I had no idea before reading this that the royal leaders of Russia, England and German were cousins! They all shared the same grandma, Queen Victoria. That family squabbles and pecking order should lead to world war shows the folly of our human condition. I get the sense that nobody in the royal families, nor their court officials, nor their ministers, etc., offered much to avoid war. Navies and armies were built up, allegiances were made in secret and broken and vociferous nationalism was evident in the letters, speeches and actions taken by not only the three kings, but by their families and respective councils.What's interesting is the author's position, taken from the collapse of order in Germany and Prussia and the relative stability of England that a "consitutional monarchy" allowed for the maintenance of social order without the coup d'etat of the royal family. The social unrest seemed to stem, in the Russias and in Germany, from the top down - and the same top down problems occured largely to Queen Victoria's "advice" and steadfast adherence to tradition and royal protocol.
Because of self-important autocracies, the world was brought to war. Shame.
