5. The Great Slaughter Begins¶
Core Argument¶
5. The Great Slaughter Begins
The centenary commemorations of the First World War have systematically trivialised the catastrophe, reducing industrial slaughter to nostalgic entertainment for the masses. Yet the reality was a deliberate, calculated assault on the working class by every belligerent government, each deploying identical propaganda methods: demonising the enemy, mobilising the press, church, and political parties to whip up patriotic frenzy. Labour leaders betrayed their class by supporting war credits and entering coalition governments, disorienting workers who concluded the war must be just. Many volunteered seeking adventure and escape from monotonous existence. In Russia, the tsarist government was driven to war by fear of revolution—a general strike had paralysed St Petersburg in July 1914—but the outbreak of war drowned class struggle in patriotism, smashing the Bolshevik Party. Sir Edward Grey predicted the war would lead to socialist governments, a prophecy that proved correct.
The First Battle of the Marne (6–12 September 1914) halted the German advance at 250,000 casualties on each side, forcing the Germans to dig trenches and ending hopes of quick victory. French commander Joffre displayed complete indifference to casualties, ordering senseless piecemeal attacks. By Christmas 1914, close proximity in trenches led to spontaneous fraternisation: British and German troops exchanged cigarettes for cheese, shook hands, and cheered together before returning to shoot at each other. Generals, alarmed by this erosion of fighting spirit, issued orders on 5 December 1914 prohibiting “friendly intercourse with the enemy” and “unofficial armistices,” insisting on the “offensive spirit.” Despite this, fraternisation spread at Christmas—soldiers sang carols, exchanged gifts, held joint burial ceremonies, and played football in no man’s land. Up to 100,000 men participated; in some places the truce lasted a week. The officer caste on both sides was enraged. The following Christmas, sentries had orders to shoot any soldier attempting fraternisation.
The ruling class aims to divide workers along national lines, especially in war. The generals were horrified by workers in uniform instinctively recognising each other as fellow workers in a senseless slaughter for kings, lords, and capitalists. Snipers were posted to prevent fraternisation and enforce hatred. This barbarity was ended only by the Russian Revolution, which broke down barriers between soldiers and established the basis for international proletarian unity.