Why Did World War I End So Suddenly? The Unexpected Armistice of 1918 - David Stevenson

Comments · 1.1K

• JO

  @johnharrington1800 · 1 year ago

  This lecture is nothing short of brilliant. Stevenson's knowledge of the war as well as his grasp of AMerica's role and the historical antecedents that influenced the outlook of Wilson and Pershing are so impressive. I thought I knew a lot about World War I but this lecture proved to be incredibly illuminating.

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• CL

  @ClosedGame75 · 11 months ago

  I&apos;m a historian with a degree from a Danish university back in 2007. I have spent my entire adult life, and much of my younger years for that matter, studying the First World War in as much detail as I possibly can. Every aspect of it, from battles to homefront, politics to morale, to logistics ... all of it. It was, for far, FAR too long, &quot;Europe&apos;s forgotten war&quot;, which I realize was caused by multiple reasons, but I always maintained that the primary one was that it was seen as &quot;a stupid war&quot; whereas the Second World War (insofar as one can even speak of two distinct conflicts and not merely one, with two parts, separated by a 20 year armestice) was always seen as &quot;a deeply necessary war&quot;. I always, even from childhood, thought it was wrong and even &quot;unfair&quot; that so many people died and everyone just ... seemed to forget about it. That there was so much suffering and so many awful things happening, and everyone just didn&apos;t really give a damn. <br><br>Even as a child, that seemed utterly wrong to me, and I began reading everything I could lay my hands on about this world-wide tragedy. <br><br>This is one of the finest lectures I&apos;ve heard about the ending of the war. It is very, very eloquently presented, it&apos;s highly accurate, it explains the details concisely and it doesn&apos;t sensationalise. It&apos;s simply VERY well done, and therefore, very enjoyable to listen to. <br><br>Thank you for posting this.

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• JI

  @jim2376 · 1 year ago

  My maternal grandfather fought in this war. On the German side. <br>What did he get out of the war? The permanent loss of hearing in both ears at age 19 when a British shell hit a bunker where he&apos;d just delivered a message.<br>When the armistice came at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, he didn&apos;t even formally muster out. He was so disgusted with the war he threw his rifle to the ground, turned east, and walked home. <br>He emigrated to the United States.

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• CA

  @candyman5912 · 5 years ago

  This is how I like my history taught. Factual &amp; without childish, jingoistic, nationalistic bluster.

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• WA

  @wallycox4579 · 1 year ago

  In the Late 1970&apos;s I rented from an elderly German couple and he had fought in WW1. From what he said, the troops were starving toward the end and that was a very significant factor in the decreasing effectiveness of the army.

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• AP

  @apyorick · 8 months ago

  &quot;Trotsky looking suspicious, as well he might.&quot;<br><br>😂😂 nice one. Right on the Marx 😂😂

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• JI

  @JimmySmith-du7xz · 1 year ago

  Really like this professor! &nbsp;He does a remarkable job digging deeper into the history, but at the same time not losing the student in the process. &nbsp;His voice is rather monotone but for this topic, a dispassionate approach feels appropriate.

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• D_

  @d_rooster · 1 year ago

  This was remarkable to listen to. I have to say never before has the I. World War seemed so close and so lucid to me. So unlike the myth and history I have been learning about my whole life. It might have something to do with the uncertainty and fragmentation of our own world today. The ending was very powerful and kudos to Professor Stevenson.

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• NO

  @Nolanator429 · 10 months ago

  “Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please.” <br><br>-Niccolo Machiavelli c. 1521<br><br>Particularly relevant to this video.

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• TH

  @thomaswhitelake · 6 years ago

  Excellent presentation. Much learned. Thank you!

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• SU

  @superfinn80 · 1 year ago

  Outstanding! After reading much about The Great War, what constantly amazes me is how it apparently started through fear of the other side mobilizing first, and therefore gaining ground before the home side could react. It had almost nothing to do with the death of Archduke Firdinand and Sophie. What a horrible loss of life, seemingly for nothing, but then, arent they all?

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• MA

  @Mahlers1st · 1 year ago

  Both of my grandfathers were there to the end. One wounded. When I was 4 I walked in on him changing and saw that a chunk of his left quadricep the size of 2 grapefruit was missing. God bless him.

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