Ten Cautionary GS Lessons from World War I

Most Americans did not experience the tremendous upset that World War I caused in Europe. Korzybski had experienced the debacle of the Eastern Front, with its devastation of Poland and parts of Russia. He brought this memory with him when the Russian Army sent him to Canada and the United States in December 1915, to oversee the acceptance of orders for military supplies. Throughout the chaotic years near the war's end, he kept asking himself, How could this be prevented?Alfred KorzybskiThe devastation and social collapse caused by World War I led Alfred Korzybski to formulate general semantics (GS), a system for more effective human evaluation. With this system, Korzybski hoped humankind would never again engage in such wanton and needless destruction. That destruction was brought about by nationalism, entangled alliances, narrow ethnic concerns, and desires for political gain-forces that are still with us today. This article will review those forces, map out some of the causes of the First World War, and propose ten cautionary GS lessons to prevent future conflicts.(Although World War I began one hundred years ago, its legacy is more present than we may think: The volatile politics of the Middle East and of Balkan Europe stem directly from World War I and its immediate aftereffects. America's current preoccupation to champion democracy throughout the world is also a product of the First World War.)The Start of World War I: An Orgy of DeclarationsThe precipitating event for World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, on June 28, 1914. Ferdinand, the heir to the AustroHungarian throne, was killed by the Black Hand (a Serbian nationalist secret society). Austria-Hungary's reaction to the death was to issue an ultimatum to Serbia, which, to the extent that it demanded the assassins be brought to justice, effectively violated Serbian sovereignty. Austria-Hungary expected Serbia to reject the severe terms of the ultimatum, thereby providing an excuse to launch a limited war against Serbia.Serbia had long-standing Slavic ties with Russia, but the AustroHungarian government did not think Russia would be drawn into the dispute, other than perhaps registering a diplomatic protest. As a protection against the nearly unimaginable possibility that Russia did declare war, Austria-Hungary sought assurances of support from Germany under a mutual alliance. Germany quickly agreed, and even encouraged Austro-Hungarian bellicosity.On July 28,1914, Austria-Hungary rejected Serbia's reply to the ultimatum, which for the most part was rather placating, and declared war on Serbia. Bound by treaty to Serbia, the Russian army mobilized. Germany viewed the Russian mobilization as an act of war against Austria-Hungary and declared war on Russia on August 1. France, a treaty partner of Russia, reacted by declaring war against Germany, and by extension Austria-Hungary, on August 3. Germany swiftly responded by invading neutral Belgium so as to reach Paris by the shortest route. Britain, allied to France by a loosely worded treaty that implied a moral obligation to mutual defense, declared war on Germany on August 4. Britain was also obligated to defend Belgium by the terms of a seventy-five-year-old treaty. Like France, Britain by extension was also at war with Austria-Hungary.As the war began, Britain's colonies and dominions abroad (e.g., Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa) offered assistance. The United States declared a policy of neutrality-an official stance that ended in 1917 when Germany's program of unrestricted submarine warfare seriously threatened America's commercial shipping. Japan, honoring a military agreement with Britain, declared war on Germany on August 23. Two days later, Austria-Hungary retorted by declaring war on Japan. Italy, although allied to both Germany and Austria-Hungary, was able to avoid entering the war by citing a clause allowing it to renege on its obligations to both. …

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