that wars aren't fought unless there is a proper catalyst. Before the first world war, there had to be an assassination (remember how quiet and peaceful international politics looked the months ahead). Before the second world war, Hitler had to rise to power.
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Not true. Before the first world war there were many years of sped up armaments purchases and developments, there was a fast high speed cold war in progress in Europe. Huge (for then) espionage activities and interception of mail from one embassy to the other (the first time officialy for the UK, among others) The assasination was not mainly a catalyst, it was an excuse and the war would have taken place sooner or later anyway. Lots of arms, bad history, bad tempers, lots of mistrust = war.
Hitler wasn't the "catalyst". The peace treaty of the first world war was the ingredient that prepared the second world war.