Was WWI really a pointless war?
Pretty much. But at least some shitty empires collapsed.
No.
How can a war be pointless?
No.
Shit was going to blow up anyway
>>1224142
>How can a war be pointless?
Is this a real question?
>>1224162
Yes. How can a massive endeavour backed by political and military will and very often social and public will as well be pointless?
>>1224139
If Russia hadn't become the Soviet Union we would be be better off. If Germany never fell (and gave rise to hitler) we'd be better off. If the Balkans were united under austria, we'd be better off. If the Ottomans were still around to stabilize the middle east, we'd be better off. There weren't any shitty empires that collapsed, only great ones.
>>1224139
Which empires that fell do you consider shitty?
>>1224187
>Implying those Empires would have survived progress
>Implying Austra wasn't set to fuck itself with its backwater leaders
>Implying the Ottomans had any real control over middle east in the 20th
>>1224121
Depends on the country. The Serbs retained their independence. USA made a fuck ton of money and moved towards a more interventionalist foreign policy. Spain and many other minor supporters of the allies made cash too. It pretty much wrecked all of the major participants for little gain.
>>1224194
All of them. Germany was the best of the worst. KuK was the absolute worst, by virtue of not doing a single thing right, least of all starting the war.
>>1224121
No.
Anything that causes empires to collapse is a good thing.
>>1224210
Why do you hate Austro-Hungary?
It just needed reform, make Austro-Slavo-Hungary or w/e... The collapse was forced.
>>1224197
Only the Ottomans could be said to "Collapse." and only the European parts that was.
As for the rest: supposition and positivism and the implication that nation-states are "natural." When Austria-Hungary collapsed, the fucking Balkanites and the new nation-states had a grand old time trying identify who the fuck they are.
Some progress that fucking was.
Oh and let's not forget: the Russian Empire collapsed alright...only to be replaced by another non-nation state called the Soviet Union.
>>1224197
Ironically enough, Franz Ferdinand was a liberal reformer who sympathised with nationalists in Austria-Hungary. It's entirely possible that he would be able to reform the Empire to prevent it from chaotically collapsing. Of course, he was assassinated by the very nationalists he sympathised with, so instead of a peaceful solution we got one of the bloodiest wars in human history.
>>1224170
How about Vietnam?
>inb4 oh noes deh gommunisms :DDD
>>1224287
The outcome of the war decided the fate of a country, how pointless is that?
>>1224321
You mean the communism they already had fighting off the French? The war didn't change anything
>>1224170
> a massive endeavour backed by political and military will and very often social and public will
How are any of those things relevant to whether it was pointless?
>>1224121
It was a war amongst Europeans
So to answer your question OP, Yes. It was a pointless war.
>>1224344
Because all that will and effort had a point.
>>1224337
And yet, had the US won, things would have been the different.
So wait let me get this straight, "pointless war" = "war in which one side won and the other lost". Aight!
>>1224359
>It had a point because it had a point.
wew lad
>>1224363
The point was to knock out France and cut down Russia.
The point was to establish Austrian dominance in the Balkans.
The point was to turn away the German invaders.
The point was to guarantee Belgian independence and prevent a continental hegemon.
Etc.
>>1224361
>So wait let me get this straight, "pointless war" = "war in which one side won and the other lost".
please show me where I implied that. nothing of note was achieved in that war, and desu the US had no reason to fight the vietnamese. therefore, pointess war, aight?
>>1224321
Because the fate of the country would have been the same without the war, it fell the commies either way. Thus it was pointless.
>>1224383
>nothing of note was achieved in that war
How about defeating the US and South Viet forces? How about that.
>>1224471
Oh cool they pushed back aggressors, that makes so much of a difference! Now it's no longer a pointless war!
>>1224121
>le terrible great war meme
>people taking little nappies because all the fighting made them puckered out
>>1224337
>You mean the communism they already had fighting off the French? The war didn't change anything?
Vietnam resembled NK/SK divide until North Vietnam did something about it, dicktard.
#Rekt a generation
>>1224210
>Germany was the best of the worst
How the fuck was it shit? Life was getting better and better, scientific and technological discoveries were made there, etc.
Are you a Pole, a Brit or a Frenchman?
>>1224550
And once again the US felt they needed to be the big hero and 'fix' the country, except both north and south Vietnam are still shitholes, meaning Vietnam was a pointless war, dicktard
>>1224480
>Pushing back aggressors whose victory would fundamentally change the path of your country is pointless.
ebin :DD
>>1224707
They'd have been communist either way you fucking mong
>>1224121
It was a way for Edward VII to show how much of a egotistical fuck he was.
>>1224187
>we would be be better off
No, "we" would be better off if none of these shitty empires existed in the first place.
>>1224187
If Germany fell completely, like the French wanted to happen, then someone like Hitler would have a tough time rising to become a significant threat
