No one foresaw the duration or the magnitude of the conflict.
Armageddon was a vision of poets and prophets. The 20th century,
inspired by enthusiasts and instructed by economists, believed that
the world had grown soft and “practical.” We were told that war lords
were legendary figures of an evil past. It was a common belief that
no nation could command the resources for a long struggle. It was
said that finance and commerce, interlocked and internationalized,
would compel a speedy cessation of hostilities by exhaustion of the
combatants. We were assured that the industrial armies of the workshops
could not be mobilized for mutual destruction. To the few who were
wiser we would not listen. Possibly much of their wisdom was rooted
in apprehension and suspicion. There never was so much of mercy and
charity and goodwill and brotherhood among men as during the first
years of the century. We had the Hague tribunal and treaties of
arbitration. We had international law and worldwide organizations for
the common protection and enrichment of mankind. It is not strange,
therefore, if men believed that there was a happy prospect of enduring
peace or if there was general impatience with those who spoke of war
and preparation for war.