11 November 1918: The Armistice on the Western Front on this day.

[Anglophile]

It always amuses me to hear 'patriot' clowns ( who regard Irish neutrality in WW2, and since, as some sort of sacrament )
sneer and jeer at Britain declaring war after neutral Belgium was invaded.

Belgium was neutral after the Treaty of London in 1839, and countries like Britain were treaty-bound to defend her.

And I do wish that our poppy-hating citizens would go to France and Belgium, and spew their hate
at Britain remembering her war dead in those two countries.

Let's see how they get on with the French and Belgians, eh???

 

[Catalpa]

The British did try to honour the commitment. They invaded Gallipoli and took many tens of thousands of deaths and casualties.

They didn't land at Gallipoli to hand Russia the city of Constantinople

- but to knock Turkey out of the War.

 

[parentheses]

They didn't land at Gallipoli to hand Russia the city of Constantinople

- but to knock Turkey out of the War.

The Constantinople Agreement obligated the British to give Constantinople to Russia if the Gallipoli operation succeeded.

Constantinople Agreement - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Catalpa]

The Constantinople Agreement obligated the British to give Constantinople to Russia if the Gallipoli operation succeeded.

Constantinople Agreement - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thanks for the update!

TBH I don't think there would have been a snowballs chance in hell of Britain & France honouring that commitment if they had made it to the Bosporus unaided by Russia.

ADD On further study there does not seem to have been any formal Treaty between the Allies on the matter of Constantinople which the Russians at that stage could not approach by land without invading Rumania & Bulgaria who were still neutral at that stage of the War.

 

[parentheses]

Thanks for the update!

TBH I don't think there would have been a snowballs chance in hell of Britain & France honouring that commitment if they had made it to the Bosporus unaided by Russia.

ADD On further study there does not seem to have been any formal Treaty between the Allies on the matter of Constantinople which the Russians at that stage could not approach by land without invading Rumania & Bulgaria who were still neutral at that stage of the War.

They would have had to honour it if Gallipoli succeeded. Otherwise, the Entente alliance would have fallen apart.

 

[Catalpa]

They would have had to honour it if Gallipoli succeeded. Otherwise, the Entente alliance would have fallen apart.

Are you sure they agreed to a sole military occupation by Russia or they having an exclusive sphere of influence there?

Two different kettles of fish...

 

[parentheses]

Are you sure they agreed to a sole military occupation by Russia or they having an exclusive sphere of influence there?

Two different kettles of fish...

A full handover.

Constantinople Agreement - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[FF/FG/Lab/SF..stitchup]

It always amuses me to hear 'patriot' clowns ( who regard Irish neutrality in WW2, and since, as some sort of sacrament )
sneer and jeer at Britain declaring war after neutral Belgium was invaded.

Belgium was neutral after the Treaty of London in 1839, and countries like Britain were treaty-bound to defend her.

And I do wish that our poppy-hating citizens would go to France and Belgium, and spew their hate
at Britain remembering her war dead in those two countries.

Let's see how they get on with the French and Belgians, eh???

hey Nigel, you do know that WW1 was 'the war to end all wars' ? how are your boys getting on with that ?

 

[HouseCarl]

It doesn’t resonate in Ireland and never did or will.

The folly of Britain’s Imperial global outreach brought WW1 to Europe in a completely avoidable and entirely unnecessary war with Germany.

Exactly.

 

[HouseCarl]

Neither of these analysis are correct

- Britain was not the cause of the War, neither was Turkey.

Britain had a large degree of responsibility.

 

[HouseCarl]

By the morning of 4 August 1914 the following countries were already at War: Belgium; the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire; the French Empire; the Russian Empire; Serbia & IIRC tiny Montenegro.

By the time the British Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith rose to address the House of Commons that day it was already a World War.

They also had a Treaty with Belgium - The Treaty of London of 1839 - that in effect guaranteed it from attack by another Foreign Power.

There was no way the British were going to allow the German Army to roll over Belgium and France so as to dominate western Europe.

Why did they allow them to do it in 1870?

 

[Catalpa]

Why did they allow them to do it in 1870?

Interesting point!

But easily explainable

The Franco Prussian War was between the most powerful Army in Europe [France] and the upstart Prussia

France declared War on Prussia on spurious grounds to most other States

- nobody really expected the Prussians to win

Also from Britain's POV the Prussian Navy was tiny and no threat

+ Belgian Neutrality was not violated.

Pretty well the reverse by 1914!