Relatively close to 100 years...

[Soames]

It's easy to forget in our media rich world that at the time these wars took place, information was very much controlled by the governments of the country.

The people were, to be blunt, ignorant of the truth and they not only relied on the ruling bodies to tell them what was happening but how they should behave. If there was need of people for war then it was "the duty of all good (insert nationality of choice) to join up and teach the dirty (insert nationality of choice) a bloody good lesson."

It's only in these later years that people are beginning to not only understand other nations and cultures, but to appreciate them. I'd like to think that those few men in power are running out of excuses to get the people to do their bidding, but I think we've a way to go yet.

It's interesting to note that in these modern times, we can talk about how current governments and authorities conspire to hide truths and tell lies, but at the time of these conflicts we wouldn't even have considered such activities were taking place. In fact, anyone voicing any such concerns could be punished for treason or sedition.

[spitfire boy]

It was around the inter-war period that people started to stand up for their social rights.... the root princple of today's society. Perhaps the one thing we have to thank WW1 for - the sense of injustice that it generated that sparked such a social reform. It was always going to take a big event to make it happen.

[J.]

its when religion really started to take a back seat in society and people started to see that maybe their leader was not appointed by god thanks to free speakers beeing able to rise up in neutral nations in Europe, in Elizabethan times (1550-1650 roughly i think, been a while since i delved in hisotry) many people in Europe where speaking against monarchs and the pope! many may have lost their lives.

It is by no means a modern thing for people to stand up against governing  bodies, just back then idea's where alot harder to spread, now a days we have TV, Radio, newspapers and the internet all used to voice an opinion.

Technology allowed anarchy and as a results tradition folds and modern day society comes into play.  Only differance now though is that all these do gooders preaching "Human Rights" for murders, rapists and the like have made it impossible for anyone to be punished for anything! because any so called "atrocities" can be broadcast to the entire globe in a matter of minutes!

with the evolution of communication, Ideas are able to spread easier, and more freely, becomes harder for authorities to stamp down on it, unlike 300 years ago when it would take a government agent to sit in on a radical meeting to uncover it and get names, then dead. Today it would take one government agent to hear it, a 10 year court trial for the warrant to search and take hold of evidence, by which time they have got bored of their radical ideas and gone to making software!

[H]

its when religion...

Aside from not belonging here, that 1st paragraph is inside out and topsy-turvy -- see your PM.
In reflection to our rhetoric here, it is quite strange that, numerically, there are more concurrent wars worldwide now; at least one of these could actually be considered a world war, as unrecognized as such as it may be.

8-)

[J.]

its when religion...

Aside from not belonging here, that 1st paragraph is inside out and topsy-turvy

8-)

Well, I'm not bashing any religions, just bringing it into a discussion, i don't see any reason why anyone can get offended unless I really started bashing it with no fact.

My first paragraph was meant to simply be an example of a time when other political and religious idea's where being spread but due to communication to a large audience being hard it could be a bit of a mission, and once people start thing "maybe the queen is not of heavenly descent" then that's where other ideology comes into play, but due to the laws of the time spreading anything against monarchs, or popes would usually mean someone :

A. Took a big sharp thing and took a go at your neck with it
B. Turned  you into a human BBQ
C. You sat on a spike in the tower of london

[H]

[quote]My first paragraph was meant to simply be an example of a time when other political and religious idea's where being spread but due to communication to a large audience being hard it could be a bit of a mission, and once people start thing "maybe the queen is not of heavenly descent" then that's where other ideology comes into play, but due to the laws of the time spreading anything against monarchs [could] mean someone :
A. Takes a big sharp (or little pointed) thing and takes a go at your neck (or any other part of one's anatomy) with it.
B. Turns

[J.]

Point being that these things still happen, perhaps no less often, even without a religion connection.[/color]

8-)

keeping it in context not realy, i can't remember in my life-time anyone having their head chopped for saying "F**K the QUEEN!"

[Hagar]

its when religion...

Aside from not belonging here, that 1st paragraph is inside out and topsy-turvy

8-)

Well, I'm not bashing any religions, just bringing it into a discussion, i don't see any reason why anyone can get offended unless I really started bashing it with no fact.

My first paragraph was meant to simply be an example of a time when other political and religious idea's where being spread but due to communication to a large audience being hard it could be a bit of a mission, and once people start thing "maybe the queen is not of heavenly descent" then that's where other ideology comes into play, but due to the laws of the time spreading anything against monarchs, or popes would usually mean someone :

A. Took a big sharp thing and took a go at your neck with it
B. Turned  you into a human BBQ
C. You sat on a spike in the tower of london

Not sure what all this has to do with WWI. We're talking about 100 years ago, not 500.

[FerrariF40lm]

my great granpa faught in WWI and got mustard gased and survived then after the war he worked in coal mine and died of black lung. then my granpa fought in WWII and killed Nazi SS and liberated a concentration camp. I have Nazi armbands and SS armbands, propraganda cards,bayonets etc. that my grampa got off the Nazi's after he owned them. I also have pictures of the concentration camp that my grampa took and it shows dead stacked jews that pileup about 4ft high and  there are dead bodys in trenches and the trench looks abut 60 meters long and 6ft wide.

[H]

President Wilson petitioned a declaration of war yesterday, April 2, 1917; U.S. congressional response is expected by the 6th.

:-/


8-)

[H]

Joint Resolution Passed by the United States Senate and House of Representatives
Effective April 6, 1917, at 1:18 p.m.

WHEREAS, The Imperial German Government has committed repeated acts of war against the Government and the people of the United States of America; therefore, be it
Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the state of war between the United States and the Imperial German Government, which has thus been thrust upon the United States, is hereby formally declared; and
That the President be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial German Government; and to bring the conflict to a successful termination all the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States.


  CHAMP CLARK
  Speaker of the House of Representatives
  THOS. R. MARSHALL
  Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate

  Approved, April 6, 1917
  WOODROW WILSON

[H]

Just an update: The Doughboy

8-)