Right up to the war, Europe's power elites were driven: motivated by
chauvinistic demands, a spirit of aggression and hopes for a quick
victory. Although this study clearly identifies the tendencies that led
to disaster, it refrains from turning the investigation of the causes
into a court case. Thus the traumatizing events themselves are the focus
of attention - with their scenes and developments. From trench warfare,
the stalemate of defensive fire, to the birth of a new war of movement -
from the bankruptcy of war to its revival. And it also looks at the
consequences of the carnage: First, the effects on the human soul, as
revealed in war neuroses and literary testimonies. On the other hand,
the political consequences from which humanity suffers to this day.