At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them....

Try an experiment the next time you go to a church in Europe (or any of the main combatant nations in the First World War) and look at the In Memoriam sections for World War 1 vs World War 2. What strikes you is the huge number who died in the First vs the Second World War, for no other reason than the generals thought it was very smart to send young men walking through mud into the face of barbed wire and machine guns time and time again to make a few yards ground, to be lost when the other guys did the same.

If ever there was a starker example of why one shouldn't listen to one's betters, this was it. Poor men die in rich men's wars, they say - and this was the worst. At the time there was the most astonishing amount of pro-war jingoism being whipped up, and in most European countries anyone who argued it was a bad idea was branded a coward or worse.

So, roll forward nearly 100 years - and a question for all you Noo Meedja-ites out there. If they had Twitter or something like it in 1914, do you think it would have:

(i) Exacerbated the jingoism, with howling lynchmobs shouting at those arguing against it
(ii) Ameliorated the jingoism, with people popping up with coloured avatars in protest
(iii) Had no effect, it was merely a system that reflected the larger public mood and the governments' wanted their war anyway

If, like me, you suspect it was more probably (i) shaded with (iii) (assuming that Twitter1914 was as unmediated as today), that may give some pause for thought this Armistice Day. When all around are losing their heads, and you may lose yours if you oppose them, what do you do?