Europe had colonized a great deal of the world (colonize – v. to rape, murder and pillage a nation, destroying its culture and stealing its goods, while exterminating or enslaving its populace). And Europe was run by about a dozen guys (and one woman). These guys (and woman) were all related to each other, pretty much.

The dozen guys (and one woman) were spoiling for a fight. There hadn’t been a big war in a while. Heck Wikipedia only lists NINE wars in Europe between 1900 and 1914. The dozen guys were arguing over who had the biggest b***s, and the woman argued, not without justification) she did.

The trigger of World War I

A guy named Franz Ferdinand, with the improbable title of “Archduke” got shot. What this had to do with anything else remains a mystery. This began what became known as “the Great War”.

The basics of the war

Europe divided into two teams. Everyone dug trenches and started shooting. All that happened was that living people became dead people. The leaders said “That didn’t work! Keep doing it!” Eventually 20 million people were dead. The team called the allies won (this was the side without Germany).

The results

The allies won. The Versailles Treaty imposed penalties on Germany  that they could never met. Later, Hitler arose, leading to World War II and another 20 million or so dead.

A final quote

“I do not know what weapons will be used to fight World War III. World War IV will be fought with sticks and rocks”. Albert Einstein

Steven Spielberg had long said that he didn’t want to make Saving Private Ryan again. He said he wanted War Horse to be a war movie that parents cant take their children to and teach them something about love and war, and in this respect I can say that he more than succeeded. Spielberg comes close to the clinical perfection of Private Ryan, but more importantly, from an emotional perspective, War Horse far exceeds Private Ryan. There are many people apt to cry at Private Ryan, but War Horse is more likely to cause tears at a similar level to, say, Schindler’s List. More importantly, unlike either Schindler or Private Ryan, War Horse is unlikely to cause any sort of political or moral complaints. He never tempers the anti-war message with nationalist tripe. Rather, he plays war straight. War is evil, men are good. There are no sides in this movie. In fact, at various points throughout the film, he seems to directly reject Saving Private ’s heroism is dying for country message.

War Horse is based on the children’s book and play of the same name. It is about a boy who’s father, on a whim, buys a horse for his son that he knows will never be what is needed for the farm work it is purchased for. The boy forms an incredible bond with the horse. The first forty five minutes of the film is spent establishing the relationship between boy and horse. This part of the film is rather slow, but is necessary to establishing the film’s central relationships, and is quickly made up for by the shift in pace as soon as the war begins. From the Scottish country side, after this important turning point in world history, War Horse shifts to France, where the titular horse is serving after being sold to the army. The boy is a year or two too young to follow his horse to Europe at this point, so for the next section, the film follows the horse only. From here on out, I will leave the plot a mystery, but it is gripping, thrilling, and very emotional.

There are two scenes in War Horse that I think are worthy of further mention. The first is a charge across no man’s land. For anyone not familiar with the bulk of World War I’s combat, it consisted of months at a time of back and forth shooting between trenches, broken up by awful charges across no man’s land, to take a few hundred yards of enemy territory. These charges, as short as they were, as a result of the machine gun, came with death tolls in the thousands or higher. War Horse contains one of these charges, and it is carried out with both taste, and near perfect artistry. It is just grisly enough to get the reality across, but not so grisly that it makes the movie impossible to show to younger audiences. In fact, this trench charge ranks up with Steven Spielberg’s other famous World War battle scene, the beach landing in Saving Private Ryan. It doesn’t quite make it, but it comes close.

The other scene worthy of mention also occurs in the trenches, and reflects the other side of War Horse. The titular horse gets caught in the barbed wire in No Man’s Land. The soldiers on either side spot it. No one knows what to do, as it is clear that its in incredible pain, but they know that leaving their respective trench would expose them to machine gun fire. Eventually two soldiers, one British, the other German both move to free the horse. The soldiers on both sides know what is going on, so no one fires a shot. This scene is unbelievably touching. The discussion they have (the German soldier happens to speak good English, explained adequately through a joke) will move even the most cynical of viewers, and gives a good idea of just what perspective War Horse takes to the act of war.

There are a few small problems in War Horse that, in most films, I would take issue with, but I will forgive in this case as I feel that they are so necessary for this film to appeal to younger audiences. The German soldiers speak English to one another, a big pet peeve for me. I would have preferred for French characters to speak subtitled French and German characters to speak subtitled Germans, but I recognize that many younger viewers refuse to read subtitles. There are a few unnecessary jokes, but again, younger viewers will enjoy these. Spielberg, as always, has three different endings tacked onto the movie, in this case necessary to provide the cut and dry resolution younger viewers require. As I said, these are still problems, but they are, for better or worse, required to accomplish what Spielberg was trying to.

I can say with absolute certainty that when Christmas rolls around, I will be dragging all my younger relatives to a screening of War Horse. I have never seen a movie so able to pull its punches enough to get a PG- 13 rating, but show enough to explain just what it is about war that makes it such an odious, disgusting, awful affair. In short, see War Horse as soon as you possibly can.

Population: 4 million

Rome is the capital and largest of Italy. The city is located in the central-western portion of the country. Within the center of Rome lies Vatican City, the world’s smallest independent country.

 Rome is one of the most-visited cities in the world. It is a leading center for culture, history and arts. It has long been admired for its preservation of historical landmarks and monuments, particularly the Colosseum, one of the world’s oldest structures. The city receives an estimated 30 million tourists a year. In 1960, Rome hosted the Summer Olympics.

 The city’s history dates back as long as 2,500 years. It was the capital city of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, growing from a small city-state to a gigantic empire which encompassed nearly all of Western Europe and the lands bordering the Mediterranean for over seven hundred years from the 1st century BC until the 7th century AD and the city is regarded as one of the birthplaces of western civilization. Since the 1st century AD Rome has been the seat of the Papacy and, after the end of Byzantine domination, in the 8th century it became the capital of the Papal States, which lasted until 1870. In 1871 Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy and has been the capital of Italy ever since. After the end of World War I, Fascist leader Benito Mussolini took power, pledging to return Rome to its former greatness and allied the country with Nazi Germany. The interwar period saw a rapid growth in the city’s population, eventually surpassing 1,000,000 inhabitants. In World War II, due to its status of an open city, Rome largely escaped the tragic destiny of other European cities, but was occupied by the Germans following its surrender to the Allies. It was liberated by Allied forces June 1944. After the war, the city grew momentously, as one of the driving forces behind the Italian economic miracle of post-war reconstruction and modernization.

Population:  12 million

Paris is the capital and largest city of France and one of the largest urban areas in Europe. It sits on the Siena River. It had been the largest city in the Western world for about 1,000 years, prior to the 19th century, and the largest in the entire world between the 16th and 19th centuries.

 Paris is a global city and is one of the world’s leading business and culture centers and exerts strong influence in global politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science and the arts and is especially influential in the fashion industry. All of this makes Paris an important center for the global economy.  It is also considered one of the greenest and most livable cities in Europe in addition to being one of world’s most expensive cities.

 The city is a level three “command center” for the global economy and produces more than a quarter of the gross domestic product for France and is the Paris metropolitan area GDP trails only Tokyo, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and London as the largest urban area GDP.  Attracting about 42 million tourists annually makes Paris the most visited city in the world.

 The earliest archaeological signs of permanent settlements in the Paris area date from around 4200 BC. It became part of the Roman Empire in 52 BC and expanded greatly over the following centuries, becoming a prosperous city with a forum, palaces, baths, temples, theatres, and an amphitheater. After the collapse of the Roman Empire and the Germanic invasions in the 5th Century the city slipped into a period of decline. In the 9th Century it was invaded by Vikings, who sacked and plundered the city. The city was hit by Black Death in 1348, killing as many as 40,000 and then in 1466 it was hit by the Great Plague which killed about the same number. After temporarily losing its position as capital as France, it regained that status in 1528. In March 1814 the city was occupied by Russian, British and German forces after Napoleon’s defeat. Cholera later hit the city in 1832, claiming 20,000 lives. During the Industrial Revolution Paris thrived and entered a period of rapid development. The Eiffel Tower opened and would remain the world’s tallest building until 1930. The Paris Metro opened in 1900.  Although Paris escaped invasion by Germany during World War I, the Germans succeeded in World War II and for four years, the city was occupied by Germany. It was liberated in August 1944 by American forces. During the late 1900’s and early 2000’s Paris underwent a major building boom, adding many skyscrapers to its downtown area.

Official language: English

Land area: 3,619,239 sq mi/9,366,014 sq km

Population:  310,462,000

Dominant religion: Christianity

Capital: Washington, D.C.

Current leader: President Barack Obama

United States is a large country in North America, spanning the entire east-west distance of the continent. It is world’s fourth largest country in landmass and third largest in population. Only Russia, Canada and China cover more land and only China and India have more people. When the states of Alaska and Hawaii, both which are separated from the mainland, are included, the United States covers more land than China. The U.S. is bordered by Canada to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is comprised of 50 states and one federal district.

 The United States is widely considered to be the world’s most ethnically diverse country. Virtually every nationality and ethnic group in the world is represented. People of European descent make up about 65 percent of the population; Hispanics and people of African descent make up about 12 percent each; people of Asian/Middle Eastern and Pacific Islander descent make up about 10 percent and Native Americans comprise about 1 percent. Because of the country’s ongoing stubborn racial divide people of mixed ancestry have long been forced to identify with just one race or ethnic group and therefore the federal government has never been able to keep an accurate number of people of mixed ancestry. Only about 2.4 million, less than 1 percent of the population, officially acknowledge mixed heritage but this number is believed to include only those of mixed African and European ancestry. But if the vast number of blacks and whites who also claim Native American ancestry are included, as well as those of mixed black and Hispanic ancestry, mixed white and Hispanic ancestry, mixed Hispanic and Asian ancestry, mixed black and Asian ancestry and mixed white and Asian ancestry, the percentage of Americans of mixed ancestry can very well be as high as 15 percent.

 The United States is the world’s largest market economy and widely considered to be the world’s wealthiest nation. American-made goods can be found in almost every corner of the globe. It is the most highly industrialized nation with vast deposits of natural resources and very few countries have made as much use of their natural resources as the U.S. has. Because of the country’s wealth and opportunities, the United States has long been the top destination for immigrants and it is one of the world’s top tourist destinations. Glitzy major cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Houston, Miami and Atlanta are symbols of vast financial opportunities and entertainment.

 Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas in 1492 but the land that is now the United States remained unexplored until the 1520’s, when the Spanish began exploring the southeastern U.S. The oldest incorporated city in the U.S., St. Augustine, Florida, was founded in 1565. At about the same time, however, the British and French were also beginning to stake claims to parts of the new land further north. In the 1600’s British territory was taking the shape of 13 colonies along the Atlantic Ocean. In 1775, these 13 colonies began revolting against British rule, sparking the American Revolution. On July 4, 1776, the colonies officially declared independence although the war would rage on for another seven years. For the next roughly 120 years, through a series of treaties, purchases and wars, and not to mention atrocities against Native Americans who were already inhabiting the land, the United States would expand westward until finally reaching the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Under the 1783 Treaty of Paris, it was given all the land east of the Mississippi River. It gained control of Florida from Spain and annexed Texas in the 1840’s. The Louisiana Purchase from France nearly doubled the size of the country. It was awarded what now makes up Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah in 1848 after defeating Mexico in the Mexican-American War. It fought another war with its colonial ruler, the United Kingdom, in the War of 1812, in which the British destroyed Washington, D.C. It would be the last time a foreign power would invade American soil.

 While the U.S. rapidly expanded there was one issue that was increasingly dividing the country – slavery. By 1819, every Northern state had abolished slavery but for the South, whose economy depended heavily on agriculture, slavery was part of the lifeline. In the mid-1800’s Congress was passing a series of laws which, in the opinion of the South, had the ultimate goal of ending slavery. In 1861, following the election of Abraham Lincoln as president, the Southern states broke away and declared themselves the Confederate States of America, sparking the American Civil War. Four years and more than 600,000 deaths later, the country was reunited. Afterwards, the country continued to grow. The Spanish-American War of 1898 marked the country’s debut as a global military superpower. It gained its first foreign possessions – the Philippines, Guam and Cuba. During World War I it showed its superpower potential again by helping the United Kingdom, France and Italy defeat Germany and Austria-Hungary. Although the country tried to retreat from the world stage but was called back in World War II, emerging from the war as the world’s most powerful nation and leader of the free world. During the Cold War, the United States was about all that stood between the free world and the spread of communism by the Soviet Union. In the Korean War it saved South Korea from communism although it failed to stop communism in the Vietnam War. In the 1991 Persian Gulf War it took the lead in turning back Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

 While it was trying to keep the world safe from the Soviet Union in the 1950’s and 60’s the U.S. also had to save itself at home. During that period, blacks, long disenfranchised as second-class citizens, began taking to the streets in the civil rights movement, demanding more equal rights and an end to the humiliation of segregation. By the end of the 1960’s segregation was no more but racial problems continue to persist. Through it all, most people continue to consider the United States the greatest country in the world and the best example of democracy and it even with the removal of the Soviet threat, it continues to take an active role in global affairs as the world’s lone military superpower.

Official language: English, Irish, Scottish

Land area: 93,628 sq mi/242,495 sq km

Population:  62,761,000

Dominant religion: Christianity

Capital: London

Current leader: Prime Minister David Cameron

The United Kingdom is an island country in northwestern Europe, lying across the English Channel from France. It consists of the island of Great Britain, the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland and dozens of nearby smaller islands including the Channel Islands. Great Britain, Ireland and the nearby smaller islands are sometimes referred to as the British Isles.

 The island of Great Britain is divided into three self-governing political units – England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland is also self-governing. While all inhabitants of Great Britain are commonly referred to as British the people of Scotland and Wales, with their own cultures and political opinions that sometimes differ greatly from those of England, prefer to be called Scots and Welsh, respectively. Whites make up about 93 percent of the United Kingdom’s population. Among them, about 5 percent are people from nearby European countries such as Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands in addition to a small number of people from poorer European countries such as Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Ukraine who came seeking better opportunities. The United Kingdom’s non-white population comes primarily from its former colonies in Africa and Asia, especially from member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations. Over 90 percent of the U.K.’s population resides in urban areas.

 The Industrial Revolution began in the United Kingdom in the 1700’s and today the country remains one of the world’s five most industrialized nations and leading economies. As an island nation with a large population, manufacturing and trading constitutes the bulk of its lifeline. It is also the largest producer of petroleum and natural gas in the European Union. The country also has deposits of important minerals such as chalk, clay, fluorspar, gypsum, salt and gravel. Another important source of income for the country is the millions of tourists who visit this beautiful country every year to taste its rich culture and history. The United Kingdom is also a top destination for students hoping to broaden their education, particularly at either Cambridge or Oxford, both which are considered by many academics to be the world’s finest universities.

 Very few nations in the world can boast a prouder and more storied history than United Kingdom can. In terms of percentage of the entire world, the British Empire, at its height, was the largest empire ever amassed. By the dawn of the 20th Century, roughly one-quarter of the world and its population was under British rule and for the better part of 200 years its navy was the master of the world’s seas. While the loss of its American Colonies in the American Revolution was one of its greatest setbacks it continued to build a great empire that eventually consisted of large swaths of Africa, Asia, North America and Oceania. But fall from glory awaited. The aftermath of World War I began spelling doom. The Japan and the United States were emerging as world powers while the citizens of the Empire’s possessions, particularly Ireland, were becoming increasingly restive and demanding greater freedom. In 1931, the United Kingdom granted independence to Australia, Canada, the Irish Free State, New Zealand and South Africa although all of them would remain members of the Commonwealth of Nations. World War II, however, was the final seal of death for the British Empire. While the United Kingdom fought bravely and fiercely under the leadership of Winston Churchill, bringing Germany’s successes to a halt in 1942, its failure to protect its possessions in Asia against the Japanese juggernaut exposed its weakness. Immediately after the war, more colonies demanded and were granted independence. In 1947 the United Kingdom lost both India and Pakistan. The following year Burma became independent. In the early 1960’s it lost Malaysia and Singapore and most of its possessions in Africa. By 1980 all that remained of the once mighty British Empire were Hong Kong, Gibraltar and a few island protectorates and dependencies in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

 Despite its decline, the United Kingdom remains one of the world’s most influential countries as well as an economic superpower. Its monarch, Queen Elizabeth, remains the head of state in most of country’s former colonies. In 1982 it proved that it was still a military force to be reckoned with in its naval shootout with Argentina in the Falkland Islands War. It played a role in expelling the Iraqi army from Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf War and also helped removed Saddam Hussein from power during the 2003 Gulf War.

Official language: German, French, Italian

Land area: 15,940 sq mi/41,284 sq km

Population:  7,748,000

Dominant religion: Christianity

Capital: Bern

Switzerland is a small, mountainous country in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Germany to the north, Austria to the east, Italy to the south and France to the west. The Alps and the Jura mountains cover more than half the country’s landscape.

 The people of Switzerland are divided by the country’s four national languages – French, German, Italian and Romansh. The German-speaking group comprises roughly 70 percent of the population and live in the northern, eastern and central parts of the country. French is spoken by about 20 percent of the population. Most of the French-speakers live in the western part. About 7 percent of the population speaks Italian. Most of the these people reside in the south. Romansh is spoken mostly by people living in the mountain valleys in the southeastern part of the country.

 Switzerland is very industrialized and its citizens enjoy one of the world’s highest standards of living. It is one of the world’s major banking and financial hubs. Many of the world’s wealthy open bank accounts with Swiss banks and enjoy high returns. Many Swiss products, especially its watches and automobiles, are world-renown. Switzerland is also major tourist destination. The Alps draws thousands of skiers every winter. Many international organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, have their headquarters in Switzerland.

 Switzerland had been part of the Holy Roman Empire but in the 1200’s the Hapsburg Empire took possession of nearly the entire country. The Swiss drove the Hapsburgs out but would continue to fight frequent wars with the empire until the 1500’s. During the French Revolution, the French gained control of the country. After Napoleon was defeated in 1815 Switzerland adopted neutrality and has not fought another war since. Even during World War I and World War II it was an oasis of peace while the rest of Europe was engulfed in war. After World War II it was even reluctant to join the United Nations for fear that it would be expected to provide troops in military situations. Nevertheless the country has provided troops in some UN peacekeeping missions.

Official language: English, Maori

Land area: 104,454 sq mi/270,534 sq km

Population:  4,516,000

Dominant religion: Christianity

Capital:  Wellington

Current leader: Prime Minister John Key

New Zealand is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, lying about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) southeast of Australia. It consists of two main islands – the North Island and the South Island – and over dozen much smaller islands. New Zealand is part of the Polynesian island group. The British monarch, Queen Elizabeth, is the recognized head of state for New Zealand. The country is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

 People of European ancestry make up about 70 percent of New Zealand’s population. About 15 percent of the population are Maori, New Zealand’s original natives. Most of the rest are people from Australia, China, the United Kingdom and Vietnam as well as other islands in the South Pacific.

 New Zealand is very industrialized and has a strong economy. Its factories produce textiles, machinery and transportation equipment and its mines produce clay, coal, lime, limestone, natural gas and other mineral products. New Zealand also attracts millions of tourists from countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries. In recent years New Zealand has also become a favorite location for the filming of many Hollywood-produced movies. The blockbuster trilogy Lord of The Rings was shot mostly in New Zealand’s wilderness.

 British explorer James Cook was the first European to visit New Zealand, setting foot on the islands in 1769. In 1835 it was made a protectorate of the United Kingdom and in the 1840’s it became a British colony. In 1893 New Zealand became the first country to extend voting rights to women. It was granted the status of a self-governing country within the British Empire in 1907. The country sent troops to fight alongside the British in both World War I and World War II. In the early 2000’s New Zealand hit an unprecedented milestone when the country’s top three positions – prime minister, speaker of the parliament and chief justice of the supreme court – were all simultaneously held by women.

Official language: Swedish

Land area: 173,732 sq mi/449,964 sq km

Population:  9,446,000

Dominant religion: Christianity

Capital: Stockholm

Current leader: Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt

Sweden is a country in northern Europe. It shares the Scandinavian Peninsula with Norway, which borders the country to the north. Further north on the Peninsula, Sweden is bordered by Finland. A significant portion of northern Sweden lies within the Arctic Circle and at the height of summer the sun never sets in this part of the country. During the height of winter there is continuous dark.

 Ethnic Swedes make up a great majority of the population of Sweden. There is also a significant number of people from Denmark, Finland and Norway. Like the people of Denmark and Norway, Swedes are Scandinavians. Most of Sweden’s population lives in the southern portion of the country while the north, which gets bitterly cold during the winter, is very sparsely-populated. Sweden itself is one of the world’s most sparsely-populated countries. Nevertheless, the people of Sweden enjoy one of the world’s highest standards of living.

 Sweden is highly industrialized and is one of Europe’s most economically wealthiest countries. Its industries produce agricultural machinery, aircraft and ships. It is also one of the leading automobile producers. Volvo is one of the world’s top carmakers.

 Swedish Vikings were among the world’s earliest explorers and even ruled parts of Russia at one time. In 1397 Sweden united with Norway and Denmark but in 1523 Sweden broke away from the union.  Throughout much of the 1500’s the country fought wars with Denmark, Poland and Russia and gained control of Finland in the mid-1600’s. In the 1800’s it joined the fight against Napoleon and lost Finland to Russia but gained Norway from Denmark. In 1905 Norway broke away and declared independence. Sweden remained neutral in World War I and again in World War II although it allowed Germany to use its territory to invade Norway. It took a neutral stance during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.