"It is good for the heart of the earth to be warmed with the red wine of the battlefield. Such august homage was never before offered to God as this, the homage of millions of lives given gladly for love of country."

P. H. Pearse, founder of the Irish Revolutionary Movement

                       Richard A. Koenigsberg

Although it may be obvious that the nations of the First World War were the cause of the slaughter of their own soldiers, most historians don't acknowledge this. Just as killing soldiers is the essence of warfare, so the practice of denial is the essence of the craft of First World I historians. The desire for obfuscations: to hide the truth.

Significant political figures of the time often were edified by the spectacle of mass slaughter, viewing it as a wonderful manifestation of patriotism. Here are the words P. H. Pearse (Martin, in Kamenka, 1973), founder of the Irish revolutionary movement, upon observing the daily carnage in France:

The last sixteen months have been the most glorious in the history of Europe. Heroism has come back to the earth. It is good for the world that such things should be done. The old heart of the earth needed to be warmed with the red wine of the battlefield. Such august homage was never before offered to God as this, the homage of millions of lives given gladly for love of country.