Far East Cynic

Countdown to Catastrophe

2014 will mark 100 years since the start of World War I. I recently finished a book entitled 1913: The Eve of War by Paul Ham.

The book recounts the year before the beginning of the World War and how the powers were anticipating even then the idea of going to war with each other-but also had no idea of how horrendous the war would be when it came. I am also about to start two other books on the year trying to get a sense of what it was like in Europe, particularly Germany before all hell broke loose.

So I thought, with this being the year that it is, I would start a new feature here at Far East Cynic HQ, short daily ( or as close to that schedule as I can keep) lists of events that occurred in 1914 highlighting events in Europe and the UK as they stumbled down the road to a great catastrophe that destroyed 50 years of relative peace. And made the current world dawn, of too many nations with not enough structure.

We’ll see how it goes. I hope you like it.