Professor Michael Vlahos is one of the world's authorities on warfare.  He has been a subscriber to the Library of Social Science Newsletter since October 24, 2014. Copies of the LSS Newsletter  have appeared in his Inbox 5767 times. He's opened (and presumably read) 1442 of them.

He's also made substantial contributions to the LSS Newsletter with his own essays and articles.

What appears below is my theory accounting for the First World War--explaining why what occurred--occurred. The meaning of what occurred. Is my theory correct? Have I captured the truth?

WHAT SAY YOU MICHAEL VLAHOS?
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The First World War was fought--not in the name of or for the purpose of conquest--but in order to prove the power and existence of nations by dying for them.

Each nation sent young men to die in order to prove the reality of its sacred ideal. The First World War performed a "truth" function.

The mechanism was the same for each nation. Dying for the sacred ideal. Dying to prove devotion to one's nation.

And then memorials were erected in the name of those who had died—testifying then--and to the present day--to the reality of the entity for which dying had occurred. 

Memorialization performed and performs a validation function.