History is not another name for the past as many people imply. It is the name for stories about the past.
~ A. J. P. Taylor
No war is inevitable until it breaks out.
No matter what political reasons are given for war, the underlying reason is always economic.
Human blunders usually do more to shape history than human wickedness.
Like most of those who study history, he (Napoleon III) learned from the mistakes of the past how to make new ones.
In my opinion, most of the great men of the past were only there for the beer - the wealth, prestige and grandeur that went with the power.
The great armies, accumulated to provide security and preserve the peace, carried the nations to war by their own weight.