Page:Diplomacy and the War (Andrassy 1921).djvu/82

 been forced and the possibility of war would have been prepared for more efficiently. I am therefore unable to see in "perfidious Albion" the breaker of the peace who was ready for and knew everything.

Frederick II., Cavour, and Bismarck could approximately gauge the consequences of their undertaking. The relation of the measurable Powers which fought against each other in the European War could, however, not be ascertained so easily. The suffering and the risk which are involved in war are of such fantastic dimensions that it is scarcely credible that anybody wanted to bring about the European War unless he was convinced that it was inevitable anyhow.

Accordingly, I would not care to level the accusation of having brought about the war intentionally against anybody. My personal impression is that not one of the statesmen who were in responsible positions wanted the war at that moment.

During the crisis, all Governments appeared to seek an agreement.

Even Russia does not seem to have wanted to force the war at any price.

From all this I deduce that the World War is rather the result of mistakes, hatred, corruption and distrust, than the outcome of political strategy. I do not know of a single political action which does not appear justified by the assertion that the party in question was convinced that her opponent was determined upon war. Even the general mobilization of the Russian Army may conceivably be traced to the fear of the Russian