I saw that the BBC website has an interesting piece of informed speculation on what might have happened in the summer of 1914 had events turned out differently. It can be seen at How close did the world come to peace in 1914?
This is not a full blown exercise in "Counter-factualism", but rather something which does show how disaster came about through chance - or mischance - and accident - or misadventure. I was struck by the point about the men of the Austro-Hungarian army going off that summer on home leave to help get in the harvest. It is a reminder of how armies and societies conducted themselves in such practical matters until very recently indeed.
This is not a full blown exercise in "Counter-factualism", but rather something which does show how disaster came about through chance - or mischance - and accident - or misadventure. I was struck by the point about the men of the Austro-Hungarian army going off that summer on home leave to help get in the harvest. It is a reminder of how armies and societies conducted themselves in such practical matters until very recently indeed.
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