Should Britain have stayed neutral in World War I?

 

by Lester Cowling

World War One is the byword for bravery, patriotism and ultimate self sacrifice. The only consolation for us is we won….well maybe.                                            

★    Around 22 million died

★    About the same number were left wounded, maimed or mentally damaged

★    The war lasted almost four and a half years. On average 230 soldiers perished every hour.

 And it inevitably lead into World War Two - the second half of the same conflict - where the suffering was even more horrific. 

Historians are now increasingly divided - should Britain have sat it out - been neutral? Dominic Sandbrook, Margaret Macmillan, Niall Ferguson have all expressed this view.