By Christopher Roach
The Federalist
Gassed - John Singer Sargent (1919)
While Korea and Vietnam have each been called the Forgotten War, World War I, known then as the Great War, has even less of a place in our national consciousness today.
The 100th anniversary of the armistice that brought an end to the fighting in World War I yielded little in the way of national soul-searching or self-education.
Perhaps this is because the First World War has been eclipsed in our national consciousness by the Second and the atrocities associated with it, including the Holocaust.
At the same time, the “lessons” of World War I often cast doubt upon the interventionist lessons we are supposed to derive from the experience of World War II and the American Century that followed. Ultimately, World War I is a powerful testimony against the evils of war and the folly of misplaced idealism.
The Federalist
While Korea and Vietnam have each been called the Forgotten War, World War I, known then as the Great War, has even less of a place in our national consciousness today.
The 100th anniversary of the armistice that brought an end to the fighting in World War I yielded little in the way of national soul-searching or self-education.
Perhaps this is because the First World War has been eclipsed in our national consciousness by the Second and the atrocities associated with it, including the Holocaust.
At the same time, the “lessons” of World War I often cast doubt upon the interventionist lessons we are supposed to derive from the experience of World War II and the American Century that followed. Ultimately, World War I is a powerful testimony against the evils of war and the folly of misplaced idealism.
Read more at The Federalist.
