Ordeal by Battle

The author examines why armed conflict remains inevitable, recounts the events that led to the contemporary European war, and analyzes both the opponent's ideological and institutional drivers and the home country's political shortcomings. He attributes aggressive aims to an intellectual and bureaucratic culture that has distorted national ambitions, contrasts that with domestic failures of leadership, inadequate armaments, and corrosive party practices, and argues that democracy must be backed by compulsory national service, encompassing military and civil duties, to withstand modern total war. The work combines immediate commentary, institutional critique, and practical prescriptions for national mobilization and political reform.